If you have a year’s experience working in either health care or information technology, you could be eligible to apply for short-term, online training that could improve your career prospects.
Skilled health care/information technology professionals are needed to support health care providers who are transitioning to electronic health records. To improve health care quality, safety and cost-effectiveness, the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 mandated that health care providers switch to electronic health records by 2014.
“The government anticipated a shortage of 51,000 qualified health information technology professionals by 2013, so they funded the Health IT Workforce Development Program to provide training,” said Thomas Shlala, coordinator for the health information technology grant program at Atlanta Technical College.
The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) awarded more than $36 million in grants to develop or improve health information technology programs at more than 70 community colleges nationwide. Atlanta Technical College received a $1.3 million grant to provide training in Georgia.
“We have the only program in Georgia, and [we] are expected to serve the whole state, so the training is available online,” Shlala said.
Of the six workplace roles identified by the ONC, Atlanta Technical College will prepare students for two: practice work flow and information management redesign specialists, and trainers who design and deliver programs to employees in clinical and health care settings.
“The practice work flow specialist will assist in reorganizing the work of a provider to take full advantage of health information technology to improve health care,” Shlala said. “They would most likely work for a company that provides electronic health records systems and assist providers in adopting a new system.”
Those specialists would analyze a provider’s work flow, integrate new information technology functions into it and implement new quality-improvement and reporting systems.
Trainers deliver health IT training to doctors, nurses and other staff in clinical and public health settings.
“They will be able to communicate both health care and IT concepts and design lesson plans that will help providers become proficient in adopting and using new systems,” Shlala said. “This is a great opportunity for clinicians and computer specialists to add to their skill sets and move up. Nurses who are reaching a time in their careers where they no longer feel up to the physical demands of the job can broaden their skills and continue to work.”
The program also gives people who have worked with computers and information technology a chance to enter the health care field.
“The modules are detailed and will add clinical and technical knowledge depending on the background of the student, so everyone who completes the courses will be prepared to take and pass the national exam,” Shlala said.
Tuition for the Heath IT Continuing Education Program is $178. Students who complete the course in six months and pass the national exam will receive a $150 refund.
“We’re very excited to be helping people get into jobs that are in high demand and pay well. Federal studies estimate starting salaries between $57,000 and $109,000, depending on the job and the worker’s experience and training,” Shlala said.
For information, call 404-225-4528, 404-225-4487 or go to www.atlantatech.edu.
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