Higher ed marketing makes me roll my eyes

November 19, 2010 6:46 PM

How do I tell the difference between the real world demand and what's essentially career marketing by schools with programs preparing students for healthcare careers?

I have a bachelor's degree and have meandered through various fields for the past 7 years. I was going to get a certificate or associate's in health information management from a community college (I'm not up to paying a university hundreds of dollars for a post-bacc certificate because I can't afford it and I don't want to waste my money when I can do the same classes cheaper at the cc), but I've noticed, mostly online and through my alumni magazine, a ton of people charging into the healthcare field (mostly into nursing, though some into "healthcare administration" when they have no previous health-related experience) believing that it will provide them everlasting job security in this unsecure economy, and in the future, when the inevitable rockiness reappears.

I have a ton of friends attending nursing school at Ivy League schools, spending close to $100K (no idea why they wouldn't choose a cheaper program) and some of them in their final year are finding that there are a ton of nurse graduates now. It seems like everyone dropped their previous career, did prereqs, enrolled in nursing school, passed their boards, and are now nurses looking for jobs. It also seems that everyday, there's a new nursing program opening up. They're all in a panic about whether they'll find jobs where they currently live or where they want to live. I've read a number of articles (because my friend sends me them in a panic) where nursing grads from fancy schools who are licensed can't find jobs or are being reduced in hiring freezes. meanwhile, local nursing schools are advertising ABSN programs on the subway and promising a fulfilling and well-paid career in nursing.

I'm also seeing a similar "jobs in Health Information Management will increase by 20%! Jobs pay a ton! Get your degree now!" thing happening with my chosen field. I have no idea if I'm going to enter a field that will be saturated in a year's time or obsolete in the future, and I can't figure out how to tell. I know by doing this program, it would enable me to sit for the RHIT and that seems like a valuable credential (though I don't know if it's an attempt to professionalize and gain legitimacy or if it's entirely necessary. They did that sort of thing public relations, and nobody gives a damn if you've gained the association's credential because it's not a regulated industry and it always seemed basically like a way of PRSA trying to legitimize the field and market itself as a field with a specific body of knowledge, though anybody who can read and write worth a damn and get along with reporters can work in PR. The credential, on its own is totally meaningless).

I'm wondering how I can honestly tell what the best move really is. I'm not paying attention to the "Hot Careers Now!" stuff that shows up, and I know DOL's statistics don't tell the whole story about what will happen to the job market in the future. I'm checking job boards to see how many call for RHIT and AAS in Health Information Management, and being wary of the AHIMA stuff (since associations are big on marketing their fields).

But what's the best way to cut through all the marketing crap and figure out if it is a good decision, or if I should stick to something vaguer (like IT, where I couldn't sit for the RHIT certification exam but I could take some of the HIM classes, and I wouldn't be stuck if all the jobs go away and I could possibly get a job at a hospital or at a health-related firm or at an insurance company).

posted by anonymous to Education (11 answers total)

This a great use of informational interviews. See if you can set up some informal interviews with people who are doing the job you want or are managing the job you want. Find out how they regard these certificates and programs. I know in my non-health related internet I.T. world, I'd have a hard time recommending someone spend a lot of money on a certification.
posted by advicepig at 6:55 PM on November 19, 2010 [1 favorite]

Well, if my experience with Object Oriented Programming is any indication, by the time universities get wind of [some newish field] being a the next big thing and start pimping it out for enrollment's sake, the window of opportunity there is either rapidly closing or long closed already. By then people are flooding the field with what amounts to cheap and deeply indebted labor (see also, sharecropping) and if they think they're getting a tenured job, well, the invisible hand of the marketplace is going to smack some sense into them soon enough.

