You are interested in health information technology, but you are concerned about flexibility in your profession. You don’t want to be educated into a corner, only able to complete one job. You know that, as with virtually all aspects of the healthcare industry, there is a virtual explosion in the job market for health information technology. But that’s not enough for you. You want to know that if you decide you want to change work environments or jobs that you will be able to.
And there certainly are career opportunities abounding in healthcare. A degree with a focus in health information technology may or may not allow you to break into, say, medical assisting, but almost certainly won’t help you if you want to transition into becoming a nurse, for example. Additional schooling will likely be necessary, though you may be able to transfer some of your health information technology credits.
However, there are some options in careers that employ similar skills and require knowledge much like those used in health information technology. These careers may employ a few key differences in job duties, but employ similar skills and require a similar temperament to those used in health information technology. If you find a career as in medical records and health information technician isn’t right for you, or you want to move away from it for a period of time without leaving the industry, one of these occupations may work for you.
Medical transcriptionist: Medical transcriptionists convert voice recordings into written reports, and may also review and edit medical documents created through speech recognition technology. Their main duties, then, are to interpret medical terminology and abbreviations in order to prepare patient medical histories, discharge summaries and other documents. Workers with a background in health information technology may find medical transcriptionist to be a worthwhile alternative to working as medical records and health information technicians.
Medical and health services managers: Also known as healthcare executives or healthcare administrators, medical and health services managers coordinate, plan and direct medical and health services. They sometimes manage entire facilities, or may specialize in a specific clinical area or department or practice for a group of physicians. A main component of the work of a medical or health services manager is to stay up to date in changes in healthcare laws, regulations and technology, and to ensure their office abides by those changes and is able to integrate the new technologies into their practice. This job may be considered a promotion for someone in health information technology, and may be a position to aspire to. It should be noted that a bachelor’s degree is the usual entry-level education level for this position.
Those are just two options to fall back on for people who have a degree health information technology. The healthcare industry is a rapidly-changing one, and in the coming years workers with a background in health information technology may find additional employment options emerging. New technologies and processes come out seemingly on a daily basis, and the next advancement may open up new opportunities.
If you’re interested in health information technology, whether you want to find employment as a medical records and health information technician, a medical transcriptionist or a medical and health services manager, you should consider the time as now to begin your education. The healthcare industry’s employment numbers are spiking, and as time passes competition is expected to increase as well. Getting in on the ground floor and building experience and skills is certainly advisable. Giving yourself a competitive advantage over others entering the health information technology field down the road is certainly a good idea.
Seek out and find a school that has a good health information technology program that will help you develop the skills and knowledge you need to find employment in the healthcare industry. You know when the time is right to pursue a new career, but for health information technology the proverbial iron is hot; the time to strike is now. Seek out your new career in the field you’ve been looking for…or have a backup plan in case it doesn’t work out, you want to shift gears, or are looking to move up in the health information technology field.