Training and Qualifications
What training and qualifications will I need?
CILIP Accredited Undergraduate & Postgraduate Courses
Undergraduate & Postgraduate Courses With A
Specific Health Information Element
Funding Opportunities

Further Information

Organisations
UK
International

Publications
Directories of Health Libraries
Career Guides
Guides to Health Information and Professional Skills
Newsletters / Journals

Websites

Join HLG

Your Feedback

Introduction

Why choose health information?
Health information is required by a wide range of people in a variety of situations at any given time. The information provided may be about medical tests or treatments, clinical trials, conditions and diseases or how to access the information, but the list of possible topics is infinite. As a health information professional you may be working with health professionals such as doctors, nurses, pharmacists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, biomedical scientists amongst many others; patients, the general public, researchers or businesses etc.. Thus health information helps health professionals provide quality care, provides evidence for researchers improving health care outcomes, helps patients to find out about their conditions and make informed choices and helps the public find answers to their questions.

Health information professionals provide an essential service to the communities they serve and it can be a very rewarding career as your input really makes a difference.

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What job title might you have?
A health information professional may have any of a wide range of job titles such as:

Whatever the job title, all the jobs will have the fact that they work with health information in common.

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Where do health information professionals work?Health information professionals can work anywhere that health information is needed and that includes:

National Health Service - hospitals, primary health care, call centres
Academic institutions- colleges, universities, royal colleges
Research centres - academic institutions, charities
Industry - pharmaceutical, publishing, insurance, medical equipment
Charities - provide information to a wide range of organisations and individuals including charity staff and members, research centres, government bodies and the general public
Public libraries - reference libraries covering health information and promotion
Independent sector - professional associations, charities, voluntary organisations

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What skills and experience might you gain?
There are a wide variety of jobs available in the health information field, so the skills and experience gained will vary widely according to the job you are applying for. As a general guide, the types of skills or experience gained from working in health information include:

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What is the work like?
To find out more about the type of work undertaken by a health information professional take a look at these case studies:

Working in a Further / Higher Education College: Learning Resources Advisor

Working in an NHS organisation: Information Officer

Working in an NHS Trust: Assistant Librarian

Working in an NHS Trust: Electronic Development Librarian

Working in an NHS Trust: Trust Librarian / Education & Training

Working in an NHS Trust: Senior Librarian

Working in an NHS Trust: Library Services Manager (1)

Working in an NHS Trust: Library Services Manager (2)

Working in an NHS Trust: Library Manager

Working in a Pharmaceutical Company: Medical Information Officer

Why my sector? Health Librarians and Working in an NHS Library:
- Article from the journal Impact

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How much will I get paid?
Health Information workers may be working in wide range of organisations so pay scales available to them may vary. In the early years of your professional career you can expect salaries to be generally comparable with that of school teachers, and later on your salary will very much depend on the path you choose. The Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals(CILIP) has produced a number of salary guides which will provide basic information about the wages you can expect in different sectors of the profession. The main guides of interest for health information professionals will be the ones concerned with health care, higher education, further education or special libraries.

Follow the link below to access the guides:
http://www.lisjobnet.org.uk/jobseek/salary

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Training and Qualifications

What training and qualifications will I need?
To start on the path to becoming a health information professional you need to follow an information / library studies bachelors degree or postgraduate diploma or masters degree, accredited by CILIP.

A student with a bachelors degree in an unrelated subject needs to gain work experience in an information service, usually for one year, and then can follow a postgraduate course. The CILIP Graduate Training Opportunities (incorporating the SCONUL Trainee Scheme) offers graduate job opportunities in a wide range of settings for the one year pre-postgraduate diploma / masters work experience.

Please note that there are some instances when an employer will ask applicants to have a degree in a subject related to their organisation, as well as an information / library degree, for example you would need a science degree to work in the information departments of some pharmaceutical companies. Therefore if you do have a particular sector in mind it is worth contacting potential employers before embarking on your degree.

However, there are many routes that you can take to become a health information professional, before following a degree course. For example:

You can work as a library assistant and gain City & Guilds or SNVQ qualifications which will provide entry onto an Information Studies degree.

