Interview: CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician HIT-001 Authorized Cert Guide

Published July 05, 2012

CompTIA's Healthcare IT Technician certification is one of the first opportunities to credential HIT skills. Before you can pin one to your resume, you'll have pass the HIT-001 certification exam.

CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician HIT-001 Authorized Cert Guide Sample Chapter: Regulatory Requirements (PDF)

The electronic health record (EHR) and electronic medical record (EMR) are streaming into healthcare facilities across the U.S. Thanks in large part to the HITECH Act, the pressure is on for healthcare providers to move from paper to electronic recordkeeping ASAP. HIT goes far beyond simply digitizing paper records and has opened up an exciting new opportunitity for individuals who understand how healthcare and IT intersect. Whether you're an IT pro transitioning to HIT or a healthcare professional who wants to add IT skills, the CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certification can help you make the move.

Succeeding in HIT requires a working knowledge of the healthcare industry, IT, and regulatory requirements. A new book just published by Pearson Education, CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician HIT-001 Authorized Cert Guide stands ready to help you get a grasp on all three and get certified too. We interviewed coauthors Joy Dark and Jean Andrews to find out what it takes to succeed in this new arena and how to take on and pass the HIT-001 exam.

GoCertify: What are the main requirements for someone in the healthcare IT industry?  How does the CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certification help?

Joy Dark and Jean Andrews: Healthcare IT requires specialized IT knowledge in a constantly developing field. The CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certification helps employers know that applicants and employees are aware of current Healthcare IT technologies and regulations.

GoCertify: At what point in the career of an IT person in the healthcare industry should a candidate get this certification, and why?

Joy Dark and Jean Andrews: The most significant time to get this certification is while job seeking. This certification proves that an applicant or employee looking for a promotion is aware of the unique aspects of IT technician duties in the healthcare environment.

GoCertify: What types of jobs does the CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certification help with, and what is the job outlook?

Joy Dark and Jean Andrews: The CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certification is designed to create a workforce to fill job vacancies in the following positions as described by the HITECH Act:

• Practice workflow and information management redesign specialists
• Clinician/practitioner consultants
• Implementation support specialists
• Technical/software support
• Trainers

GoCertify: How much of the CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certification is devoted to regulations as opposed to IT knowledge? To healthcare knowledge as opposed to IT knowledge?

Joy Dark and Jean Andrews: The CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician certification is divided into the following five domains. Generally, I’d say that domains 3 and 5 apply to IT knowledge and the other domains focus more on what IT professionals need to know in the healthcare fields.