Distributed health informatics graduate education for working professionals.

This paper describes a new distributed Master of Science degree program stream in health informatics (HI) at the University of Victoria, Canada, aimed at healthcare and information technology professionals working in the health setting. This is a part-time graduate program where students are required to complete 10 courses and a research project for the degree over 2 years. The course delivery is through a mixture of real-time virtual classes, asynchronous online forums/resources, two capstone courses each summer as a 2-week intensive on-campus workshop, and a major workplace related field research project. Examples of innovation include the use of Web-based conferencing for real-time virtual classes, simulated tele-debriefing for policy/decision makers, roundtable sessions with chief information officers, modularized professional development courses, and joint field research project oversight with employers. The paper then discusses the need to refine the program/course offering to ensure its consistency to current HI curriculum and competency standards, pleas for a coordinated approach to HI capacity building in Canada, and outlines planned next steps for the School in the coming year.