It is often asked today whether obtaining certifications in health IT is of benefit to a healthcare career path and/or will obtaining a certification guarantee securing employment? Well, first thing nothing is ever a guarantee in securing employment because so many variables play into that next career step. But to level set the certification question, various professional certifications are found in almost every industry of today. And they do serve a purpose in that they assist employers with evaluating a candidate’s skill level and give the added sense about the potential of a candidate. The certification distinction can also assist in describing an employee’s motivation to learn and adapt to new educational requirements because it shows incentive to learn on one’s own time and energy.

Certifications can help the employer because it has the benefit of giving a baseline of skill sets and competencies in a work environment. When a candidate has acquired a certification for example, it is one more assurance that the candidate has skills and knowledge to successfully handle the desired position in comparison to possibly another candidate who might have similar credentials but without documented proof that they have certain job related knowledge.

The logic of certification comes from the concept that as healthcare evolves towards more technology enablement, there will be an increased need for highly skilled health IT experts to support the various adoptions of healthcare change. To this end, many of us are aware that the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) actually funded a workforce program with the goal of training a new workforce of health IT professionals who will then be skilled in the various steps needed for successful electronic health record implementations. This then supports the hope that this will support the practice of quality care medicine.

It needs to be noted that actually acquiring a certification may not actually land you a job but it gives you the added skill set to help position you in a career in healthcare IT and gives you one more skill set that otherwise might not be acquired in the workforce. It also gives you a sense of accomplishment which often times is an empowerment in itself.

Another great example of a certification is the professional certification at HIMSS – being CPHIMS certified. This healthcare IT specific certification – the CPHIMS exam can demonstrate that an individual has mastered a specific body of knowledge that is considered important to support healthcare IT competencies in today's healthcare information and management systems field. This certification only offered by HIMSS is a prestigious certification and one that is growing in enthusiasm. For further information the website link is: http://www.himss.org/ASP/certification_cphims.asp.

So, are certifications a guarantee to job security – of course not. But it gives you one more data point in your career to show an understanding of a fast and evolving healthcare arena. In addition, a certification can even become an industry standard by which individuals can be objectively assessed for various career paths. And remember...Be passionate about your career path and strive to make a difference and learn, learn...learn. The technology is only the enabler; individuals will be the “transformers” of healthcare in the years to come!

Helen Figge is Senior Director of Career Services at HIMSS.