High-tech health care p1 - Military Transition - Military Times EDGE

Health care has gone a long way beyond stethoscopes and blood-pressure cuffs. Dr. Wyatt Smith, internist and pathologist, did more than just doctoring before he left the Navy as a captain in March 2008. As the commanding officer of the Navy’s Medical Information Technology Command, he helped modernize privacy and security for military health care. Smith says the military can be an ideal launching ground for someone seeking a career that melds health care and cutting-edge technology.

“The military health system is very wired. They maintain an electronic patient record. They have systems for ordering procedures — all kinds of things that are going to be the model for the future U.S. health care system,” he said. The private sector is nowhere near as sophisticated. “So someone who is coming into the workplace from within that military environment is going to go to the head of the class,” Smith said.

Look for high-tech opportunities in one of these growing fields:

1. Electronic imaging

These professionals include computed tomography technologists, magnetic resonance imaging technologists and diagnostic medical sonographers. A diagnostic medical sonographer, for example, uses specialized equipment to create images of structures inside the human body. Physicians use these images to make a medical diagnosis.

Sonographers may train in hospitals, vocational-technical institutions, colleges or universities, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You’ll study anatomy, physiology, instrumentation, basic physics, patient care and medical ethics.

2. Medical informatics

The field includes health informatics, bioinformatics and clinical informatics. Using the latest tools of data management, informatics specialists determine how health information is communicated. There are 200 accredited education programs nationwide, according to Advanced Medical Recruiters, and the field is expanding rapidly. President Barack Obama has said he plans to invest tens of billions of dollars in the next few years to help health care providers implement EMR, or electronic medical records systems. Such systems translate directly into medical informatics jobs.

It’s possible to enter the field with a specialized degree or through a position in information management.

3. Cytotechnologists

The Bureau of Labor Statistics calls cytotechnologists “disease detectives.” They peer deep into cells, searching for the patterns or markers that could indicate medical conditions. If powerful microscopes, puzzle solving and meticulous record-keeping ring your bells, this might be the job.

You’ll need at least a bachelor’s degree in cytotechnology or some related field to get in, paired with licensure in some states. Certification from the American Society of Clinical Pathology helps open doors.

4. Medical I.T. management

With titles such as CIO, CTO or IT project manager, these are the overseers, the ones who design and implement technology systems and manage evolving technologies in hospitals and other health systems.

It takes at least a bachelor’s degree to get in, along with anywhere from two to 10 years of practical experience, depending on the level of the job.

5. Surgical technologist

Surgical technologists work in operating rooms alongside surgeons, anesthesiologists and other medical experts in hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers and in the offices of doctors who perform outpatient surgery. They may oversee medical equipment or handle laboratory specimens.

Most surgical technologists get their training at vocational and technical schools, hospitals or community colleges, with programs running from nine months to two years, according to BLS. The Liaison Council on Certification for the Surgical Technologist and the National Center for Competency Testing offer optional certification.

6. Medical device design engineer

Engineers may design a range of medical products, from simple tube systems to sophisticated monitoring apparatus.

Winning candidates typically have four-year degrees in engineering or science and some experience in research and development. It helps to have experience in the relevant medical field.

7. Health I.T. instructor

With all this technology making its way into the health care arena, someone has to bring the practitioners up to speed— and it doesn’t require a degree in engineering or computer science.

Teaching jobs in medical technology typically require a B.A. and some work experience in health care. Classroom experience will be paramount: A successful record of teaching is the surest demonstration of aptitude.