The world of health IT is rapidly changing and healthcare organizations are recognizing the need not just for new health IT professionals, but also the continued development of the existing workforce in place.

This year we will once again showcase the Career Services Center, located in the River Gate room in the convention center.  The venue promises to be a spectacular event, full of career tips for healthcare IT career paths. All presentations will be done by nationally recognized leaders in the industry. It will also be a meeting ground for recruiters, job-seekers, consultants and others who contribute to the development of the health IT workforce. Also positioned in the Career Services Center will be the HIMSS JobMine, so you can post your resume at no charge.

There will be 10 educational sessions offered at various times throughout the conference in the Career Services Center.  A snapshot of these events include, on Monday, March 4, learn how to update your resume so it stands out by “Promoting Your Career” (Education Session CSC1). In another venue “How Your Moral Compass Impacts Your Success” (Education Session CSC2), will show attendees how their personal moral compasses guide them to do the right thing for those who look to them as a leader. Attendees will learn to understand ethical theory in the context of the healthcare industry; understand how and why to craft and maintain a personal code of ethics to live and work by and have an interactive discussion regarding common ethical dilemmas faced as a health IT leader. In “When Everyone is Smarter than You” (Education Session CSC3), Scott T. MacLean, CPHIMS, FHIMSS, Deputy CIO and Director of IS Operations, Partners HealthCare and member of the HIMSS Board of Directors, will speak on the importance of emotional intelligence and listening. Monday’s session wrap up is “Getting from Fired to Hired: Career Transitions” (Education Session CSC4), which will explore techniques to recover from the loss of a job and making sure that your attitude doesn't get in the way of finding a new position. Attendees will learn to deal with the emotions of being jobless, no matter what the cause; evaluate the alternatives and creating a roadmap to recovery; and getting back on the market with a positive attitude and enthusiasm. For the remaining venue of the week please visit our Career Services HIMSS13 website for further details.

Besides Career Services opportunities what else will be at HIMSS13?  Meaningful Use Experience is where you can view EHRs and compare certified EHR solution set side-by-side – including complete EHR and EHR modules for acute and ambulatory settings, hear vendor presentations and evaluate products based on need in a credible setting. Certified Associate in Health Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) is a new HIMSS certification for those individuals in healthcare IT less than five years. The Clinical & Business Intelligence Symposium is geared to demonstrate how to plan, launch and manage a C&BI initiative including IT considerations and solutions. The Expanded Workshop Program has hands-on sessions on the mHIMSS Roadmap, Clinical Workflow Analysis, Health IT Adoption and Mobile App Development. These are just a few of the offerings on hand at HIMSS13.

So get ready for an exciting upcoming HIMSS13 event 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!