Activities	Work with medical and scientific database management systems software and determine ways to organize and store data, determine user requirements, set up computer databases, and test and coordinate changes.
Outlook	Faster-than-average-job growth
Median Income	$73,490 per year in 2010
Work Context & Conditions	Generally works indoors in environmentally controlled conditions; requires long periods of sitting; requires the use of hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and requires being very exact and highly accurate.
Minimum Education Requirements	Bachelor's Degree
Skills	Critical Thinking, Troubleshooting, Active Learning, Coordination
Abilities	Oral Expression, Deductive Reasoning, Problem Sensitivity, Originality, Written Comprehension, Near Vision, Information Ordering, Inductive Reasoning, Oral Comprehension

Job Category		Computer & Mathematical
Job Description		Medical database administrators work with medical and scientific database management systems software and determine ways to organize and store data, determine user requirements, set up computer databases, and test and coordinate changes. They are responsible for ensuring performance, understanding the platform the database runs on, and for adding new users. They may also design and implement system security and plan and coordinate security measures. The rapid spread of computers and information technology has generated a need for highly trained workers to design and develop new hardware and software systems and to incorporate new technologies. Most database administrators do not begin their careers in that occupation. Many first work as database developers or data analysts. A database developer is a type of software developer who specializes in creating databases. The job of a data analyst is to interpret the information stored in a database in a way the firm can use. Depending on their specialty, data analysts can have different job titles, including financial analyst, market research analyst, and operations research analyst. After mastering these fields, they may become a database administrator.
Working Conditions		Generally works indoors in environmentally controlled conditions; requires long periods of sitting; requires the use of hands to handle, control, or feel objects, tools, or controls; and requires being very exact and highly accurate. Most medical database administrators work 40 hours a week; however, evening and weekend work may be necessary to meet deadlines or to solve problems. Given the technology available today, telecommuting is common. As networks expand, more work can be done from remote locations. Spending long periods in front of a computer monitor and typing on a keyboard, may result in eye strain, back discomfort, and hand and wrist problems such as carpal tunnel syndrome.
Salary Range		Median annual earnings of database administrators were $73,490 in May 2010. The lowest 10 percent earned less than $41,570, and the highest 10 percent earned more than $115,660.

Education Required		Most database administrators have a bachelor’s degree in management information systems (MIS) or a computer-related field. Firms with large databases may prefer applicants who have a Master of Business Administration (MBA) with a concentration in information systems. An MBA typically requires 2 years of schooling after the undergraduate level. Most database administrators do not begin their careers in that occupation. Many first work as database developers or data analysts. A database developer is a type of software developer who specializes in creating databases. The job of a data analyst is to interpret the information stored in a database in a way the firm can use. Depending on their specialty, data analysts can have different job titles, including financial analyst, market research analyst, and operations research analyst. After mastering these fields, they may become a database administrator.
Recommended High School Courses		Computers and Electronics, Biology, Mathematics, English
Postsecondary Instructional Programs		Administration and Management, Education and Training, Mathematics, Biology, Computers and Electronics
Certification and Licensing		Technical or professional certification is a way to demonstrate a level of competency or quality in a particular field. Product vendors or software firms also offer certification and may require professional who work with their products to be certified. Many employers regard these certifications as the industry standard. Professional certification may provide a competitive advantage.

Interest Area		Conventional Involves following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. There's usually a clear line of authority to follow. Investigative Involves working with ideas and requires an extensive amount of thinking.
Work Values		Company Policies and Practices Treated fairly by the company. Security Have steady employment. Ability Utilization Make use of individual abilities. Working Conditions Good working conditions. Compensation Get paid well in comparison with other workers. Responsibility Make decisions on your own.
Skills		Critical Thinking Use logic and analysis to identify the strengths and weaknesses of different approaches. Troubleshooting Determine what is causing an operating error and deciding what to do about it. Active Learning Work with new material or information to grasp its implications. Coordination Adjust actions in relation to others' actions.
Abilities		Oral Expression Able to convey information and ideas through speech in ways that others will understand. Deductive Reasoning Able to apply general rules to specific problems to come up with logical answers, including deciding whether an answer makes sense. Problem Sensitivity Able to tell when something is wrong or likely to go wrong. This doesn't involve solving the problem, just recognizing that there is a problem. Originality Come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. Written Comprehension Able to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. Near Vision Able to see details of objects at a close range (within a few feet of the observer). Information Ordering Able to correctly follow rules for arranging things or actions in a certain order, including numbers, words, pictures, procedures, and logical operations. Inductive Reasoning Able to combine separate pieces of information, or specific answers to problems, to form general rules or conclusions. This includes coming up with a logical explanation for why seemingly unrelated events occur together. Oral Comprehension Able to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.

Related Jobs		Biostatistician
Job Outlook		Database administrators held about 110,800 jobs in 2010, many of whom were self-employed. Many medical database administrators work for other employers such as local, state, and federal government; academic and private hospitals; and other healthcare service organizations. Database administrators are expected to be among the fastest growing occupations through 2020. Employment is expected to increase much faster than average as organizations continue to adopt and integrate increasingly sophisticated technology. Employment growth for database administrators is expected in healthcare industries because, as the use of electronic medical records increases, more databases will be needed to keep track of patient information. Database administrators will be needed to organize and present data in a way that makes it easy for analysts and others to understand. Additional job growth will occur as database security needs grow and as DBAs are called on to implement information security measures.
More Information		Association for Computing Machinery (ACM), IEEE Computer Society, National Workforce Center for Emerging Technologies, Institute for Certification of Computing Professionals (ICCP)
References		Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2012-13 Edition, Database Administrators, on the Internet at http://www.bls.gov/ooh/computer-and-information-technology/database-administrators.htm O*NET OnLine, on the Internet at http://online.onetcenter.org/link/summary/15-1061.00