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• Six Sigma in Healthcare
• Changes to HIPAA, Part 3
• Changes to HIPAA, Part 2
• Changes to HIPAA, Part 1
• Security Challenges
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• HIT Job Trends
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Job Trends in Healthcare IT Indicate Long-Term Job Security

(Sept. 2, 2009)

For example, the top job in healthcare IT, the Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO), is one of the fastest growing positions in healthcare according to the Association of Medical Directors of Information Systems in Lake Almanor, CA. These positions, typically filled by board-certified physicians who oversee the development and implementation of their organization's IT initiatives, are in demand and commanding annual salaries as high as $250,000.

Other IT positions expected to experience tremendous growth in the coming months, include:

• Security Specialists. Because so much of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) funding is earmarked for digitizing medical records, more computer security experts will be needed to ensure that electronic medical records are secure from computer hackers and other unauthorized users. An extension of this job will be a need for specialists to train workers on how to keep data safe. Certificate programs are available to give job seekers a boost in this particular segment of the market.
• Lead Application Developers. These professionals manage software development teams and projects and are expected to see the greatest starting salary gains of any IT job classification, according to Robert Half International, an IT staffing firm based in Menlo Park, CA. Those proficient in .NET framework, C#, XML and Java Enterprise Edition and that have experience in working with interfaces with Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle database applications are expected to be highly sought after by healthcare organizations.
• Clinical Informatics Analysts/Consultants. These jobs entail the conversion of medical information from clinical, nursing, medical and biotechnology into an electronic format to be either stored, retrieved, shared and/or analyzed to make informative medical/clinical decisions. Some employers may look for specific degrees, such as RN, BSN or biotechnology, depending upon the discipline.
• Project Manager/Software Engineer. These job titles may be used interchangeably to indicate positions requiring performing and overseeing the integration of disparate IT systems across the continuum of care, often including the logistics of various physical locations as well.

If you are already working in healthcare, you are already in good company. Overall, healthcare jobs in general have actually grown during these months of recession according to various media reports. In fact, job growth in healthcare is projected to increase by 22% through 2016, compared to an 11% job growth in all other industries combined, according to Health Guide USA (www.healthguideusa.org), an online healthcare industry resource and forum.

Keeping abreast of current employment trends and being aware of opportunities, such as continuing education classes, and/or acquiring or renewing certifications will help give job seekers and those looking to advance their careers a boost in this challenging job market.