In honor of both Veterans Day and Global Health Equity Week, the Healthcare Information Management Systems Association, parent company of Healthcare IT News, on Monday announced a commitment to support veteran talent development in health information technology. Announced the launch of a veterans community aimed at
Why is it important?
A HIMSS spokesperson said the new workforce development program is aimed at helping veterans launch careers in health care and health IT.
The group said in a statement that it believes veterans can elevate conversations about care and health and take actionable steps to support healthy communities. Veterans who join the Veterans Community who are not currently HIMSS members will receive a free one-year individual membership and registration with their local HIMSS chapter.
The announcement was made during Global Health Equity Week, November 11-15, during which individual members and chapters of global organizations will raise awareness of the role of digital health in improving patient outcomes and health outcomes. emphasized that it is important.
“Our decision to launch a HIMSS community specifically for veterans reflects the larger conversation happening across the healthcare ecosystem about improving access to care and developing talent,” said HIMSS Senior Vice President and Chief Executive Officer Tom Leary, director of government relations, said in a statement.
bigger trends
For years, returning service members have been valued for what they bring to IT departments and what healthcare can learn from them.
A key benefit for healthcare organizations is veterans' intangible skills, such as leadership and experience with advanced technology. Veterans are also trained to deal with complex environments and focus on mission-critical tasks that are highly relevant to healthcare cybersecurity.
Recognizing this, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency initially funded a 28-week bootcamp program to train veterans and others for careers in cybersecurity.
“Diversity of thought, bringing all perspectives to the problem, puts us in the best position to solve the cyber challenges facing our nation,” CISA's Easterly said in a statement.
The cybersecurity talent training program offered “opportunities to advance your career and deepen your professionalism,” said Bertina, CEO of NPower, the national technical training organization that worked with CyberWarrior to develop the program. Ceccarelli added.
For veterans, a transition into a HIT role can also make sense.
“A lot of people think of the military in terms of combat operations, but in reality, it's more about the mission,” said Jonathan Manis, CHRISTUS Health senior vice president and chief information officer. In an article in the News magazine, we explained what services are coming back. What can our members bring to IT departments, and what can healthcare learn from them?
“We were doing much more on the humanitarian relief side and working to take care of people,” Manis said of his time as a Marine in the 1980s.
On record
“It's important that veterans have greater access to resources and opportunities to help them embrace digital health transformation to better manage their care and launch careers in the health care industry,” Leary said in a statement. .
Andrea Fox is a senior editor at Healthcare IT News.
Email: afox@himss.org
Healthcare IT News is a publication of HIMSS Media.
