Students enrolled in the Bachelor of Health Science, with major sequence Health Informatics at the Monash Peninsula Campus, will be required to gain some industry experience in the health care industry, including hospitals and government bodies. This subject will draw upon the students' knowledge and skills acquired during the rest of the degree, and provides valuable real-world experience.

This is a new unit

This is a third year core unit of the Health Informatics major for the Bachelor of Health Science.

FIT3100 redefines FIT3016 for the health informatics major. FIT3016 was not a suitable unit as it focuses on the analysis of an organisation in terms of application development. FIT3100 focuses on the analysis of the health care industry in terms of the use of information technology within the industry.

Industry relevance is considered a key objective of the Bachelor of Health Science. The Industrial Experience subject prepares students for entry into the workforce.

On the successful completion of this unit students should gain some practical experience in the health care industry and should be able to:

1. Assess current information practices
2. Determine the information needs of health care providers and patients
3. Identify the information and data flows in the workplace, as well as the systems which support them
4. Evaluate the impact of IT on the information needs of health care providers and patients.
5. Identify the roles of the stakeholders and personnel
6. Demonstrate knowledge of legal issues such as privacy and access control
7. Perform all tasks in a professional and competent manner
8. Work effectively and co-operatively within a team environment

On successful completion of this unit, students should have the attitudes of:

9. professionalism towards respecting privacy
10. acquiring professional standards in the use of information technology in the health care industry

Upon the successful completion of this unit, students should be able to work effectively and co-operatively in a team environment in the health care sector.

ASCED Discipline Group Classification: 0203 Information Systems.

Students will have the opportunity to experience working in the health care industry and, under the direction of a supervisor, analyse the use of computer-based information systems in all areas of the industry. This will require students to use the skills gained during their course, such as, written and oral communication, research, critical thought and analysis, problem solving and teamwork.

Each student is expected to follow well-defined guidelines in regard to ethical work practices, project management and quality assurance techniques for their defined role.

Schwalbe, K. (2000), Information Technology Project Management, Thomson Learning, Cambridge

This subject involves students working as part of a team at a health care industry site. The teaching modes used throughout the semester include:

• Work experience - the students will work approximately two days per week (or the equivalent) at the industry site.

• Meetings - Weekly meetings are held with the unit coordinator.

• Presentation - A final presentation is performed in front of peers and supervisors.

This subject involves students working on a project in the health care industry. The teaching modes used throughout the semester include:

Meetings - Weekly meetings are held with the unit coordinator.

Presentation - A presentation is performed in front of peers and the unit coordinator.

Students are taught through the distribution of a report template for the final report deliverable and weekly meetings with the coordinator who will provide guidance on the content of the final report, project management and techniques for assessing current information practices, determining the information needs of health care providers and patients, and evaluating the impact of information technology.

Use of template:

By providing a standard template for the final report deliverable, students are given the framework to which they can fit their project requirements. The template provides examples of the information required so that students can understand the requirements of all sections within the deliverable.

Coordinator Meetings:

The coordinator will provide industry experience and suggestions for improvement to the final report deliverable. Reviews of work experience and progress checks are also performed during these meetings.

Project Work:

By working in a team environment, students will realise the importance of working co-operatively and the impact their work has on others.

All major deliverables are assigned a grade as follows:

• Project Management, 15%

• Final Report Document, 40%

• Presentation, 25%

• Work supervisor report, 20%

Each of the assessed deliverables will help the students analyse in detail the use of information technology in the health care industry. Work supervisor evaluations provide essential assessment of the student's contribution and teamwork throughout the work experience.

It is expected that the students spend 12 hours per week on their industry experience. Meetings with the unit coordinator will be organised on a regulr basis to review progress and deliverables. The remainder of the assigned time will be spent on work tasks.

Standard Monash lecture theatre

None

None

A unit coordinator to oversee the subject

Basic software requirements as provided by the Faculty of IT from current resources.

Several copies of the recommented reading text should be held in the library.

Faculty of Information Technology

None.

The students enrolled in the unit will be from the School of Primary Health, Faculty of Medicine.

None.

No additional resources required.

Students commencing this unit must have completed at least 96 Credit Points in the Bachelor of Health Science, including FIT2002 IT Project Management.

The current prerequisites for enrolment in this unit are subject to variation and are dependent on the course the student is enrolled in.

Christine Clemence, Lee Seldon.

Christine Clemence