Courses & Requirements
Degree Requirements
To earn your Online Master of Science in Clinical Informatics & Patient-Centered Technologies, you must complete 42 to 48 credits. This includes 39 course credits, as well as a scholarly project (at least 3 credits) or a master’s thesis (9 credits). All courses are required; there are no electives.
Course Sequence
Year One (Part Time)
Autumn Quarter
NMETH 527: Introduction to Clinical Informatics
NURS 524: Conceptual Foundations for Health Care Systems: Organizational Structure & Effectiveness
Winter Quarter
NMETH 524: Health Care Information Systems & the Electronic Health Records
NURS 525: Managing Quality Improvement, Access & Utilization
Spring Quarter
NMETH 520: Scholarly Inquiry for Clinical Informatics Practice
Summer Quarter
NMETH 530: Scholarly Proposal Development
NSG 540: Telehealth Systems & Applications
Year Two (Part Time)
Autumn Quarter
NMETH 523: Project Management & Systems Analysis for Health Informatics
Scholarly Project (NMETH 598: Special Projects) or Master’s Thesis (NMETH 700: Master’s Thesis)
Winter Quarter
NMETH 528: Computing Fundamentals for Health Professionals
Scholarly Project (NMETH 598: Special Projects) or Master’s Thesis (NMETH 700: Master’s Thesis)
Spring Quarter
NMETH 526: Patient-Centered Technologies
NMETH 529: Database Concepts & Application in Clinical Informatics
Scholarly Project
This project is a scholarly inquiry into a particular aspect of clinical informatics, which requires at least 3 credits of NMETH 598: Special Projects. Before you begin your independent scholarly project, you’ll select a chairperson. You can choose from the pool of UW faculty in both the School of Nursing and the School of Medicine’s Department of Biomedical Informatics & Medical Education. You’ll also receive guidance from a supervisory committee.
Examples of Past Scholarly Projects
Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Outcomes in Patients With Surgically Managed Perforated Appendicitis
This project studied the feasibility of using machine learning to create a predictive model that can inform surgeons about the risk of complications from surgical management of ruptured appendicitis.
Wizard-of-Oz (WOZ) Testing on Caring of Caregivers Online (CocoBot)
This project studied how CocoBot — an online, chat-based interactive tool — can help caregivers manage common caregiver stresses and better care for themselves.
Readiness for Change Assessment for Implementation of Positive Patient Identification (PPID) With Unit Lab Specimen Collection
This study assessed three hospitals’ readiness to move to a positive patient identification workflow to improve patient safety and reduce errors in inpatient settings.
Master's Thesis
Instead of a scholarly project, you may elect to complete a thesis, which requires 9 credits of NMETH 700: Master’s Thesis. You’ll select a chairperson and will receive guidance from a supervisory committee as you complete your thesis requirements.
Examples of Past Master's Theses
Toward Lean Electronic Health Record (EHR) Usability Heuristics for Behavioral Health Providers
This thesis explored whether lean principles and practices are suitable heuristics for behavioral health providers to use when evaluating EHR usability.