One of the important things to understand when working in hospital administration is the importance of information technology. There are a number of healthcare IT professionals that help keep things running smoothly in hospitals and health systems all over the country.

If you are a healthcare IT professional, or hospital administrator looking for a little more information about IT, you can take open courseware classes to help you stay up  to date. Here are 50 great open courseware classes for healthcare IT professionals.

Computer Science

If you are looking to learn about the basics of computer technology and how computers work, here are some great classes that can give you a basic understanding.

1. Artificial Intelligence: Dixie Sate College offers this artificial intelligence computer software that can help smooth systems and help healthcare professionals keep things running efficiently.
2. Breadth Topics in Computing Science: Develop general knowledge of computing in this course from Capilano University. Offers basic information on how computer systems work, and how to problem solve.
3. Applied Parallel Computing: MIT takes you through the basics of parallel computing, and how it can be used practically to enhance your computing abilities.
4. Machine Structures: Learn the basics of computer structures from the University of California at Berkeley.
5. What is Research in Computing Science?: Learn about research and how it works in computer science, from Glasgow University.
6. Mathematics for Computer Science: Learn the basic math that you need to be successful in computer science from this MIT course.
7. How Computers Work: Get an overview of how computers work in this course from ArsDigita University.
8. Theory of Computation: Find out more about the theories behind computation, and how computers work.
9. Algorithms: Learn about algorithms and how they work with computers, and how to incorporate them into your efforts.
10. Elements of Software Construction: Learn the basic principles of building software and development.

Computer Programming

Learn the basics of computer programming, including some programming languages and how to use them.

11. Introduction to Algorithms: Learn about how to use algorithms in your programming efforts.
12. Building Programming Experience: Go through this course to help you get some solid practice in computer programming techniques.
13. Computer Language Engineering: MIT offers another solid course related to computing programming. This course focuses on implementing high-level languages.
14. Computer Programming: The University of Berkeley offers a basic course on computer programs and helps you learn about how to construct them.
15. Java Preparation: This course is designed to help you prepare to learn Java programming. Can be very useful for the IT professional.
16. Object-Oriented Programming in C++: The University of Southern Queensland offers a helpful course in using C++ as part of object-oriented programming.
17. Structure and Interpretation of Computer Programs: Learn more about computer programs, and how to interpret them. A great course from MIT that includes information on the structure of computer programs.
18. Programming Methodology: Connexions offers a helpful course on the methodology behind programming, with a special emphasis on C++.
19. Ajax and Web 2.0 Programming: This course from Sun Microsystems addresses Ajax programming and looks at making things adaptable to Web 2.0.
20. ASP.NET Tutorial: Interested in ASP? This tutorial can help you learn about this method of incorporating different scripting languages.

Information Systems

Get helpful information and learn the skills you need to build and design information systems. Can be of great help with hospital data systems.

21. Introduction to Communication, Control, and Signal Processing: Find out about the basics of communication during information systems and learn more about signals.
22. Computers and computer systems: The Open University provides a look at how computers work and how computer systems are constructed.
23. An introduction to data and information: Another course from The Open University, this offers a good introduction to how data works in information systems.
24. Accessibility in interaction design: Learn how to design information systems that are accessible and easier to use.
25. Designing the user interface: A look at how to design an easy to use interface that makes it easier for people to use computers and the information system.
26. Representing and manipulating data in computers: Using computers to manipulate and represent different data.
27. Systems Design and Administration: Learn the basics of designing and administering different computer systems from Dixie State College.
28. Advanced Data Analysis: Learn how to analyze the data you have in your information systems, and how to be more effective.
29. Database Management Systems: Get access to a great course on how to manage databases and your options for management systems.
30. Systems: Learn about systems, and get a handle on controlling complexity and building good system infrastructure.

Information Technology

Get the basics of information technology, and how IT can be used to solve problems in a number of different situations.

31. Data Mining: If you are interested in learning about data mining, this course from MIT can help. Data mining involves looking at information in order to make better administrative decisions.
32. The database development life cycle: Learn more about databases, and the development of information from The Open University.
33. Information Technology and the Labor Market: Get a look at how IT and the labor market are intertwined, and how IT is shaping all sorts of career fields.
34. Machine Vision: Learn how you can use the computer to take an image and turn it into a description of the environment. This MIT course is interesting and helpful.
35. Science and Technology: Get access to a number of interesting classes on science and on information technology from OER Commons.
36. Information Science and Technology: The University of Tokyo offers a course aimed at information technology and basics of information science.
37. Pattern Information Processing: The University of Tokyo offers this helpful course on learning how to pattern your information.
38. Web Applications: Great look at Web applications, offering helpful insight for those healthcare IT professionals that want to improve their hospital systems’ interactivity.
39. Micro/Nano Processing Technology: Learn about information technology on the micro and nano scales, and the basics for this type of IT.
40. Computer Graphics: A helpful course on computer graphics that can help you learn how to make information interesting.

Health Technology

If you are interested in open courseware specifically related to health technology topics, these courses can help you learn a bit more about taking care of healthcare IT.

41. Computational Biology: This interesting course from MIT helps you combine practice and theory to better analyze biological data sets.
42. Quantitative Physiology: Learn about measuring physiology and basic cellular biophysics topics.
43. Introduction to Methods for Health Services Research and Evaluation: This course from Johns Hopkins University looks at research and evaluation within health services organizations.
44. Epidemiology and Biostatistics: Learn about epidemiology and statistics related to medicine from Tufts University.
45. Medical Computing: Look specifically at computing as it relates to the medical field.
46. Noninvasive Imaging in Biology and Medicine: Learn about noninvasive imaging techniques from this MIT course.
47. Information Technology in Healthcare: Harvard University offers a look at specific applications of information technology in healthcare.
48. Medical Artificial Intelligence: An introduction to how artificial intelligence can be used in medicine and health care.
49. Introduction to Biostatistics: Learn about biostats and applications for health informatics from Johns Hopkins University.
50. Biomedical Information Technology: Learn the basics of IT as part of biomedical applications.

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