Shayaana Ubhayaratne and her mother during her first year at a Pitt football game.
Like many undergraduate students searching for that perfect academic program to call home, Shayaana Ubhayaratne switched her major a couple of times, ultimately applying to the University of Pittsburgh Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics program. Ubhayaratne had attended an information session that piqued her interest, and after also receiving a pamphlet in the mail about the program, took it as a sign to apply. This spontaneous decision wound up exceeding her professional goals and landing her a full-time job offer before graduating.
Now a senior in the program, Ubhayaratne has reflected on the journey that brought her to this program, and how health informatics became the missing piece to the puzzle.
Finding that Perfect Fit in Health Care
Shayaana Ubhayaratne during a two-week trekking trip in the Himalayas that she took with her friends from Pitt.
“I knew I wanted to stay in health care, I just didn’t know where I fit,” Ubhayaratne said. “It really came down to taking a leap of faith and trusting myself in this new journey. And I got very lucky and ended up loving all my classes.”
The program is an intersection of health care, business and technology with courses in privacy and security, data visualization, medical coding and quality management. The breadth of its offerings is something that Ubhayaratne believes makes it suitable for everyone.
“For people that want that health care experience, but they don't want to be a biology major or natural sciences major, this still gets them involved with health care. The faculty teach so many diverse health care skills that current health care providers often come back to get their master’s degree in health informatics,” Ubhayaratne said. “If more people knew that this program focuses on the combination of business and technology in health care, they'd be more excited to look into the program rather than thinking it's only technical.”
Real World Classroom Experience
Throughout the program, the class sizes are small, creating a sense of community among the cohort of students. Ubhayaratne said this has enabled her to form lasting friendships and develop professionally.
“Since a lot of our coursework focuses on group projects, it prepares you really well for the real world and learning to work together,” Ubhayaratne said.
While the coursework does focus on technical topics, Ubhayaratne stressed that the curriculum also makes space for interpersonal skills, transforming students into well-rounded professionals.
"They emphasize a lot on soft skills and teaching us things about ourselves and how we work as individuals more than just the content, which is so, so important,” Ubhayaratne said.
Due to the small class size, the students in the health informatics program are able to build close connections with the faculty. Each faculty member teaches at least one class, allowing the students to get to know them better and build mentorships.
“I think everybody in my cohort has a different professor that's their mentor,” Ubhayaratne said. “My mentor is Dr. Kimberly Peterson who leads the program and heads the mentorship and student association groups. She’s amazing and so supportive, I can always reach out to her.”
Setting Up for the Future: From Internship to Job Offer
Shayaana Ubhayaratne with a fellow intern after completing their Report-Out presentation to summarize her summer internship with UPMC IT.
One of the strengths of the Health Informatics program is the required internship for each student, which faculty members help to prepare them for using their network of connections and teaching valuable on-the-job skills.
Last summer, Ubhayaratne completed an internship with the UPMC IT Summer Associate Program at UMPC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and was offered a full-time position upon graduation, a common occurrence for students in the program who attend this internship.
Additionally, Ubhayaratne was offered a position at RSM US as a health care technology consulting associate, working on projects for clients in the health care technology sphere. Ubhayaratne accepted this position and will start with RSM after graduation.
The Department of Health Information Management records that 90% of students are employed upon graduating from the program.
“I think the biggest thing that I emphasize is the marketability of this major and how you can make yourself look so unique,” Ubhayaratne said. “You learn so many business skills and health care skills. Don't be afraid to try something new and take this leap because it's such a relief that you're going to be set up so well for your future with this major.”
Advice for Prospective Students
In her free time, Ubhayaratne frequently finds herself recommending this program to prospective students, encouraging them to take the same chance she did and enhance their health care aspirations.
“I highly recommend this program for a student who feels like they want more from their college career,” Ubhayaratne said. “I think that health informatics can offer so much to that pre-health student who doesn't know their place. Wherever you are on your college journey, health informatics can be the perfect fit. You don't have to be looking for it necessarily for it to make the biggest change in your college career.”
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For more information about the Bachelor of Science in Health Informatics program, visit our website, or speak with an enrollment specialist at enroll@shrs.pitt.edu!