Many universities recognise the skills of mature students and have adopted widening participation policies that encourage applicants without traditional qualifications. It is also worth noting that some degree courses can be undertaken part-time or remotely with distance learning.

CILIP is committed to implementing a new framework of qualifications in March 2005 which will provide more routes to qualifications and will recognise members experience and qualifications from within and outside of the information field. There will be a greater emphasis placed on work-based learning.

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CILIP Accredited Undergraduate & Postgraduate Courses

Please see www.cilip.org.uk/qualifications/where.html

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Undergraduate & Postgraduate Courses With A Specific Health Information Element

Some of the CILIP accredited courses listed above may have a health information element, but it is not always obvious from the course / module titles. If you are interested in attending a particular institution it is always worth discussing with them if they do incorporate health information. The courses listed below were accredited with CILIP when this guide was last updated, but please check with institutions before applying.

Aberystwyth

• MSc / Postgraduate Diploma in Health Information Management

The following courses offer the optional module Health Information Management:

• BScEcon Information & Library Studies Single Honours
• BScEcon Information Management Major
• BScEcon Information Management Single Honours

The Postgraduate courses at Aberystwyth are being updated at present. Please contact the University to confirm the inclusion of health information modules.

Department of Information Studies, University of Wales, Llanbadarn Fawr, Aberystwyth, Ceredigion SY23 3AS

Tel: 01970 622188 direct
Fax: 01970 622190
www.dil.aber.ac.uk/index.htm

Brighton
MA in Information Management offers:

• Health Informatics Module: Communication & Technology in Healthcare
• MA in Health Informatics ( Seeking CILIP accreditation for this course .)

CMIS School Office, School of CMIS, University of Brighton, Lewes Road, Brighton BN2 4GJ

Tel: 01273 642428
www.cmis.brighton.ac.uk

Bristol
MSc in Information & Library Management offers the following optional modules:

• Public Libraries; Health and Medical Information Services
• Special Libraries; Health and Medical Information Services

(Please note that the University of Bristol will not run these modules after the 2004-5 academic year.)

Graduate School of Education, University of Bristol, 35 Berkeley Square, Clifton, Bristol BS8 1JA

Tel: 0117 928 7147;
Fax: 0117 925 4975
www.bristol.ac.uk/education
/programmes/masters/milm/

Liverpool
BA Business and Information offers the optional module:

• Health Information Management

Information Management Group, School of Business Information, Liverpool John Moores University, John Foster Building, 98 Mount Pleasant, Liverpool L3 5UZ

Tel: 0151 231 3596 ; Fax: 0151 707 0423
http://cwis.livjm.ac.uk/bus/cilm/

London – City of
The following courses offer the optional module Health Policy and Information Management:

• MSc / Postgraduate Diploma in Information Science
• MA / MSc / Postgraduate Diploma in Library and Information Studies

The following courses are not accredited by CILIP , but may be of interest:

• MSc / Postgraduate Diploma in Health Informatics (Credited by NHS Information Authority at MSc level.)
• MSc in Healthcare Technologies
• MSc in Pharmaceutical Information Management

Department of Information Science, City University, Northampton Square, London EC1V 0HB

Tel: 020 7477 8381
Fax: 020 7477 8584
www.soi.city.ac.uk/informatics/is/

London - Metropolitan

• MA in Information Services Management contains the optional module Health Information.

Department of Applied Social Sciences, London Metropolitan University, Ladbroke House, 62-66 Highbury Grove, London N5 2AD

Tel: 020 7133 5107
Fax: 020 7753 5763
www.londonmet.ac.uk/depts/dass/
subjectareas/informationmanagement/

Loughborough

• BSc Information Management and Computing
• BSc Information Management and Business Studies

All include the following optional modules:

• Consumer Health Information
• Information and Knowledge Management in the NHS

Department of Information Science, Loughborough University, Loughborough, Leics. LE11 3TU

Tel: 01509 223052 direct
Fax: 01509 223053
www.lboro.ac.uk/departments/ls/

Manchester
The following courses offer the optional module Information in the Health Service:

