The Republic | azcentral.com
The health-care industry has been a major source of new jobs despite the dour economy, and some health-related fields have more job-growth potential than others.
One fast-growing area of health care draws on the traditional clinical skills of a nurse or therapist with the technical skills of a computer whiz.
The field of health-care information technology (IT) is fueled by the industry's move to digital. Hospitals and physician practices are swapping out traditional paper charts for computerized medical records. States are launching electronic health information exchanges that allow doctors and other medical workers to seamlessly share information.
The Department of Labor expects that health care will add 50,000 jobs as the industry converts to digital medical records. To respond to this expected job demand, the federal government is funding $116 million in workforce training grants to community colleges and graduate-level programs.
In Arizona, hospitals have beefed up their health-care IT staffs. Some larger physicians practices have hired their own IT workers, and smaller and medium-size practices often rely on consultants or software vendors to establish and maintain electronic records.
"Generally, there is job growth in this area," says Melissa Rutala, CEO of Arizona Health-e Connection, a Phoenix-based non-profit that helps support medical practices converting to electronic records.
Gateway Community College received a federal grant to cover tuition costs for qualified students who are interested in the field. So far, the college has enrolled 225 students in six certificate programs through the Management of Clinical Information Technology program. The program takes about four months to complete, or sooner if the student takes on an aggressive timetable.
Although the college no longer has grant funds available to cover tuition costs, students still can enroll in the program. They are required to have six months' experience in either health care or information technology to be accepted to the program.
The six clinical IT programs are consulting, implementation support, technical support, technology training, implementation management and workflow/management redesign.
Heidi Hutchins, director of the Management of Clinical Information Technology program at Gateway, says the program initially attracted batches of laid-off IT workers during the worst days of the recession.
As the economy has gradually improved, more health-care workers are enrolling so they can add skills, earn a promotion or search for a new job.
"Most of the high-skilled IT folks have found other jobs," Hutchins says. "A lot of the folks we are seeing (enroll in the program) are working in health care."
About two out of three students who finished Gateway's certificate program have found a job in the field, according to Jay Covell, the program's grant manager. Other certificate graduates have not found an IT-related job, did not look for such a position or did not complete a survey mailed to them.
Covell says some recent graduates with little experience are struggling to find positions. Some employers are looking for workers with at least three years of experience.
"It makes it a little difficult for people who are acquiring these skills and are trying to get a foot in their new field," Covell says.
Banner Health, Arizona's largest hospital system, has hired about 60 health-care IT workers over the past year. Banner Health is recruiting both its own clinical workers who are interested in learning about IT as well as people from outside the organization.
Tina Angle, a recruiter for Banner Health, said that some nurses, physical therapists and other clinical workers have converted to IT jobs. Angle said that health-care workers generally respond better to a former clinical worker who is trained in IT than someone who solely has an IT background.
Former nurses and clinical workers can talk the medical lingo and understand how doctors and nurses do their jobs.
"IT people have changed over time," Angle says. "They are no longer the geek with the pocket protector. They are almost sales people. They really have to interact with physicians and the clinical side of the house."
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