May 21, 2020
Healthcare organizations across the world rely on data to develop and maintain business strategies. And now more than ever, there are larger sets of data to gather, format, and analyze in order to operate these organizations at the highest levels. With this increase in data and its growing importance, it’s no surprise that healthcare data analyst is projected to be one of the fastest growing jobs in the workforce in the coming years.
A healthcare data analyst has been an essential role in the top healthcare organizations for some time now, but as the industry becomes more comfortable with its data operations, it’s expected that institutions will begin looking for speciality-specific solutions that leverage analytics.
Expected growth of careers related to data gathering, data interpretation, data storage, and the use of electronic health records: 15%
Source: https://www.usfhealthonline.com/resources/career/health-data-analyst-job-description-and-salary/ / BLS.gov
Many healthcare organizations now know what it is they need, but currently don’t have teams with the necessary skills to capitalize on their data efficiently and effectively. As organizations begin to assemble the appropriate teams for these responsibilities, hiring managers will look for individuals who have the ability to conquer that data skills gap.
3 Skills for Today’s Healthcare Data Analyst
1. Storytelling Through Data
Today’s healthcare organizations aren’t just looking for someone to collect the information. They want a healthcare data analyst who can make sense of it all. The findings of any project should follow the same basic principles of any good story, primarily that of conflict and resolution. A data analyst should be able to explain that conflict and resolve it with their findings. A compelling narrative can be made even more engaging through modern visualization tools.
2. Solving For New Problems In New Ways
With the rapid growth of technology and data collection, every type of organization is learning at an unprecedented rate. What that means for health institutions is that they are seeing problems that were previously unknown. These new challenges however, often require new solutions. Today’s analysts must be innovative in order to first understand the challenges, and secondly to find the right solutions. Healthcare organizations want someone who can think both inside and outside of the box.
3. Speak The Language(s)
Even though organizations are looking to data analysts more than ever before, the skillsets they look for are becoming more narrowed. Most of the time, it’s expected to have an expansive knowledge of Structured Query Language (SQL) among other tools for data extraction and a host of commercial products such as Tableau and MS Power BI among many others supporting the industry to run analyses and models. Beyond that, experience working with electronic medical records, clinical processes, and other healthcare specific nuances are highly coveted.
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Source: https://www.usfhealthonline.com/resources/career/health-data-analyst-job-description-and-salary/ / BLS.gov