Dec 15
2014
8 Certifications You Need To Compete In Health IT
Tim Cannon is the vice president of product management and marketing at HealthITJobs.com.
The health IT industry is growing, but it’s also becoming competitive. While a career in health IT is fairly easy to break into, professionals will continually need to increase their value by gaining the knowledge needed to adapt to the evolving technology in the industry.
Fortunately, increasing your credentials and experience in health IT has been simplified by numerous certifications available. In fact, my company’s recent salary survey found that health IT professionals with certifications typically make $10,000 or more than those without.
If you’re looking to boost your career in health IT or increase your salary, here are a few certifications you should look into:
1. CISSP
The CISSP certification is ideal for professionals who work or want to work in information systems security. In any profession that requires the transfer and curation of patent data and confidential records, it’s helpful to have experience keeping information secure. This certification requires five years of paid full-time experience in the field, but one year may be waived with a four-year degree.
2. CCNA
The CCNA certification is for network engineers who are looking to advance their skills in networking. It provides training and education for installing, monitoring, and troubleshooting network issues. Training covers important topics such as IOS, IPv6, IPv4, OSPF, Cisco Licensing, Serial Line Interfaces, VLANs, Ethernet, VLSM, and basic traffic filtering.
3. PMP
The most important one for project managers, this certification is highly renowned in the industry. Professionals with this certification demonstrate the experience and competency needed to lead and direct projects. Project manager was found to be the most lucrative job function in the health IT industry, pulling in an average of more than $111 million annually, according to our survey. The Project Management Institute also found obtaining a PMP certification further increased salaries.