Workforce survey of Australian health information management graduates, 2017-2021: A 5-year follow-on study

Background: Employment outcomes of La Trobe University's 2012-2016 health information manager (HIM) graduate cohort were reported previously. Objectives: To identify the 2017-2021 Australia-based, graduate HIMs' early career employment experiences; identify employment roles and destinations; investigate knowledge and skill sets utilised in professional performance; and compare outcomes with the previous study. Method: A cross-sectional design was utilised. An online survey elicited: demographic data, position-related details and knowledge-skills applied in the workplace. Inter- and intra-cohort comparisons were calculated. Results: Of contactable graduates, 75% (n = 150) completed the survey; 90% (n = 132) had held at least one profession-related position postgraduation; 51% gained employment before final examinations and 92% within 6 months. In their first role, 87% joined the public healthcare sector, 47% had worked in two or more positions and 12.3% in three or more positions. Categorisation of position titles showed that 40% had undertaken "health information management" roles, 14.9% "health classification," 16.6% "data management and analytics," 17.4% "health ICT" and 11.1% "other," roles. Almost two-thirds (64.1%) had utilised three or four of the four professional knowledge-skill domains. There was an increase, from the 2012 to 2016 cohort, in those undertaking "data management and analytics" and "health ICT" roles, and a decrease in "health classification" role uptake. Conclusion: Early-career HIMs have very high employability. They engage throughout health care, predominately in the public health sector. Their mobility reflects national workforce trends. The majority utilise all or most of the professional knowledge-skill domains studied at university.