The demand for health IT professionals is growing, but the talent pool isn't keeping up. Traditional benefits with an adequate salary may not be enough for hospitals and health systems seeking to hire or retain health IT talent, according to a survey from HealthITJobs.com.
According to the survey, while health IT professionals report high job satisfaction, more than half (51 percent) indicate plans to change jobs in the next year.
Here are eight key findings on work perks and benefits from the survey.
1. In addition to the 86 percent of health IT professionals who are offered health insurance, other common perks include dental insurance (81 percent), paid vacation (78 percent), vision insurance (76 percent), 401k (75 percent), life insurance (71 percent), disability insurance (69 percent) and flexible spending accounts (66 percent).
2. Less common perks health IT professionals reported receiving are holiday pay (62 percent), maternity, paternity and adoption leave (49 percent) and gym memberships and wellness programs (39 percent).
3. The three benefits health IT professionals most want to receive but aren't currently offered are work from home (39 percent), overtime pay (36 percent) and a flexible schedule (32 percent).
4. "Healthcare employers may need to up their game when putting together packages for IT professionals," according to the report. "Most health IT jobs come with full benefits, so going the extra step and offering a work from home option, overtime pay or a flexible schedule just might be the thing that sways your top candidate."
5. Health IT professionals are overwhelmingly happy with their work, with 83 percent indicating being either satisfied or very satisfied at work. Additionally, 89 percent of respondents said they would recommend working in health IT to a young person.
6. The top two drivers of job satisfaction among respondents were the ability to advance their careers (25 percent) and the ability to do what they do best every day (24 percent). Other drivers of job satisfaction include income potential (19 percent) and ability to learn new skills (18 percent).
7. However, current income, excessive workloads, and the politics of hospitals and healthcare were key drivers for dissatisfaction at work.
8. "Health IT professionals are looking for jobs where they can have it all — and the high demand for their skill sets means they may just get it," according to the survey.
More than 700 health IT professionals took the Health IT Compensation Survey, from which the data are pulled.
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