Evaluating the AMIA-OHSU 10x10 program to train healthcare professionals in medical informatics

The promise of health information technology (HIT) has led to calls for a larger and better trained workforce in medical informatics. University programs in applied health and biomedical informatics have been evolving in an effort to address the need for healthcare professionals to be trained in informatics. One such evolution is the American Medical Informatics Associations (AMIA) 10x10 program. To assess current delivery and content models, participant satisfaction, and how graduates have benefited from the program in career or education advancement, all students who completed the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) offering of the AMIA 10x10 course through the end of 2006 were surveyed. We found that the 10x10 program is approaching AMIAs goals, and that there are potential areas for content and delivery modifications. Further research in defining the optimal competencies of the medical informatics workforce and its optimal education is needed.