Advancements in health care technology are expected to lead to more career opportunities and changes in job duties over the next several years, the Chicago Tribune reports.
Demand for Health IT Workers Expected To Rise
Jonathon Heck, a Chicago-based health care recruiter, said, “New careers will emerge as we continue to get a handle on the technology and how it impacts health care.”
Colleges and universities say they are aware of the growing demand for health IT workers.
Deborah Halliday — former assistant director of career services at Boston University — said, “I don’t see [the demand for these types of jobs] going anywhere but up.”
Robin Steinmann — manager for employment and employee relations at St. Louis Children’s Hospital — said she encourages people interested in health IT careers to take internships and shadow professionals already working in the field.
Changes in Job Duties
Steinmann noted that technological advances have transformed the work of many health care professionals, including laboratory technicians.
“Before, laboratory technicians had to do a lot of the testing by hand — sit at the bench and look through a microscope,” Steinmann said. Now, a machine can test samples, she noted.
“The laboratory technicians can use their education not to count bacteria but to try to interpret [data] and work with the other staff,” she said (Chicago Tribune, 8/9).
