Health care technicians: Improving patients' lives; Improvements in medical technology and an aging population are increasing the demand for these health-related careers - Tech Connection - Brief Article

Career World, Feb-March, 2002 by Laura Gater

Health information technicians, medical technologists and medical laboratory technicians, and ophthalmic technicians all utilize technology to improve patient care and diagnosis.

Growing Fast

Health care ranks second (after computer technology) among the top 10 industries with the fastest employment growth. Employment in the health care field is expected to increase by 26 percent through 2008.

The number of jobs in health care will increase because the population of elderly Americans is projected to grow faster than that of other age groups. New medical technology means that people are living longer and are more likely to need therapy and support services as they age. Medical practices and networks will grow larger and will need more managerial and support people as well.

Here are some of the fastest-growing jobs in health care that require a high school diploma plus at least two years of college.

Details, Details

A health information technician, also called a medical records technician, makes sure that patients' medical charts are complete and that all forms are completed and properly signed by the doctors. These technicians (HIT's) assign a code to each diagnosis and to all procedures performed, using classification manuals and a special software program. Their duties vary somewhat according to the size of the hospital or clinic. HIT's typically have no direct contact with patients.

According to Bob Garrie, director of education and accreditation for the American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA) in Chicago, Illinois: "Any of the sciences will help students prepare for a career in health information. That will give them a leg up when they go to college. Become computer-savvy. Take science, office management, anatomy, and physiology classes."

Although HIT's are not licensed, they are encouraged to become registered. The training that a HIT graduate receives from an AHIMA-accredited program makes him or her eligible to take the national accreditation examination sponsored by AHIMA. Those who pass become Registered Health Information Technicians.

AHIMA reports in its 2000 survey that more than 37 percent of its members with less than four years' experience earn more than $30,000 per year.

In the Lab

Medical technologists and medical laboratory technicians test blood, urine, and other body fluids for properties that usually have established normal ranges to identify injury or disease states in the body. Tests also monitor therapeutic drugs and identify and quantitate drugs of abuse. Testing is performed using highly sophisticated instrumentation, computers, and microscopes.

"I like the day-to-day variation where rarely are any two days the same. At least 80 percent of all medical decisions come from lab results," says Leila Flew, laboratory manager at Parkview Whitley Hospital in Columbia City, Indiana. "We provide a very powerful tool to the medical community. There can be a lot of uncertainty in [other] professions, but medicine will always be there. In all areas of the country, there are existing staffing problems in most of the major areas of clinical medicine, so job security is very strong."

Medical technologists, who perform more complex testing or fill supervisory positions, often have a bachelor of science degree from a program accredited by the National Accrediting Agency for Clinical Laboratory Sciences (NAACLS). Medical laboratory technicians must have an associate degree through an NAACLS-accredited program.

The medical field changes so quickly that "techs" need to continue their education by attending seminars, teleconferences, and audioconferences, and by reading clinical laboratory publications, according to Plew. Chemistry, biology, math, and computer science are all needed for a career in the field of laboratory science.

The starting salary for medical technologists exceeds $30,000 in most parts of the country. The starting salary for a medical laboratory technician is around $25,000.

Seeing Clearly

Ophthalmic technicians work at hospitals, clinics, or for ophthalmologists (physicians who specialize in diseases of the eye) in private practice. Training programs last one or two years. Graduates then take a national certifying exam. Continuing education classes or seminars are required every three years for recertification.

Tina Armey, an ophthalmic technician in Crown Point, Indiana, describes her job this way: "My job consists of everything from the basic workup on a patient to performing any diagnostic testing our doctors order. I measure patients for eyeglass prescriptions, check pressure readings [of the eyeball] for glaucoma, assist in minor office surgeries, schedule outpatient surgeries, take eye measurements for cataract surgery, take retinal photos, field telephone calls, and much more."

Tina took home-study courses from the American Academy of Ophthalmology, and passed a certifying exam.

"I entered this field as a medical secretary in an ophthalmology practice and was offered the opportunity to learn the medical side of it," she said. "I have enjoyed it very much. You definitely have to be a 'people person.' The neat thing is, you build relationships with those patients who have to come regularly. It's hard to find something that I don't like about my job."