6 technology jobs in healthcare

Career Builder

Healthcare is a reliably strong industry, people will always need access to doctors, nurses and health resources. And it's no surprise that mobile and wireless technology jobs have saturated many industries in the 21st century. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment in computer systems design and related services is projected to grow 3.9 percent annually from 2010 to 2020, compared with 1.3 percent of all industries.

When you combine the growth of the technology industry with the strength of the health care industry, a number of jobs become available. A CareerBuilder and MiracleWorkers.com survey found that health care employers are searching for workers to fill jobs tied to health informatics, cloud technology, social media, managing and interpreting big data, mobile technology and financial regulation. In a sector increasingly reliant on technology and communication, workers able to fill these roles will be highly sought after.

6 jobs that combine technology and healthcare:

1. Cloud technology
In a recent Washington Post article, "Analysts expect growth in cloud jobs," Mohana Ravindranath writes about the growing demand for cloud technology workers. She writes, "A January report sponsored by Microsoft from the International Data Corporation showed more than 1.7 million jobs related to cloud computing were unfilled worldwide at the end of 2022." Workers are needed to fill these jobs, which allow medical information to be easily shared between hospitals and other health care organizations.

2. Financial regulation
Workers in jobs tied to financial regulation are primarily responsible for managing and monitoring finances within the healthcare industry.* Occupations may include accountants and auditors, who prepare and examine financial records; budget analysts, who help organize finances; and financial examiners, who ensure compliance with laws governing financial regulations and transactions. While these jobs also exist outside of health care, they are necessary to the industry and are using new financial regulation technology to keep hospitals and other facilities operating efficiently.

3. Health informatics
Many health organizations are transitioning to digital systems from paper records. Medical records and health information technicians are responsible for managing health information data by ensuring its quality, accuracy, accessibility and security in both paper and electronic systems. They use various classification systems to code and categorize patient information for reimbursement purposes, for databases and registries and to maintain patients' medical and treatment histories.

4. Managing and analysing big data
A recent New York Times article by Steve Lohr, "Sizing up big data, broadening beyond the Internet," addresses the new function of big data. He writes, "Big Data is the shorthand label for the phenomenon, which embraces technology, decision-making and public policy. Supplying the technology is a fast-growing market, increasing at more than 30 percent a year and likely to reach $24 billion, according to a forecast by IDC, a research firm." He goes on to say, "Demand is brisk for people with data skills. The McKinsey Global Institute, the research arm of the consulting firm, projects that the United States needs 140,000 to 190,000 more workers with 'deep analytical' expertise and 1.5 million more data-literate managers, whether retrained or hired, by end of 2020." Hospitals and health organizations can benefit from the breadth of data available and find practical applications such as gaining insight about patient behavior, budget regularities, treatment success and the preferences and needs of patients and their families.

5. Mobile technology
In an interview with the National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, NIH director Dr. Francis S. Collins speaks on the trending use of mobile technology in the healthcare industry. The NLM recently launched a mobile format of its resource Medline, Plus. Dr. Collins says, "Users have instant access to summaries of over 800 diseases, conditions and wellness issues; a full medical encyclopedia; lots of diagrams, images and pictures; drug information; news stories; a medical dictionary; and a powerful search engine. It is a mobile-optimized website, accessible from any platform, including basic smartphones, iPhones and Androids. That's just one of the concrete ways we are trying to bring medical information to the public."

6. Social media
Many health care organizations are embracing the use of social media to connect with employees, patients and other stakeholders. Hospitals and other health organizations use social media and blogs to share new technologies and treatment options available to patients, as well as news and success stories. Because of this, common social media positions such as bloggers, online community managers and social media planners are needed in the healthcare industry.