Job security -- what are you seeing?

Greetings WDWpixieRN,

I'm located in a large metropolitan city in the Midwest. I have a few informatics colleagues who have been laid off. My recruiter colleagues tell me that demand for consultants and consulting services is slow or down of late.

I'd say those that have been laid off practice in areas that are the softer market segments of the HIT environment , such as Marketing departments for device manufacturers (not systems vendors) and hospital system trainers who's organizations transitioned clinical IT apps training from the IS/IT depts back to either the individual pt care departments or to Staff Development.

I do know that organizations are delaying projects, putting some capital spending on hold and or using the current economic and financial climate to cut back.
I was surprised to learn that Meditech will not be participating in this year's HIMSS conference!

With the impact the Stimulus Plan will have on our industry to have qualifying EMR systems in place in provider organizations I'd expect demand to increase- especially for those who practice in systems implementation (both on the consultant, vendor and purchaser sides) and project management.

As rninformatics says, consulting businesses are seeing a slowdown from years past. A friend of mine own a consulting company and I'm friends with a recruiter from another place; they both say that there are jobs in specific areas, but not the wide availability thy have seen in the past. Also, hospitals have realized that there is an abundance of talent out there, and now they want specific experience. Where as before they wanted somebody who had lets say specific skills such as somebody who implemented Mckesson or Cerner, now they even want more specialized skills, so you might have cerner experience, but they want somebody that knows Iview, and clients are waiting it out to find that person....
Now, there are jobs out there, and the good news is that if you got an RN degree and experience in the field, you will get an interview; however, is not like before where you got the interview, and the position was easily nailed. Now, there is competition, but unike the IT field, people in informatics are getting interviews. I have a friend that got laid off and he has specific IT experience, and so far, bunch of applications sent, but not even a single call about them. So if you got great interviewing skills, you can find a job....

I think the consulting jobs might be down for some firms, because they're just too many out there! Unless the agency is on the mark, and working hard to find good talent, they are going to be pushed to the side. Not to mention all they can see is $$,and not doing the work, that makes for success! There are too many startups with no idea of what the applications, healthcare, are about, with inexperience recruiterswho have no clue either.

This is the same thing that happened to nursing agencies. Everyone one who had a few dollars jumped in the water without having a clue!

I have had some of the most dishonest folks contact me, saw the bait and switch, and just out and out lies utilized by recruiters. One recruiter even expected me to lie to a client so they could get a contract! NO WAY!

To get a job today as a consutant, you need to be able to interview well, and if you have any healthcare experience, you will be overrun with offers! Not saying they will all be great offers, but there is NO shortage of IS/EMR application/implementation/trainer/testing jobs out there, just a shortage of agencies you can trust! Probably why more and more consultants are going the independent route, which is the very same thing that happend with Travel Nursing!

"The more things change, the more they stay the same"!