• BA Information and Library Management
• BSc Information Management

Department of Information and Communications, Manchester Metropolitan University, Geoffrey Manton Building, Rosamond Street West, off Oxford Road, Manchester M15 6LL

Tel: 0161 247 6144 direct
Fax: 0161 247 6351
www.mmu.ac.uk/h-ss/dic/

Sheffield

• MSc Health Informatics

The following courses offer the optional module Healthcare Information:

• BSc Information Management
• MA Librarianship
• MSc Information Management
• MSc Information Systems
• MSc Chemoinformatics

Department of Information Studies, The University of Sheffield, Western Bank, Sheffield S10 2TN

Tel: 0114 222 2630 (enquiries)
Fax: 0114 278 0300
www.shef.ac.uk/is/

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Funding Opportunities:

Undergraduate courses
There is a maximum charge for tuition fees for undergraduate courses per annum, although this might be lower depending on your financial situation. You should apply to your Local Education Authority (LEA) once you have a conditional offer of a place, as they can then assess the amount of tuition fees you will have to pay.

You can get loans from various sources to help pay for your living costs whilst at University. You can apply to your LEA for a student loan, which are low interest but have to be paid back once you start a job. You may be able to get supplementary grants if you have dependants, are disabled or there are other special circumstances. Universities can also offer access funding or hardship funding, contact the student services/ support offices at the university for more details.

Postgraduate courses
When you apply for a place on a postgraduate course, the University will have some funded places available, through the Arts and Humanities Research Board (AHRB), which pay for fees and some living costs. Some Universities may also have a few places where the university pays your fees.

For additional university specific funding information please contact the individual universities you are interested in attending.

More details on funding opportunities for library courses at all levels can be found on the CILIP website at:
www.cilip.org.uk/qualifications/finance.html

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Further Information

UK and International

There are a number of organisations that support those already working in health information but many can also offer advice and guidance to those thinking of becoming health information professionals.

UK

Health Libraries Group (HLG)
HLG, the compiler of this Guide, is the forum in the UK for all those working or interested in libraries and information services that provide health and community care information. HLG is a special interest group of the Chartered Institute of Library and Health Information Professionals (CILIP), but you do not need to be a member of CILIP to join.

For further information on the benefits of being a member of HLG and how to join please visit the HLG Website.

Libraries for Nursing (LfN)
A special interest group of HLG.
www.cilip.org.uk/hlg/lfn

Information for the Management of Healthcare (IFMH)
A special interest group of HLG.
www.ifmh.org.uk

AIOPI (Association of Information Officers in the Pharmaceutical Industry)
www.aiopi.org.uk

ASLIB Biosciences Group
www.aslib.co.uk/sigs/biosciences

CHILL (Consortium of Health Independent Information Libraries in London)
www.chill-london.org.uk

HeLicon (Health Libraries & Information Confederation)
www.gp-web.net/HELICON

SHINE (Scottish Health Information Network)
www.shinelib.org.uk

UHSL (University Health Sciences Librarians)
www.uhsl.ac.uk

UKCHIP (UK Council for Health Informatics Professionals)
www.ukchip.org

UKHiS (UK Health Informatics Society)
www.bmis.org

UMSLG (University Medical School Librarians Group)
www.umslg.ac.uk

International

CHSA (Canadian Health Libraries Assocation)
www.chla-absc.ca/

EAHIL (European Association for Health Information and Libraries)
www.eahil.org

IFLA (Health and Biosciences Section)
www.ifla.org/VII/s28/index.htm

MLA (Medical Library Association – USA)
www.mlanet.org

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Publications

Directories of Health Libraries
Dale, P. Guide to libraries and information sources in medicine and healthcare , 3 rd edition. British Library, 2000.
ISBN 0712308563

Libraries in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland 2004. 30th ed. Facet Publishing, 2003.
ISBN 1-85604-475-0
(31st edition is due in September 2004.)

