Healthcare IT Resume Must Haves

Writing a winning resume that describes your healthcare IT background, expertise and knowledge can be an adventure. Your resume needs to be comprehensive, accurate and a pleasure for a hiring manager to read. Our industry has unique terminology that sets us apart from banking, manufacturing, retail and other industries. Let me share some helpful tips on how to make your resume a competitive marketing document.

Opening statement

Start off describing yourself in an opening paragraph. The sentences or phrases should include keywords that emphasize your background. Your professional or career summary sets you apart from the crowd. Use third person and always add key healthcare IT phrases when you can. Avoid technical jargon, bullets and other distracting elements in the opening statement. Here is an example.

Demonstrated success in planning, delivering, and supporting clinical, financial, and analytical systems to support large integrated health systems. Implementation of in-patient and ambulatory electronic health records, revenue cycle solutions, and business applications that meet the needs of the healthcare enterprise, its providers and its patients. Experience leading effective project management and business process improvement initiatives.

Describe your employers

Think about your reader when you draft your resume, give them descriptions of all your employers, including type of organization, number of employees, number of facilities, physicians, etc. — it will add to your credibility, and help the reader stay focused on your document instead of checking Google to learn about your employers. Include any non-healthcare or non-IT employers in your resume. Here is an example.

Multi-Site Health System – Any Town, USA           1998 – Present

Leading integrated delivery system with over two dozen acute care hospitals, 32 clinics in four states

Key accomplishments

List your key accomplishments for each position. Make sure each bullet starts with an action verb. Here is a sample starter list.

• Developed
• Delivered
• Deployed
• Hired and trained
• Implemented

Length and look

Your resume should accurately describe your work history in reverse chronological order and not be restricted to one or two pages. It is common in healthcare IT to have a 4-6 page resume. You may consider condensing those early jobs into a summary paragraph to save space, but include them. Here is an example.

Previous work history

Also served 18-month tenure with a large consulting firm on a $46 million dollar project implementing an entire health information system in the Middle East. Additionally functioned as Manager of Technical Support for a large University, as well as Computer Lab Coordinator, for a local community hospital.

Leave enough white space around your writing to make it pleasing to the eye. Remember this is a marketing document for you. Avoid fancy fonts; try Calibri or Arial since they show up well on monitors and mobile devices. Don’t include a photograph — if someone is interested, they will look you up on LinkedIn, where you should have uploaded a professionally taken photograph on your profile.

Academic credentials, certifications and affiliations

Place all your education, certifications and groups at the end of your resume. You can include graduation dates, if you like. Make sure your education can be verified. Here is an example.

Education

Master of Business Administration: University of Midwest State, School of Business, Midwest, State, 2005

Bachelor of Science, Information Technologies (Distinction): University of Phoenix, 2003

Associate of Science, Data Processing: Community College, 1996

Certifications

• CHCIO – Certified Healthcare Chief Information Officer
• CPHIMS – Certified Professional in Healthcare Information Management Systems

Remember to keep your resume up to date on a yearly basis, have others review it, and don’t be too modest about your accomplishments. Good luck!