This course is part of the Healthcare IT Support Specialization

4.7
stars
458 ratings

Ashwini S. Davison, M.D. +1 more instructor

11,033 already enrolled

Offered By

Healthcare IT Support SpecializationJohns Hopkins University

About this Course

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This is a very exciting time to be exploring a career in Health IT Support! In this introductory course, you’ll learn about various roles in IT support that are common in healthcare. IT support staff play critical roles in many different healthcare venues. In addition to helping clinics, hospitals, and emergency rooms, you may end up providing support in a skilled nursing facility, ambulatory surgical center, virtual care setting, or even a patient’s home! On any given day, you may interact with nurses, physicians, pharmacists, physical therapists, social workers, other allied health professionals, patients or caregivers. Each of these individuals rely on IT support specialists to help them maintain a high reliability healthcare organization. As you learn about what makes Health IT unique, we hope you find inspiration in the stories shared by some of our very own IT support staff at Johns Hopkins. They’ll talk to you about the most common problems they help resolve as well as the complexity and range of issues that arise. Whether you dream of being an end-user computer support specialist, working at a healthcare help desk, or rising to an analyst role, we’re thrilled that you are embarking upon this journey. Welcome again!

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Course 1 of 4 in the

Healthcare IT Support Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 2 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Coursera Labs

Includes hands on learning projects.

Learn more about Coursera Labs

Course 1 of 4 in the

Healthcare IT Support Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 2 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.59/5 (198 Ratings)

Ashwini S. Davison, M.D.

Director of Strategy and Transformation

Informatics Education

24,356 Learners

5 Courses

Jessica M. Roosth

Project Leader

Information Technology

11,033 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

Johns Hopkins University

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

1 hour to complete

Why Health IT?

This first module is designed to pique your interest about the exciting world of Health Information Technology, or HIT. Over the past decade, technology has had a tremendous impact on the way healthcare is delivered. As the work of clinicians, hospitals, and health systems has been re-imagined, the need for IT Support Specialists has grown. As you learn about what’s unique when working in Health IT (HIT) and what some common roles are, you’ll even see some examples of what a day-in-the life of an IT support specialist in healthcare looks like. You'll watch a help desk agent field a call from a very frustrated surgeon and through empathy and clear communication, helps to resolve the matter. During this module, you’ll be introduced to Johns Hopkins employees who are passionate about the critical role they play every day. They’ll share stories of inspiration and words of advice on how you can get your foot in the door as a Health IT support specialist. What are some examples of difficult calls they’ve handled? What are some of their proudest moments on the job? What are the most common IT issues they've helped troubleshoot? What kinds of tickets will you be helping to close someday? Get started to hear the answers to these questions and many more!

1 hour to complete

7 videos (Total 39 min)

7 videos

Welcome to the Course2mWhy This is an Exciting Time to be in Health IT4mStories of Inspiration: Meet Liz3mWhat’s Unique About Working in Health IT: Complexity & Volume of Tickets8mWhat’s Unique About Working in Health IT: Privacy, Patients, Populations 6mMethods for Getting Health IT Support6mBehind the Scenes: Help Desk Staff Assisting a Busy Surgeon 6m

1 practice exercise

Module 1 Practice Quiz10m

Week2

Week 2

1 hour to complete

Roles for Health IT Support Staff

There are a variety of IT support roles that are important for keeping a hospital or health system running. In this module, you’ll learn about the kind of work that’s involved in this important and growing field. You’ll hear about what it means to be a high reliability organization and the kinds of leadership and communication skills you need to have to work in this space. You’ll get to see behind-the-scenes footage in the hospital where an IT support staff member helps a patient with their request. In another scene, you’ll see an IT support team member calmly troubleshoot an error message that a nervous employee is receiving. One of the unique aspects of healthcare compared to other fields is that there are so many clinical terms and topics that might be new to you. We want you to slowly gain exposure to the language used in hospitals as well as familiarity with terms such as chest x-rays, CT scans, second opinions, HIPAA, patient portals. Continue along to gain a better understanding of what’s involved in being an end-user computer support specialist, a help desk agent, or a healthcare IT analyst. No matter what step you take next in your career journey, just know that the rapidly growing field of health IT support has a place for you!

1 hour to complete

6 videos (Total 35 min)

Reviews

4.7

107 reviews

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3 stars
4.06%
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1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM THE CRITICAL ROLE OF IT SUPPORT STAFF IN HEALTHCARE

by ADOct 31, 2022

I thought it was informative and presented the information in a way that was easy to digest.

by JMSep 6, 2021

It is imperative to know everything from basics and this course is an example of it. Thank you.

by LASep 19, 2022

This is a great basic overview of the process involved in a healthcare IT support system.

by JEDec 8, 2020

I have learned a lot in this course and am very excited to move up to the next one.

View all reviews

About the Healthcare IT Support Specialization

Are you looking to get your foot in the door as a Healthcare IT Support specialist? Do you want to solve technical problems for healthcare professionals and health system employees? Have you always wanted to enter an in-demand field in Health Information Technology? The courses in this specialization are designed to pique your interest regarding the ever-evolving field of IT support in healthcare. In order to help physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and a wide range of other allied health professionals and non-clinical staff, you need to be familiar with the basic language of healthcare. Through this 4-course specialization, we’ll take you on a whirlwind tour of what it means to play a critical role in maintaining the ongoing operations of a hospital, health system, clinic or other healthcare setting. You’ll be introduced to the basics of health IT fundamentals, the different technologies relevant to healthcare, and important aspects of data security, privacy and compliance. You’ll have an opportunity to hear stories of inspiration from health IT staff who once were in your shoes. Go behind-the-scenes at a large hospital to learn about the many ways in which IT support staff play a role in helping patients, providers and the population. You’ll even receive tips on job interviews and advice on how to succeed on this career path.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

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The Critical Role of IT Support Staff in Healthcare

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