Life Science Informatics Center
BCC has been named by the Department of Labor as one of five community and technical colleges to comprise the National Center for the Biotechnology Workforce. BCC is the Life Science Informatics Center of Excellence.
The Center works with industry to develop biomedical informatics skill standards and curricula for community and technical colleges and high school learners. The Center's primary goal is to create industry relevant learning for Washington 's new, incumbent and displaced workforce in the field of biomedical informatics. Major programs include a Medical Informatics Certificate program, Bioinformaticist Level I , Clinical Data Associate, and Validation Data Manager.
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Bioinformatics
Biology has moved increasingly from a bench-based discipline to a computer-based science. As a result, the demand for professional understanding of bioinformatics and computational skills has also grown. A 10% annual growth rate has been predicted in the Bioinformatics market, and the National Science Foundation (NSF) has estimated at least 20,000 jobs will be created in the field by 2005. Over the next decade, bioinformatics will grow exponentially in importance. It's going to become the new language of biology.
In general, Bioinformaticists include scientists or experts in computational mathematics. The experts write computer code while scientists research the biology. Employees cross-trained in both skills will become invaluable. New careers in Bioinformatics will surface as the need to analyze information spreads to other disciplines, such as agriculture and animal science.
BCC has launched its first Bioinformatics class, Bioinformatics Essentials, the first in a planned certificate program.
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Medical Informatics
Medical Informatics is the intersection of health care and technology. Although the field is relatively new, it has been ranked as one of the top five healthcare careers by US News and World Report . At Bellevue Community College we offer a Certificate in Medical Informatics, a three quarter, 30 credit program designed for both working professionals and students who want to gain employment in this stimulating and emerging field. Individuals with backgrounds in healthcare or information technology fields are urged to apply.
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