25 Jul Top HIT Skills in 2013
Are you looking to enter the lucrative, in-demand field of healthcare IT (HIT)? Or, are you a HIT professional who’s looking to add to your skill set in 2013? Whatever your situation, it’s not too late: You still have five months–and plenty of opportunities–to expand your professional portfolio this year.
Here, we spotlight the top five HIT skills in 2013.
1. EMR Build Specialists
These health It professionals build and implement systems that help healthcare organizations make the smooth transition from paper to fully digitized medical records. Prerequisites for this career track include healthcare experience, some familiarization with patient care, workflow, and design experience within a particular EMR. Experienced EMR build specialists can expect to earn an initial average annual salary of $75,000.
2. Healthcare Analytics/Data Architecture
These HIT professionals analyze data and teach organizations how to use that information to improve their operations and patient care. Probably one of the fastest-growing niches in health IT, the healthcare analytics/data architecture market is projected to reach $10 billion globally by 2017. Those interested in a career in this field should have knowledge of healthcare operations, finance, patient care, real-time analytics, and statistics. The payoff? Average annual salaries between $102,000 and $110,000.
3. Project/Program Management
An integral part of any healthcare team (and an indispensible one during EHR conversions), project and program managers work together to ensure the organization remains compliant during every step of the changeover from paper to digitized patient records. Demand for HIT professionals in these areas is expected to remain strong for the remainder of 2013 and well into 2014. The average annual salary for project managers is $105,000; program managers make an average of $117,000 a year.
4. Application Development
Healthcare workers wouldn’t be able to implement EHR software, were it not for IT professionals who develop it. Application developers are on the front lines of the EHR conversion, creating customized HIT applications for computer systems. This niche is expected to continue to grow throughout 2013, and those interested in this field should have experience working with programming languages like Java and .NET, as well as databases. They can also expect to earn an average of $95,000.
5. Quality Assurance
Many primary care and specialty physicians cite poor usability of EHR software is one of the biggest barriers to achieving meaningful use. That’s why HIT professionals who specialize in quality assurance are in such high demand. Quality assurance specialists not only make sure software is usable by healthcare administrators, caregivers, and patients, but they also ensure the software is compliant and virus-free. For their diligent attention to detail, these health IT professionals can expect to earn an average annual salary of $92,000.
Are you looking to embark on a new professional opportunity in health IT during the remaining months of 2013? The experienced recruiters at 1st Solution USA can help you achieve that goal. Contact us today or view our Careers page for up-to-date job postings.