Health IT Generates Jobs

Health IT is a hottie, at least when it comes to career choices. For the second year running, health IT tops a ranking of the top 10 "hot careers" for college graduates, compiled by the University of California San Diego Extension.

The number of jobs in health technology and medical records is expected to grow by 20 percent, or about 35,100, between 2008 and 2018, the report says, citing the federal Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those jobs will be in government agencies as well as in medical facilities and home health-care services companies. Mobile media, a field that includes a lot of medical applications, came in fourth on the hot careers list.

Federal initiatives are driving the demand for qualified health information technicians, says the report, Hot Careers for College Graduates 2011.

"Several factors -- a growing industry with vast employment needs, a societal concern with federal backing for broad reform, and a solution incorporating advanced knowledge and skills among workers -- combine to form a strong base for workforce development and employment opportunity for the coming decade," says Mark Cafferty, president and chief executive of the San Diego Workforce Partnership.

Emerging jobs include health-care integration engineer, health-care systems analyst, clinical IT consultant and technology support specialist, according to the report.

Typical coursework requirements include health data requirements and standards, clinical classification and coding systems, data analysis, database security and management, insurance reimbursement and quality systems, the report says. Medical coursework such as medical terminology, anatomy and physiology may also be required.

Sounds hot.