Health information technology plays a vital role in both logging and retrieving medical and other necessary records. Professionals who possess combined skills in information technology and the medical sciences might find numerous career paths open up to them.
A health information technology career is definitely and involved one. Significant specialized experience and education are required to work in the field. But the effort to gain such education and experience is worth investing time in thanks to the potential career rewards.
Of the millions people who work in healthcare in the United States, around 200,000 work as health information technicians. The primary tasks of these professionals is to record and organize medical information. This information is recorded into a computer database. Expert knowledge of how such computer systems and software works is mandatory. This knowledge must be combined with a great attention to detail. Without detail oriented accuracy, performing the requisite tasks of the job becomes very difficult.
The job itself is going to take place in a hospital or doctor's office as these are the location records are compiled and stored. Job outlooks for someone interested in becoming a health information technician are quite good. The job market has grown steadily over the past several years and no indications exist showing the job market may decline. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) has stated that the healthcare industry is going to add more jobs than any other sector.
It is necessary to once again stress the fact that this job is heavily computer related. Someone who works as a technician must posses basic knowledge about healthcare services, but the primary focus of the job is going center on using a computer. Therefore, computer proficiency becomes the most critical of all skills to master along with strong written and verbal abilities.
An associate's degree is the basic educational requirement necessary to work in a healthcare information technician capacity. The degree should be in computer science or information technology. Both would be preferable. Certifications related to medical record keeping and healthcare information are also extremely helpful. If you're looking towards future career advancement, an accredited bachelor's or master's degree program in health informatics could open a vast number of career opportunities.
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