Healthcare IT Fundamentals
Start in healthcare IT: how care is delivered, the systems that run a hospital, and the data, privacy and safety rules that shape every job in the field.
Beginner
Level
6
Modules
12
Lessons
6
Graded quizzes
6 hours
Estimated time
What you will be able to do
- Describe how care is delivered across healthcare settings and who the people are that healthcare IT serves.
- Explain what an electronic health record is and name the clinical and business systems that surround it.
- Read the basics of health data: patient identity, the chart, the common coding systems, and how systems exchange information.
- Explain why patient information is specially protected and what the privacy and security basics ask of everyone who touches it.
- Describe how healthcare IT is kept running and safe, including downtime procedures and change in a clinical setting.
- Map the roles and career paths in healthcare IT and the honest, vendor-neutral next steps toward each.
What is inside
6 modules, 12 lessons. Each module ends in a graded quiz.
- 01
The Healthcare Setting
A beginner's tour of where care happens, who the people are that healthcare technology supports, and why building and running IT in healthcare is unlike IT in an ordinary business.
2 lessons · 5 quiz questions
- 02
The EHR and Clinical Systems
A beginner friendly tour of the electronic health record and the connected systems around it, explaining what each one does and how information moves between them.
2 lessons · 5 quiz questions
- 03
Health Data and Interoperability Basics
A plain-language introduction to how health data is organized around a patient record and the common coding systems that give data shared meaning, plus how separate systems exchange that data so care teams can work from the same picture.
2 lessons · 5 quiz questions
- 04
Privacy and Security Basics
A beginner-friendly introduction to why patient information is specially protected, what HIPAA asks of healthcare organizations, and the everyday habits that keep patient data safe.
2 lessons · 5 quiz questions
- 05
Healthcare IT Operations and Safety
A beginner introduction to how hospital and clinic technology is kept running every hour of the day, and why keeping patients safe always comes before moving fast.
2 lessons · 5 quiz questions
- 06
Careers in Healthcare IT
A plain-language tour of the common roles in healthcare IT and honest, practical guidance on how to break in, including a clear and vendor-neutral look at the certification landscape.
2 lessons · 5 quiz questions