The growth in technology is changing how we understand information and how we live our daily lives. With new advancements and understandings of technology in relation to medicine, the healthcare system has changed drastically. The healthcare industry will continue to evolve and change and more careers and job positions will continue to be created to accommodate the technological demands of the world.
New jobs in the medical field have been a blend of IT and healthcare combining both skills of technology and medicine to create a newly adopted way of handling healthcare information, treatment methods, and research opportunities. Fields like telemedicine, electronic medical records, and ICD-10 coding, the careers merging IT and healthcare are becoming more popular and needed.
Technology has an effect on the way we live our lives and deal with situations. Technology in healthcare is something we cannot stop or alter, it is the future. Some people enjoy the change and the rise of new tech in medicine as it increases the capabilities of diagnosing and treating diseases. If you desire to break into the healthcare IT field, use these tips to ensure you are prepared with the appropriate skills and tools.
1. Be proficient in working with data
Whether you are currently working in IT and want to transition to a more healthcare focused career or work in a more clinical setting and desire a position that is technically focused, choosing healthcare IT is ideal. There are certain skills you must have to be prepared for such a position, that means you must be proficient with data and technology.
Some healthcare positions will require you to deal with information and you will have to know how to manage the data. This is a big area in the healthcare IT field as most positions are regarding analytics and data analysis on a daily basis.
The information has to be analyzed for specific trends and other research purposes to be given back to business healthcare professionals. One has to be ready to handle sensitive data with security and care.
2. Have healthcare experience or exposure
You must have healthcare experience if you want to be considered for a healthcare IT position. Whether you work in a medical or clinical environment or you have a background as a physician, nurse, or even a lab focused position, have more success finding a job in healthcare IT.
If you have a background in more technical areas, getting experience in a medical setting before applying for a healthcare IT position will boost your chances of breaking into this field. Although, technical experience is crucial, healthcare is different in the way it operates. You must know and understand certain terminology and lingo to be able to work in a healthcare setting.
3. Hold great technical skills
Technical skills are essential to obtaining a healthcare IT job. It’s important that you are skilled in areas specific to technology like dealing with computers, software, and sensitive information. It is a primary demand for security by the healthcare IT field for defense against data breaches and cyber attacks.
Some positions in this career field will require you to use your technical skills more than your healthcare ones, so it’s important that you have your certifications and required education. The proper education can include a degree in computer science with a focus on medicine, but also any degree in a field related to IT or healthcare.
4. Be open for learning opportunities
You must be ready for learning opportunities because you will be taking on something new, you will have to learn new terminology, lingo and abbreviations to do your job well. If you desire advancement in your field, you must be open to new ideas and opportunities surrounding the skills and training of breaking into healthcare IT.
Whether you have a background in a related field, you will be taking on a brand new position so there will be much to learn. Both medicine and technology frequently change and you will have to adapt to those changes seamlessly to be proficient at what every healthcare IT job you take on.
5. Find your health tech interest
You want to see where a good focus would be for you by considering your interests and lifestyle and circumstances. There are many different types of medical careers that have a focus on technology. Some are more interactive with patients and other aren’t. It isnt difficult to find a job in healthcare using job matching websites online as they can pull vacant positions from all over. Determine whether you enjoy working within a team or if you want to work alone to help you choose a specific healthcare IT position. There are various types, including:
- Systems analyst
- Consultant
- Programmer analyst
- Software engineer
- Software developer
- Product architect
- And more
Some medical positions are focused on data and information while others are focused on technical devices, software and the workings of healthcare security measures.If you want to find a position that works with technology but is also working with patients, you should look into positions that are at least tech-related. Some of these positions include:
- Medical Lab Technician
- Medical Technologist
- Health Informatics
- Radiologist Technician