Career paths take on various components of success. Sometimes a person measures career success based on money that can be accumulated or other times on gainful experiences.  Practically speaking, career success is based on a person’s skill set, what one hopes to accomplish in their lifetime and even social factors that might hinder someone from pursuing their true aspirations.  In any event, careers evolve whether voluntary or involuntary.

Also, careers should not be viewed as “jobs”:  Wikipedia defines a job as “a regular activity performed in exchange for payment…and the duration may range from an hour to a lifetime...And if a person is trained for a certain type of job, they may have a profession but the series of jobs a person holds in their life is their career”.

So, shy away from using the word “job” because the word “job” is so narrow in potential and scope.  A career spans a lifetime and that’s what HIMSS’s mission and HIMSS Professional Development Career Services is all about.  We are in support of all various stakeholders in health IT now and in the years to come.

We are often asked what skills does one need to support a career in Health IT?  Thanks to a recent Emerging Professionals Masters Class webinar presented by Chuck Christian, Chief Information Officer, Good Samaritan Hospital, they can include such things as:  learning, listening, connecting, sharing and planning.

So let’s break these down a bit ok?

First off, HIMSS Career Services is all about optimizing the learning curve.  Just visit http://www.himss.org/ASP/CareerServicesHome.asp and review the array of materials.  The second skill is listening and having the ability to listen without reacting.  Good listening skills provide a way to further enhance the learning curve.  Learning to listen is a great way of connecting and networking to others who again provide the opportunity to learn new things.  And a great example of networking is working with your HIMSS local chapters.  This would provide a regional opportunity to get involved and learn nuances that your region might be doing.  Alas, sharing is a component of mentoring and it is a rewarding experience not only for the recipient but also for the person giving back.  Finally comes planning for a career.  As stated, we often times do not get the opportunity to provide a personal vision of where we want to be or where we want to go in our careers; many times social, personal or financial confines get in the way.  So it’s important to take the emotion out of a career path and from a practical sense, figure out what is needed and how do you get to the end event. So, set personal and professional goals.  Learn how to handle disappointment but more importantly learn from it.  Work with colleagues and mentors to determine your stretch goals.  In the end, a career is a journey to a final destination.  So being able to pace yourself in your career, and become a life-long learner and listener is the key to a successful career.

And don’t forget to jump start your career, come to Vegas for the HIMSS 2012 Annual Conference. 

And remember...Be passionate about your career path and strive to make a difference and learn, learn...learn.  Technology is only the enabler; individuals will be the “transformers” of health IT in the years to come!
 

Helen Figge is Senior Director of Career Services at HIMSS.