Since 2014, the number of healthcare IT professionals who reported feeling “extremely optimistic” about their career opportunities has increased by 47 percent, according to a new study from Pivot Point Consulting.
That optimism may be fueling their career choices as well, as the new research shows that during that time period, healthcare IT contractors and consultants who declined considering a full-time position increased by 25 percent, and the number of full-time employees who would consider consulting has hovered around 70 percent over two years, found the Pivot Point Consulting 2017 Healthcare IT Market Report, released today at HIMSS17.
Greythorn, a healthcare staffing firm, has released market reports for the past five years covering issues of compensation, benefits packages and career motivation. At the end of 2016, the company was acquired and merged with Pivot Point Consulting to form Pivot Point Consulting, a Vaco Company. This year’s market report reflects its new name, and marks the first time historical data has been analyzed to identify industry trends, offering a broader picture of what is happening within the healthcare IT industry, the firm said.
More than 800 healthcare IT professionals, made up of consultants (65 percent) and full-time employees (35 percent), responded to the 2016 online survey.
Health IT professionals are also trending back toward a shorter work week with a 9 percent increase of survey participants working 31 to 45 hours. And while factors like job security have become less important since 2014, research shows that over the same time period job seekers have begun to prioritize bonuses (28 percent increase), the commute (21 percent increase), and challenging and interesting work (17 percent increase).
“The market reports we’ve published have provided healthcare IT professionals an opportunity to benchmark their compensation packages and skill sets; they have also allowed employers to identify what constitutes a competitive offer for top talent,” explained Ben Weber, managing partner at Pivot Point Consulting. “Through our analysis of the survey data year over year to create this report, workers are empowered to evaluate their career paths in light of industry trends, which leads to more informed decision-making.”
HIMSS17 runs from Feb. 19-23, 2017 at the Orange County Convention Center.
This article is part of our ongoing coverage of HIMSS17. Visit Destination HIMSS17 for previews, reporting live from the show floor and after the conference.
