July 21, 2014--Healthcare IT Leaders, an award-winning consulting and staff augmentation firm that connects hospitals and health systems with top healthcare IT talent, today released the results of its first HIT Workforce Engagement survey examining job satisfaction and career motivations for healthcare IT professionals.
Based on responses from 446 HIT workers, the report highlights key differences in engagement between IT consultants and full-time IT employees (FTEs) in healthcare. Specifically, consultant satisfaction, as measured across multiple criteria, ranked much higher than satisfaction rates for HIT employees and the global workforce as a whole.
77% of HIT consultants in our survey report satisfaction in their current job with 43% saying they are "very satisfied" and 44% "somewhat satisfied." In contrast, just 64% of full-time healthcare IT employees report satisfaction with their roles. 19% are "very satisfied" and 45% are "somewhat satisfied."
As a benchmark, a recent LinkedIn survey of fully-employed workers in all industries found 72% satisfaction with 27% of respondents "very satisfied" and 45% "somewhat satisfied."
"Most healthcare IT consultants in today's job market have plenty of reasons to smile," said Brad Elster, President of Healthcare IT Leaders. "They are well-paid, they are in high-demand, and the work they do is challenging and satisfying. What's not to be happy about?"
Other key survey results:
Money matters: 40% of consultants said they were "very satisfied" with their current pay, while only 18% of FTEs said the same. Both consultants and FTEs rank "better compensation" as the number one reason they would consider changing jobs.
Finding meaning: A significant majority of all HIT professionals, FTEs and consultants, say their work is "extremely meaningful" or "very meaningful." Meaningful work correlated strongly to job satisfaction.
Grass is greener: 14% of consultants say they are "very likely" to switch to become FTEs in the next year, while 13% of FTEs say they are "very likely" to become consultants.
Open to change: Only one in 10 HIT workers is completely satisfied with their job and not open to a new job at this time, meaning most keep an eye on the job market passively or are actively seeking new employment.
"The HIT job market has been super-heated for a few years now and even fully-employed professionals are actively managing their careers and are more open to new opportunities," explained Elster.
"Our findings may be surprising to hiring managers, but our report has insights that can help hospitals and health systems better understand the motivations of their HIT employees, and to perhaps reshape their current recruitment and retention strategies."
Download a free copy of the survey report: www.healthcareitleaders.com/
About Healthcare IT Leaders
We are a leading North American healthcare IT consultancy and recruitment firm, named one of the "Best Staffing Firms to Work For" by Staffing Industry Analysts. Our clients are hospitals and health systems seeking skilled consultants or full-time staff for EMR, ERP, revenue cycle, BI and analytics, ICD-10, software testing, security and mobility initiatives. Learn more at www.healthcareitleaders.com.