Ryder, J. (ed.) Directory of Health Library and Information Services in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland 2002-3, 11th ed. Facet Publishing, 2001.
ISBN 1-85604-378-9

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Career Guides
Pantry, S. and Griffiths, P. Your essential guide to career success. Facet Publishing, 2003.
ISBN 1-85604-491-2

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Guides to Health Information and Professional Skills

Booth, A. and Brice, A. (eds) Evidence-based practice for information professionals: a handbook. Facet Publishing, 2004.
ISBN 1856044718

Booth, A. and Walton, G. (eds) Managing knowledge in health services. Library Association Publishing, 2000.
ISBN 1856043215

(Out of print, but is available from www.shef.ac.uk/scharr/mkhs/ )

Kiley, R. (ed) A guide to healthcare resources on the internet. Royal Society of Medicine Press, 2001.
ISBN 1853154733

Madge, B. How to find information: complementary and alternative care. British Library, 2001.
ISBN 0712308857

Madge, B. How to find information: health care. British Library, 2001.
ISBN 0712308733

Millares, M. (ed.) Applied drug information: strategies for information management. Applied Therapeutics Inc., 1999.
ISBN 0915486288

Morton, L.T. and Godbolt, S. (eds) Information sources in the medical sciences. Bowker, 1992.
ISBN 0862915961

Snow, B. Drug information: a guide to current resources. Scarecrow Press, 1999.
ISBN 0810833212

Walton, G. and Booth, A. (eds) Exploiting knowledge in health services. Facet Publishing, 2004.
ISBN 1856044793

Welsh, S., Anagnostelis, B. and Cooke, A. Finding and using health and medical information on the internet. Aslib-IMI, 2001.
ISBN 0851423841

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Newsletters / Journals

Health Information & Libraries Journal
Published on behalf of the Health Libraries Group of CILIP by Blackwell.
Print ISSN 1471-1834
Online ISSN 1471-1842
Information at www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=1471-1834

He@lth Information on the Internet
Royal Society of Medicine Press
ISSN 1460-4140

Health Libraries Group Newsletter
ISSN 0266-853X
Available online for free at www.blackwellpublishing.com/hlr/newsletter/ .

Journal of the Medical Library Association
ISSN 0025-7338

Available online for free at www.mlanet.org/publications/jmla/index.html

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BIOME
Quality assessed gateway to web sites containing information on health and the life sciences, including patient information.
www.biome.ac.uk

British Library's health information pages
Includes details of health information websites and databases plus details of special interest groups and email discussion lists for health information professionals.
www.bl.uk/collections/health/health.html

BUBL
Lists selected internet resources from a huge range of subject areas.
www.bubl.ac.uk

Subject pages of interest include:
BUBL: Health www.bubl.ac.uk/link/h/healthlinks.htm

BUBL : Medical sciences, medicine www.bubl.ac.uk/link/m/medicallinks.htm

BUBL: Information Science. Includes links to career guides.
www.bubl.ac.uk/link/linkbrowse.cfm?menuid=19

CILIP – jobs section
Includes job advertisements and job hunting tips.
www.lisjobnet.org.uk/

Guardian Newspaper – jobs section
http://jobs.guardian.co.uk

Information World Review
www.iwr.co.uk

Jobs.ac.uk recruitment site
www.jobs.ac.uk/sector/library

Job Hunting: Finding work in information and libraries
Includes links to salary guides, job advertisements and job agencies.
www.cilip.org.uk/jobs_careers/jobs.html

Medical Library Association in the United States
Includes a career guide to becoming a medical librarian (inevitably with a US slant) and a host of other useful pages for health information professionals.
www.mlanet.org

National Electronic Library for health - NELH
Health librarian and information professional portal.
www.nelh.nhs.uk/librarian

Netting the Evidence: A SCHARR introduction to EB practice on the Internet
A list of resources available via the Internet to support health professionals and students in their evidence based practice.
www.shef.ac.uk/scharr/ir/netting

NHS Structure
The initial page describes the NHS in England, but links are provided to the NHS in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
www.nhs.uk/england/aboutTheNHS/default.cmsx

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Join HLG

For further information on the benefits of being a member of the Health Libraries Group (HLG) see the Membership section on this website.

Your Feedback

This Guide is very much an ongoing and interactive project and HLG would very much welcome your feedback. Please send any comments, corrections, additions or improvements to Michelle at michelle.wake@ulsop.ac.uk . If you have found the Guide useful do let us know.

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