You are: The Experimental Architect

You don’t need a technical degree to break into this field, just the right focus and foundational skills. Begin by:

• Leaning into your strengths and translational experiences: Do you find yourself constantly asking “why” things are done a certain way? Have you ever taught yourself how a new system or process works just becuase it interested you? Your curiosity is a superpower, and combined with your builder mindset, you’re especially well-equipped to explore tools, spot inefficiencies, and build better processes.

• Exploring entry-level certifications such as CompTIA IT Fundamentals+, CAHIMS (from HIMSS), or Google’s free Data Analytics Certificate.

• Learning how EHR systems work through YouTube tutorials or free demo environments (if available to you). Consider starting with general healthcare workflow courses to build context.

• Bypass the traditional Healthcare System path. Your curiosity may better align with startups or cutting-edge “health tech” companies. You’ll still help improve patient care and outcomes, just from a software, service, or device perspective.

  • A Help Desk entry-level role also makes a great first step into the Healthcare IT space if you want to go through a healthcare system. You’ll get to quickly dive into a slew of challenges and pain points for healthcare IT, or health tech, and learn plenty in this entry-level role.

• Networking with professionals on LinkedIn or local HIMSS chapters to understand hiring paths and job shadowing opportunities.

Essential Resources:

• The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for getting up to speed faster and smarter - This book focuses on the importance of the first 90 days of a new role. Missteps in that timeframe can jeopardize or even derail your success.

  • Hardcover version

  • Kindle Version

• The Digital Doctor: Hope, Hype, and Harm at the Dawn of Medicine’s Computer Age. - A very strong recommendation. If you aim to translate among teams, you need to understand the struggles and challenges clinicians face. This book is a compilation of compelling stories and hard-hitting analyses of physicians that provide insight into the challenges of technology in the healthcare sector. (links below)

  • Paperback version

  • Kindle version

• The Influential Mind - strategies and lessons on how to clearly communicate vision and align multiple disciplines; something you will likely need to get familiar with.

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

• The Design Thinking Playbook: Mindful Digital Transformation of Teams, Products, Services, Businesses and Ecosystems (Design Thinking Series) - although not directly Healthcare IT focused, the concepts translate well. With its emphasis on user empathy, iterative development, and multidisciplinary teamwork approach, the book offers a practical blueprint for navigating the complex, and constantly evolving world of Healthcare IT.

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

Your clinical experience is a powerful asset. Here’s how to build on it and pivot into a technical role:

• Lean into your strengths and translational experiences. Stand out to your IT/informatics department by suggesting optimizations to workflows, or volunteer to be a subject matter expert or “super user.” If you believe your leader will be supportive, share your interest in this next phase of your career. Disclaimer, not all leaders are created equal so sharing such information will not always yield the same result for everyone, but it can make an impactful difference!

• Target roles that bridge clinical and IT skills, like Clinical Informaticist, Epic Trainer, or Clinical Analyst. These positions highly value your hands-on care experience. Although they may not be as technical or innovative as you’d prefer, these are great transitional roles so you can build up experience on your resume, as well as relevant knowledge and skills to succeed.

• If there is any sort of Informatics Committee that you can join, it is imperative you do so! Nursing Informatics and Clinical Informatics committees are the most common kind, however you’d be surprised how much crossover there is among roles and responsibilities in these committees.

• Volunteer to help with build as a clinician builder. Some organizations have adopted this practice and the trend is growing. Keep your clinician duties while building entry-level changes in your EHR such as Note Templates, Order Sets, and more. This will make you visible to your organization’s IT team and potentially get you some EHR-specific training sponsored and paid for.

• Consider specialized training in systems like Epic (through an employer or consulting firm), or certifications in Health Informatics (e.g., AMIA 10x10, or CAHIMS). Given your curiousity and ingenuity, it’s important to have a firm grasp of processes and achieving a Project Management Professional (PMP) certificate or Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt will greatly benefit you.

• Document your process improvement contributions from the bedside — such as helping optimize documentation workflows, reducing charting time, or using clinical technology effectively. Keep a log of hours spent on the projects you’ve led, as well as stats on the impact of the project.

• Leverage mentorship or job shadowing with your organization’s IT or informatics department to understand real-world applications.

Essential Resources:

• The Design Thinking Playbook: Mindful Digital Transformation of Teams, Products, Services, Businesses and Ecosystems (Design Thinking Series) - although not directly Healthcare IT focused, the concepts translate well. With its emphasis on user empathy, iterative development, and multidisciplinary teamwork approach, the book offers a practical blueprint for navigating the complex, and constantly evolving world of Healthcare IT.

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

Success isn’t only about understanding technology, it’s about improving systems. These two books introduce you to the foundational thinking behind workflow optimization, process improvement, and reducing inefficiencies.

• Unlocking Lean Six Sigma

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

• The Toyota Way

  • Hardcover Version

  • Kindle Version

Recommendation to all clinicians:

• The Influential Mind - strategies and lessons on how to clearly communicate vision and align multiple disciplines; something you will likely need to get familiar with.

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

Already in the field and ready to level up? Focus your next steps on deepening your expertise and broadening your impact:

• Master specialty skills such as optimizing and troubleshooting foundational processes. Wanting to know “why” something was built or structured a certain way, and building up your skills to fully understand the reasoning will help you in your journey. You’ll either learn more about core foundations of systems, or realize there is opportunity for improvement! Optimizing processes and improving efficiency are top requests in Healthcare IT.

• Learn more about how data flows between systems. Consider training in HL7, FHIR, API basics, or integration engines if that interests you. Also consider learning about ETL pipelines and data warehouses.

• If you’re more into groundbreaking tech instead of the inner workings of structured standards in data, consider diving straight into software, or devices, that can deliver next-level care: Remote Patient Monitoring, biometric devices, AI-powered devices, wearables, etc.

• Earn advanced certifications like CPHIMS, Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, PMP, or specialized vendor credentials (e.g., Epic Cogito, Willow, or Beaker). Additionally, look into SQL for data nalysts, or data visualization tools such as Tableau or Power BI.

• Build your portfolio with projects that demonstrate measurable impact: from optimizing a system to reducing user errors or increasing reporting efficiency. Stats, percentages, and impact make a compelling story that can pave the way to your career growth.

  • Bonus tip - interested in pursuing your PMP certification? Start logging your project management hours ASAP! As part of the certification, you must complete a certain amount of hours and they count even before you take the course.

• Get involved in strategic initiatives within your organization or volunteer for pilot programs to showcase leadership potential or at least stand out as a valuable asset that helps simplify and support processes.

• Explore other tracks or roles. Innovation, transformation, and exploration are at the heart of every Healthcare IT role, so your motivation and drive to innovate and learn give you a unique edge. While your specific path may vary, your mindset positions you to lead the charge and movement for healthare IT transformation.

Essential Resources:

• Healthtech Innovation - focusing on the constant flow of innovation found in healthcare ecosystems and the importance of innovators.

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

• The Design Thinking Playbook: Mindful Digital Transformation of Teams, Products, Services, Businesses and Ecosystems (Design Thinking Series) - although not directly Healthcare IT focused, the concepts translate well. With its emphasis on user empathy, iterative development, and multidisciplinary teamwork approach, the book offers a practical blueprint for navigating the complex, and constantly evolving world of Healthcare IT.

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

These two books introduce you to the foundational thinking behind workflow optimization, process improvement, and reducing inefficiencies.

• Unlocking Lean Six Sigma

  • Paperback Version

  • Kindle Version

• The Toyota Way

  • Hardcover Version

  • Kindle Version