By Melissa Salm, Writer, Bisk Education, University of South Florida
Twitter: @Health_Sentinel
A new survey will explore not only the salaries of various health informatics occupations but also the specifics that impact those numbers.
The survey is being conducted by Bisk Education for USF Health Morsani College of Medicine’s Online Programs. USF Health (www.usfhealthonline.com) already is a leading source for health informatics career information, with a wealth of articles on health informatics salaries, positions and career paths. The new, 100% confidential survey will gather even more information to add perspective to the figures.
Health informatics as a job field is experiencing strong growth that appears to be long-term, with the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasting a 22% increase in health information technician positions between 2012 and 2022. However, health information technician is one of the few individual health informatics occupations for which the BLS has salary and career information. In addition, BLS figures tend to have a lag time of more than a year.
While the bureau has long been and continues to be the most authoritative source for occupation and salary information, its methodology leaves it lacking when tracking a field as dynamic as health informatics. The bureau must first find employers that meet its geographical and business characteristics. It then contacts those organizations to have someone from its team collect data from individual employees.
Once this information has been collected and reported, a field economist from the bureau then contacts the business with any follow-up questions or requests for clarification. Only then, and barring any additional changes or updates from their sources, can the bureau begin updating the information on its website (bls.gov).
It is this content gap particular to the health IT field that USF Health’s survey seeks to address. Dr. Joseph Verducci, Professor Emeritus of Statistics at The Ohio State University and one of the country’s leading statisticians, explains: “To be meaningful, salary comparisons need to take into account several pertinent factors: for example, educational requirements, experience level, job title, life science specializations, geographic location, etc. Access to this level of detail comes from participating in well-conducted surveys.”
USF Health’s survey takes these ideas into account by exploring questions such as:
- Where are Health IT practitioners working?
- What are the average salaries in different regions?
- How satisfied are Health IT professionals with their careers?
USF Health’s survey will gather its information directly from those who work in the various occupations of the health IT field. By gathering 100% confidential responses, USF Health will be able to spot trends and gain insights unavailable from other sources, providing the best understanding of the current state of the Health IT industry and a look into its future. All responses will be 100% anonymous. No personally identifiable information will be collected.
Take the survey now online at http://survey.universityalliance.com/health-it-industry-survey-2015.
About the Author: Melissa Salm writes for Bisk Education with the University of South Florida’s Morsani College of Medicine. USF Health works with University Alliance to develop and deliver in-demand healthcare graduate programs 100% online. Each program is taught through USF Health’s prestigious Morsani College of Medicine, ranked by U.S. News & World Report as one of 2015’s Best Medical Schools. All courses have been developed by esteemed USF Health faculty and use the latest technology including video-based e-learning to engage and educate students.