Health Care IT Industry Career Strategies
Career Strategies How to Enter the Healthcare IT Industry – UIC Webinar Series
Have you asked the question, “How can I transition to, or further develop my career in health IT?” Bonnie Siegel, a long time recruiter in the world of health IT shares her experiences, insight and tips on how to become a successful candidate for employment in this industry.
- Examine the healthcare information technology (HIT) market
- Identify the HIT roles in demand
- Review what HIT employers are looking for in new hires
- Determine ways to prepare yourself for a career in healthcare IT
Overview of Healthcare IT Market
- Mission-critical, patient-centric, 24/7 operation
- Behind other industries in automation and digital technology
- Sweeping changes since 2009
- Big demand for IT talent in many areas
- Current healthcare IT workers stretched
- New IT talent needed
- Competition for talented IT leadership
Healthcare IT Industry Job Trends
- Indeed.com lists over 6000 HIT jobs as of mid year 2010
- HIT job postings increase 30% in the last year
- ANIA-CARING.org lists over 800 clinical IT and informatics jobs
- Monster.com lists over 1000, HIMSS.org over 300
- Recruiters are much busier than last year
- Increase use of computer systems in healthcare providers and medical facilities
- Federal money and mandate tied to “Meaningful Use”
- Clinical automation initiatives, implementation of Electronic Medical Record (EMR) and Computerized Physician Order Entry (CPOE) systems
- Patient safety and clinical quality
- Public reporting, transparency, consumer driven healthcare
Who is Hiring Health IT Workers?
- Hospitals, health systems
- Software vendors and consulting firms
- Education / Academic
- Insurance / payers
- Start ups
- Associations in healthcare
- Physician organizations
- Bio-Tech companies
- Pharmaceutical companies
- Government
- Executive, senior IT leaders
- Clinical and medical informatics leaders
- Technical and IT security positions
- Department chairs, professors and faculty
- Directors/managers/supervisors, team leads
- Project management leaders, application, implementation specialists
- Systems analysts, data analysts, web designers, system architects, interface experts
- Sales, marketing and business development
Roles That are in Demand –Provider, Vendor or Consulting
- Operational department leadership
- Clinical/EMR expertise
- Health Information Management (HIM) specialist
- Ambulatory/Physician system expertise
- Project management (PMP)
- Sales, marketing, business development
- Customer service/help desk
- Technology: Web, business intelligence, IT security, network, infrastructure
Transition Points into Health IT
- Inside Healthcare
- Clinicians
- Non-clinicians
- Health Information Management
- Consultants/vendors with operational experience.
- Other industries
- Project managers
- IT Security
- Technologists
- Customer service
- Sales, marketing and business development
Some Successful Transition Stories
- Medical Records, now Senior Director of IT at Health Plan
- Nurse, now Chief Clinical Information Officer
- Physician, now Chief Information Officer
- Telecommunications, Network analyst, now Region Director of EMR
- Petroleum Co. Manager, now VPIT of Health System
Key Skills Sought by HIT Employers
- Communication and interpersonal skills
- People and/or project management expertise
- Healthcare application and vendor product knowledge and implementation experience
- Clinical/patient care/Workflow expertise
- Change management leadership
- Technical expertise
- Five-plus years in healthcare IT management
- Bachelor degree required, master degree preferred
- Successful track record of implementing EMR/CPOE systems
- Specific EMR/Clinical system vendor/product experience
- Excellent communication, project management and customer service skills
Common Problems Entering Health IT
- Lack of previous healthcare experience
- Lack of clinical knowledge
- Lack of vendor specific knowledge
- Lack of traditional reverse chronological resume
- Increased competition from within healthcare
- Lack of transferable skills
- Unwillingness to start at bottom or take a pay cut
Action Steps to Prepare Yourself
- Assess your transferable skills.
- Prepare an outstanding resume.
- Volunteer for IT projects.
- Target/research HIT organizations.
- Learn the HIT industry vendors/products.
- Seek out key contacts in target organizations.
- Determine relocation and travel restrictions
- Update your Linked In profile.
Quick Guide to Career Success in Healthcare IT
- Research and learn the terminology, acronyms, vendor products (especially EMR vendors), and history of HIT
- Join e-newsletters and associations (HIMSS); attend conferences and webinars, devoted to healthcare IT
- Develop your network (Linked In), find mentors and coaches in healthcare IT
- Assess skills and problems solving ability, be honest, stay positive, you may need to start at bottom.
- Get an advanced degree, preferably in health informatics or business, seek applicable certifications
Presenter Information
Bonnie is an Associate Partner at Sanford Rose Associates – Charleston and leads the Healthcare CIO and Senior IT Leadership practice. She is a retained health care IT executive recruiter with a successful track record in executive search and consulting and industry research. She specializes in the recruitment of CIOs, VPs, Deputy CIOs and clinical informatics and clinical IT leadership professionals for major health systems, hospitals and medical groups throughout the country. She is a Fellow at HIMSS and frequently presents at national health care associations conferences. She has published several health care IT articles and has been quoted in industry publications.
Bonnie R. Siegel, FHIMSS
Associate Partner
Sanford Rose Associates
Charlestonbsiegel@sanfordrose.com
843-579-3077 x 601
www.sanfordrose.com/healthcareit
http://www.linkedin.com/in/bonniesiegel
http://healthsystemcio.com/tag/bonnie-siegel/