If you're looking at a step up from a B.A, my advice is to cultivate your leadership and management skills and get yourself an MBA. Which aren't the same thing, but the sum of which amounts to "being a competent manager", and competent management is pretty much always in desperately short supply.
posted by mhoye at 6:59 PM on November 19, 2010 [1 favorite]

Try to talk to students or recent graduates of the programs you're interested in. Seconding trying to do informational interviews with people where you want to work, and ask them to be brutally honest about your plan. People love love love to be asked for advice.
posted by J. Wilson at 7:22 PM on November 19, 2010

FWIW--I graduated from nursing school in a time much like now--there were a glut of people that had gotten into nursing. It was hard to find a job, but I didn't give up. I found many had gotten into the field because of the "great pay". It wasn't long until those students that got into nursing for the pay to get out of the field.

This isn't a field you get into because of the money. You get into because you want to. Working weekends, handling body fluids and giving enemas isn't for everyone. You have to care about people.
posted by 6:1 at 7:34 PM on November 19, 2010 [1 favorite]

The Occupational Outlook Handbook is based on government data and projections and presumably does not have an agenda to sell you on training for a particular career.
posted by Jacqueline at 7:39 PM on November 19, 2010 [2 favorites]

Well, if my experience with Object Oriented Programming is any indication, by the time universities get wind of [some newish field] being a the next big thing and start pimping it out for enrollment's sake, the window of opportunity there is either rapidly closing or long closed already. By then people are flooding the field with what amounts to cheap and deeply indebted labor (see also, sharecropping) and if they think they're getting a tenured job, well, the invisible hand of the marketplace is going to smack some sense into them soon enough.

Exactly my experience, except I was hoodwinked into getting an MSLIS (library and information science). Got degree in 2007. Unemployed since 2008. Currently working as a mail handler at the post office.
posted by scratch at 8:29 PM on November 19, 2010

It's strange, because the bureau of labor statistics talks about the health information field growing by 35,000 jobs in the next 8 years or so (using 2008 data), but it seems like the push to EHR has actually cost a lot of jobs, rather than gaining them, with people put more into technician or clerk roles than management. I would assume, then, that the degree and certification become a sort of gateway, the only way to get whatever positions are left. Still, it's a really interesting field, and hospitals can be great places to work...and there's always those 35,000 new openings to consider.
posted by mittens at 8:58 PM on November 19, 2010

This is almost like trying to time the stock market -- basically impossible for ordinary mortals. To the extent that such needs are reliably predictable, they will be predicted by a great many people, and the boom times for any given skill set will end as fast as the market can make them end. I think you're right to worry about falling for hype and over-investing, but you could face that sort of risk with almost any field. Medicine is not the buggy-whip business, because science is not on the verge of discovering some fountain of permanent youth and health. It's probably a solid enough career choice so long as you don't enslave yourself with absurd amounts of debt.
posted by jon1270 at 2:50 AM on November 20, 2010

Just as an extension to the informational interview idea, call the HR department at half a dozen major hospitals, and see whether you can talk to someone who hires at each. Ask questions not just about whether nurses and administrators will be hired in x years time, but also about what specialist sub-fields are likely to be in greatest demand. Then tailor your education to that.
posted by Ahab at 12:54 PM on November 20, 2010

I work in "Health Information Management". Every month, I'm getting about 5 or 6 networking requests from recent graduates. These are generally recent MBAs or graduate certificates. I took two of these calls on Friday.

They all though there would be gobs of jobs, but really there aren't. While healthcare IT spending is reportedly up, headcount is flat to down. In my personal network I've heard about layoffs in all the big hospitals and health plans. Often these aren't big lay-offs, but consistent trimming of staff.

Another factor is that people in health care administration are often "career" workers. Because the benefits tend to be excellent, you get in with one of the big companies and you're a lifer. In my office I know several 30 year employees. I'm here over 5 years and I'm still "new". There's some churn, but far less than in other industries.

Additional degrees or certifications are great people for already have experience in health care technology. I support my staff in pursuing these degrees toward their professional development. However, a certification isn't a golden ticket in the door. There are plenty of experienced healthcare IT people out of jobs.
posted by 26.2 at 10:37 AM on November 21, 2010

Well, have you looked into companies like EPIC which design the records/data entry systems for medical groups? This would combine work in a medical related field thats works heavily with IT.
posted by jadepearl at 7:22 PM on December 16, 2010