| Information technology has had a profound | | | | facilitated the increased need for IT |
| impact on the health care industry in recent | | | | professionals at every level of the |
| years, and it's no wonder that many IT | | | | healthcare system. Now, with new |
| professionals are finding more and better | | | | technologies such as physician PDA's that |
| employment opportunities in this expanding | | | | allow doctors to instantly view lab results, |
| industry. While fluctuations in growth for | | | | sync with patient files and order tests as |
| other sectors has been a mainstay of the | | | | well as new applications for pharmacy and |
| economy in recent years, health care | | | | patient care systems becoming more sought |
| industry growth shows no signs of slowing | | | | after, it is likely that shortages for IT |
| down. Due to the aging of the baby boomer | | | | personnel needed to implement these |
| generation, it is estimated by the US | | | | developments are inevitable." |
| Department of Labor that job opportunities | | | | |
| in the health care field will grow faster | | | | Whether or not there will be a sufficient |
| than the average for all other industries | | | | supply of information technology degree |
| through 2014. | | | | program graduates to meet demand in the |
| | | | health care industry remains to be seen. |
| Most hospitals, clinics and other health care | | | | One thing that is certain, however, is that |
| facilities have incorporated some level of | | | | the database systems and industry specific |
| IT into their systems, though the increased | | | | applications that are becoming standard for |
| complexity is creating a need for | | | | health care facilities will undoubtedly |
| administrators who possess the advanced | | | | increase in complexity as time goes on. |
| technical knowledge to implement and | | | | |
| effectively run database systems | | | | "Without question, the health care industry |
| specifically created for the the industry. | | | | is becoming far more reliant on IT" added |
| With many software developers now offering | | | | Alexander. "Between the added security |
| patient medical and billing information | | | | resulting from regulations set forth by the |
| applications designed to streamline and | | | | Health Insurance Portability and |
| enhance the input, security and availability | | | | Accountability Act and the sheer volume of |
| of data, health care facilities are heavily | | | | information in the average health care |
| recruiting graduates of IT degree programs | | | | facility database, the move toward utilizing |
| in order to incorporate these programs into | | | | information technology as a problem solver |
| their existing platforms. | | | | is in full swing." |
| | | | |
| According to Jeff Alexander, IT project | | | | As the health care industry grows, so will |
| manager at St Johns Hospital in Springfield, | | | | the available job opportunities for those in |
| IL, "The move in recent years toward large | | | | the IT field. Considering the extent of |
| scale implementations of industry specific | | | | health care expansion, that could mean |
| software applications such as those | | | | several thousand new positions in the very |
| developed by Meditech, Cerner or McKesson has | | | | near future. |