Push for EMR Creates Thousands of Health IT Jobs

Got computer skills? Health IT (information technology) has remained a hot career, and likely will only get hotter, thanks to the push for a complete transition to Electronic Medical Records from paper-based charts. While EMR have been in development for more than 10 years, only a fraction of all hospitals and medical offices have made the transition due to lack of money, time and personnel.

Earlier this year, President Obama and his administration added more pressure for medical facilities to update their system to EMR, implementing fines for those who fail to make the transition by 2014. Therefore, over the next few years, as providers scramble to meet the deadlines for EMR, thousands of jobs will be created nationwide. The process of making the transition from paper to digital patient records is very labor-intensive.

According to a recent report from CBS in Chicago, estimates are that up to 75,000 people may need to be hired to help with the transition. The primary function of these new positions would be transferring the data from paper to computer - scanning and uploading existing charts into the EMR database.

If you have computer skills, you may qualify for one of these new jobs. According to the report, most of the positions will require an associate's degree or equivalent experience with computers, and offer a salary range from $25,000 - $45,000. However, those with a bachelor's degree could earn even more.

More Information:

• How to get a job in Health IT
• What is EMR?
• Read the CBS Report