Career Advice & News Center

Involved in a highly specialized and relatively new field, computer science professionals continue to demonstrate the value that their industry can produce to businesses, schools, healthcare and society at large. By ensuring that businesses and professional services are providing the most efficient practices possible, those with careers in information technology work maximize the benefits their companies provide to consumers.

Through technical practice and use of computer skills, the IT and computer science fields are developing innovative programs to perform tasks which are often spoiled by human error or constraint, occasionally with grave result.

Dr David Blumenthal, the Health and Human Services national coordinator for health information technology, today unveiled a plan to offer $80 million in grants to support and strengthen the education and availability of healthcare IT staff in the U.S.

He suggested that supporting the health IT industry is an imperative measure for enhancing the healthcare sector's service to the public.

"Ensuring the adoption of electronic health records, information exchange among healthcare providers and public health authorities and redesign of workflows within healthcare settings all depend on having a qualified pool of workers," Blumenthal commented.

The grant will be used to provide community college training programs for interested students and to develop educational materials in support of the new courses.

"These newly funded programs are designed to equip the most qualified and advanced IT workforce in the world with the tools they need to modernize our health system," he said.

The success in enlarging the role of IT careers in the healthcare industry, especially through adoption of electronic health records, has previously been noted by government agencies.

Last month, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), released a report stating that information technology can improve healthcare, ensure safety and promote care continuity for Americans living in rural communities.

For example, the Columbia Basin Health Association, reported that after implementing an electronic health record system, managed by those holding jobs in IT, the facility was able to administer foot and eye exams to more than twice the number of patients as in previous years.

Since implementing the new information technology, the hospital has ranked above the 95th percentile in total medical productivity.

"The Columbia Basin Health Association is just one place in America where health information technology and electronic health records have helped ensure patients get better care," said Secretary Sebelius.

HHS estimates that about 65 million Americans reside in communities that are lacking sufficient primary healthcare and note the ways that information technology degrees can decrease administrative inefficiencies and increase productivity and satisfaction at work.

Sebelius commented on the value of IT professionals saying, "Health information technology can reduce paperwork, make care more efficient and let doctors spend more time practicing medicine and less time filling out forms."

With healthcare costs and efficiency a hot-button issue as Congress debates its long-awaited reform bill, the recent government grants for IT education and the successful track record of IT practices within the industry appear to bode well for job-hunters in the field.

As employment levels remain steady within the field, the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) advises aspirants that IT employers typically prefer job candidates with graduate degrees, especially MBA's with a focus on technology, to fill management positions.

The BLS determined that the employment of computer scientists and database administrators is expected to grow by 37 percent until at least 2016, which is about 28% more growth than the average occupation over the same time period.