Information Associate Responsibilities

The information associates can be found in a variety of industries and their job titles vary depending on the field they are employed in. An information associate working in the health care field is usually called health information associate, while the one working in the medical area is often referred as medical information associate. Depending upon the type of industry he/she is functioning in, the information associate responsibilities will vary. The information associate in general helps to analyze the client requirements, performs research, designs strategies, and implements plans to achieve the organizational goals and objectives.

Key Responsibilities of an Information Associate

The role and responsibilities of an information associate will vary depending on the type of industry he/she is working in and the level of responsibilities that need to be shouldered by him/her in that particular field. The following points will help you in getting a clear picture about the key responsibilities that need to be handled by information associates in various fields:

1. Health Information Associate: Here the health information associate working in the processing department is responsible for collaborating with the subordinates to coordinate special projects and process the relevant requests and application forms. He/she performs accurate and speedy data entry into appropriate system, researches the required information in the relevant database, receives and responds to all e-mails, etc. He/she takes corrective actions to resolve if there are any issues, thus ensuring better customer satisfaction. He/she also assists the staff in its administrative duties. He/she is engaged in reviewing the reports for audit purpose and eliminating the discrepancies associated with it. He/she participates in testing procedures and makes recommendations to improve the existing system and upgrade it.

2. Medical Information Associate: The medical information associate provides up to date, accurate, and relevant medical, pharmaceutical, and technical information related with the company's products and works in liasion with doctors, patients, nurses, and company representatives. He/she is responsible for answering the routine product enquiries and escalates them to a higher level if there are any complexities. He/she answers the queries, either verbally or in written format and ensures that the customers remain satisfied by delivering high quality services. He/she may also be engaged in some ad hoc project work and may be sometimes involved in product alignment.

3. Information Technology Associate: The information associate working in the technological field is associated with developing, testing, and documenting the backup and recovery routines. He/she updates the system data and serves as the primary developer of reports. He/she is involved in preparing the technical and user documents that are necessary for reports. He/she, in coordination with the vendors, performs data extraction and ensures that the imported data is received on time and that it is complete and accurate.

Educational Requirements

The educational requirements will differ depending on the type of industry an individual is employed in. An individual working in the medical field should possess a degree in pharmacy, life sciences, or pharmacology with relevant work experience. An individual aspiring to become an information technology associate should have a relevant degree in information technology, engineering, or any other relevant field.

Essential Skills

The information associate should have excellent communication skills and should be totally focussed on customer needs. An eye for detail with good business acumen will be preferred. He/she should keep himself/herself abreast with the latest technological development happening in the relevant field and try to implement it in the existing system. Good organization and time management skills would prove to be a plus.

Work Schedule

Like any other full time job, the information associate generally needs to work for thirty five to forty hours per week, Monday through Friday. However, he/she may need to work extra in the evenings, weekends or nights if there is workload.

Salary Details

The average annual salary earned by an information associate is in the range close to $108,000.The inexperienced individuals get at least a minimum salary in the range of $71,000. The experienced candidates can get a remuneration close in the range of &135,000.

Career Prospects

There are good opportunities for information associates in almost every field, and there is ample scope for growth and development as well. Those who have demonstrated their skills and abilities through their performance will surely climb the ladder of success more easily.

Thus, the information associate responsibilities must be carried out professionally in order to ensure a rewarding and lucrative career ahead.