We all hear the buzz about healthcare – EHR/EMR, HIPAA, PHI and the other acronyms in the space. But what does it mean for IT professionals? What are the job opportunities? How do you show employers you have the unique skills required to work in IT in a healthcare setting?

According to a recent survey by Capstone, 63 percent of responding physician group practices expect to replace their current practice management system with an integrated electronic health record system.  And 70 percent of those not purchasing say they already have an EHR that will be certified for meaningful use. Those systems will need support from IT technicians.

Employers need a way to identify candidates with the right skills to fill these jobs and potential HIT technicians need a way to show employers they have the knowledge and skills required to support the implementation and maintenance of HIT systems in various clinical settings. That is where the new CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certificate can help.

The certificate gives IT technicians a background in HIT standards, regulations and workflows, so they can understand the healthcare environment. In addition to the recommended prerequisite CompTIA A+ (or equivalent 500 hours of hands-on IT technical experience ), successful candidates  will understand healthcare terminology/acronyms, and possess a basic understanding of practice workflows while adhering to code of conduct policies and security best practices, in order to support EHR systems in medical facilities. The certificate validates knowledge of healthcare and IT on these key topics:

• Regulatory requirements,


• Organizational behavior,


• IT operations,


• Medical business operations and


• Security.

The complete exam objectives are available to download now.  Vouchers are available (in North America) on the CompTIA Marketplace ($102 for non-members, $87 for members). The exam is available now at Pearson VUE and Prometric testing centers worldwide. Watch our website for exam prep materials, expected to be available later in Q3.