Are certifications less crucial for healthcare IT jobs?

20.09.2011

"You look at any jobs board out there and everyone's hiring," said Fraidenburg. "You name the clinical system: EPIC, Eclipsys, Cerner, McKesson, Siemens, etc. The job boards are full of wanted ads. Anyone who has training on those systems are in very high demand now. Everyone is fighting for very small pool of talent."

Fraidenburg pointed out that more colleges and universities are announcing certification programs, many of which are being helped by federal funding.

Last fall, using , more than 80 community colleges and universities in the U.S. began training healthcare IT workers to help fill an estimated 50,000 jobs needed to assist doctors and hospitals as they roll out EHRs over the next four to five years.

While civilian organizations are challenged by federal regulatory requirements to roll out EHRs and upgrade to the , areas of the federal government have even greater challenges.

McClung, who is also CIO at Tripler Army Medical Center in Hawaii, also said he relies on IT certifications to vet candidates for IT positions, which is critical in an organization that changes leadership every two to three years. The PRMC is one of five Army regional medical commands worldwide that oversees day-to-day operations of treatment facilities in their regions.