Archive for month: November, 2012

When you think about healthcare professionals, the majority of people out there probably think about doctors, nurses, surgeons, and other traditional medical professionals. Ever think about other roles, like positions in IT or Accounting? How about customer service or PR? It’s not just medical positions that are on the rise, it’s everything in healthcare. A growing position is that of medical communication specialists, who make sure patients and their families don’t drown in medical jargon, but get clear and easily accessible information. This role works to improve patient satisfaction and preventive care, and there are more jobs to come in this area. Another hot area is in Project Management. For example, Project Managers and Strategic Planners are working to develop new ways to handle increasing patient volume and other key concerns that come with a growing industry. With input from medical experts, non-medical professionals can redesign the layout and processes of departments to increase productivity and ease of treatment. The biggest area of growth in healthcare is that of IT. The Bureau of Labor and Statistics indicated that “IT jobs in healthcare are expected to grow by 20% annually through 2018, ‘much faster than average.’ As technology develops and the population increases, healthcare needs to stay up to date in order to provide the most effective patient care.  For example, patient flow software provides hospitals with a time-saving way of keeping track of their patients, as well as helping them respond effectively in emergencies, but it needs someone with the right training to get started.  According to CapSite’s 2012 U.S. Patient Flow Study, “31% of hospitals plan to invest in patient flow solutions.” The industry will need people to implement and maintain this technology, and to teach others how to use it. A CIO.com article tracks the top trends in IT healthcare, with mobile healthcare coming in at the top. With an increase in mobile technology, Application Developers are needed to create applications that doctors and patients can use to monitor patient status in real time. The prevalence of smart phones and tablets means that healthcare professionals can do their jobs more efficiently and effectively with those kinds of applications at their fingertips. Tied closely with mobile healthcare is the concern of security. For every healthcare application, there’s a team of IT professionals working to ensure the security and safety of that app. Data Breach Prevention is a hot button issue, and guaranteeing the security of personal health information will be a large focus in the upcoming year. Identifying the top IT Healthcare skills, CIO.com reports that Electronic Medical Records (EMR) Build Specialists will be in high demand, as vendors will need customized systems to support their unique client environment. A close follow-up is the need for people with strong data analysis skills. The healthcare industry collects a lot of data, but professionals are needed to read and translate the information to pinpoint where customer service can be improved or money can be spent more efficiently. If you are looking for a new IT job, the healthcare industry provides an excellent opportunity to diversify your experience and skill set, while using your IT expertise to develop new fields of healthcare and technology!