Today it seems like mobile talent is in high demand everywhere and nowhere is this becoming more apparent than in health care.
Doctors no longer carry clipboards, they carry iPads or laptops, and health records, referrals and appointments are all done online and increasingly through mobile devices.
What’s the impact on healthcare talent? Huge. More people in the healthcare system, more records, more information and more technology. And how do we prefer to view and interact with all this information? On our smartphones and tablets of course.
Mobile Technologies in Healthcare
In fact, in case you missed it, early this year, mobile usage surpassed desktop computer usage. Guess what that means for those with mobile skills? And guess what that means for all industries that need talent with mobile skills?
Healthcare is going to be no different than other industries in looking to provide its customers with access to information on the platform of their choice. Mobile development in health care will continue to increase as the younger population enters the workforce, gets health care insurance and expects to be able to access their records and information on their devices. And did I mention the Affordable Care Act (ACA)?
ACA's Strain on the System
If you want to read about some of the drastic shortages of healthcare workers, or the impact of our aging population, The Heritage Foundation has a comprehensive article that goes in depth about the struggles the health care system will have with ACA.
Underlying almost all of The Heritage Foundation’s observations is technology. There will need to be an accompanying rise in the use of technology to combat the influx of patients in the system, volumes of records that will need to be kept and (unwritten) need for ways to access this information.
It’s obvious the need will extend way beyond mobile, but when you stop to think about changing demographics, people working remotely, efforts to conserve and reduce paperwork and other dynamics, it would appear that many roads intersect at mobility.
Just for Healthcare?
Nope. Think about all of the apps on your smartphone or tablet. Now think about how you used to get that information or request a cab or talk to your friends (perhaps even your doctor). So the race is on for technology and mobile professionals in particular. So your recruiting plans should take into consideration your plans for mobile technology.
Beginning today, if you are in HR, or even procurement, and you are responsible for talent acquisition, you should understand your company’s technology roadmap. Where will your company be in two years or five years? What types of skills will you require? What if those skills are highly contested? How will you compete for talent?
If you are in healthcare, you are probably already dealing with these questions – if not in technology, then in other areas. However, in industries like healthcare, it also begs the question: Do you have recruiting resources that can find a nurse or doctor and a network engineer or mobile developer? According to the sources above, in the future it’s going to be important to have both.
