Industry Analysis
Healthcare Industry Stays Healthy
Healthcare may be taking up headlines and dragging on the economy, but it’s still a great place to find a job.
According to the New York Times, the recession made the lure for midcareer managers and other workers to migrate to healthcare jobs even stronger. Hospitals, which employ more than four million people, added 135,000 jobs last year and 19,400 more in the first half of 2009, even as millions of American workers wound up unemployed. The demand for talented leaders in the healthcare industry is only going to go up and that demand can’t and shouldn’t be filled by people already working in healthcare.
The Hopkins school, which offers a three-year master’s of public health degree, is the largest of dozens of accredited graduate and undergraduate programs in hospital management. Many managers with experience in human resources, finance and marketing industries find a welcome in healthcare, with a little studying up. Online courses, books, journals and professional magazines provide material to do just that.
The American College of Healthcare Executives, based in Chicago, offers several online pages of career tips, including a two-year-old salary summary at www.ache.org. The Association of University Programs in Health Administration also lists contact information for many schools at www.aupha.org.
The Obama administration’s $19 billion 10-year campaign to promote electronic medical records opens another huge opportunity with a need of an estimated 40,000 to 160,000 additional health information professionals.
The healthcare industry’s trade association, the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, offers an array of online courses that can help technology workers move easily into the healthcare industry. Last month the trade associate established its eLearning Academy, which offers round-the-clock, on-demand access that allows students to work at their own pace on subjects like clinician-focused use of information technology, I.T. customer service to the healthcare user, and healthcare I.T. strategic planning.
With the availability of resources out there and the need for new healthcare professionals, this industry is certain to be booming for the next few years, and maybe longer. If you are currently in need of a job but lack the healthcare experience, the transition from your current industry into the healthcare industry may be more achievable than you think.
