The 9 most in-demand IT jobs in healthcare

The US healthcare industry is undergoing rapid digital transformation. With a focus on patient care, cost savings, and scalable innovation, healthcare organizations in the US are adopting a range of emerging technologies to improve patient experiences, to aid clinicians in their jobs, and to compete with digital entities entering the market.

But laying a digital foundation for the future presents unique challenges in the healthcare industry. Most healthcare organizations are currently reliant on a range of legacy technologies, making the transition to digital and cloud-based solutions complex and slow-moving. More importantly, healthcare isn’t an industry that can withstand significant downtime or major overnight changes, as most systems handle sensitive healthcare and patient data. And with a rise in virtual visits, online healthcare portals, and a desire for more personalized healthcare experiences from patients, the demand for IT professionals — especially those with experience in the healthcare industry — is far outpacing supply.

As a result, tech jobs in US healthcare have increased by 5,000 job postings over the past five months. Some states seeing the highest demand are California, Texas, Florida, Massachusetts, and New York, according to Dice. Informatics is a top priority, driving a demand for skills such as SQL, Python, data analysis, project management, process improvement, and more.

If you are an IT pro looking to break into the healthcare industry, or a healthcare IT leader wanting to know where hiring will be the most competitive, here are the top nine in-demand tech jobs in healthcare, according to data from Dice.

Software engineer

Software engineers are the most sought-after IT pros in the healthcare industry, which has a stronger focus on data and data privacy, as well as a priority on ensuring the patient experience is top of mind. Because of this, the software and services used in healthcare are all about data, interoperability, and collaboration, and keeping all healthcare professionals connected as a patient moves through their treatment or care plan. Healthcare software engineers are tasked with helping create the systems that healthcare companies, hospitals, and other care facilities use to handle patient care, billing, healthcare data, and more. You’ll be expected to have skills such as C#, HTML, CSS, JavaScript, Python, Linux development, Java, database administration, and an understanding of security controls, governance processes, and compliance validation.

The average salary for a healthcare software engineer is $104,181 per year, with a reported salary range from $72,000 to $169,000 per year, according to data from Glassdoor.

Data analyst

Because the healthcare industry deals with vast quantities of sensitive patient data, there’s high demand for data professionals who can help with the acquisition, management, analysis, and interpretation of healthcare data. Healthcare data analysts are responsible for tasks such as interpreting and communicating any data trends, overseeing how data is stored and retrieved, identifying areas for service improvements, and offering insights on improving clinical processes. In healthcare, the role of data analyst can also be called health information management (HIM) analyst, since the role typically focuses on patient information such as electronic health records, billing, claims, and patient feedback.

The average salary for a healthcare data analyst is $90,476 per year, with a reported salary range from $58,000 to $166,000 per year, according to data from Glassdoor.

Business analyst

Healthcare business analysts are responsible for using data to inform the clinical operations of a healthcare business, hospital, or other care facility. It’s a similar role to data analyst, but a business analyst is focused on interpreting data as it pertains to the business side of the organization. Typically, a healthcare business analyst will have an eye on areas such as clinical operations, financial management, patient engagement, care coordination, and disease management. The role requires you to develop and maintain tools to support decision-making in a clinical setting, interpreting data and delivering reports to senior management, and using data to make recommendations on how to improve operations and patient care.

The average salary for a healthcare business analyst is $90,900 per year, with a reported salary range from $63,000 to $150,000 per year, according to data from Glassdoor.

Business systems analyst

A healthcare business systems analyst is responsible for working closely with management and end users to find ways to improve internal systems and implement new technology to support business needs. You’ll be tasked with applying analytical data to help plan, design, and implement technology systems and solutions that help the business meet its goals. Business systems analysts are also tasked with optimizing business and workflow processes, evaluating enterprise applications, identifying areas for improvement, and ensuring that technology solutions stay within budget.

The average salary for a healthcare business systems analyst is $89,374 per year, with a reported salary range from $55,000 to $171,000 per year, according to data from Glassdoor.

Director of business development

A director of business development is tasked with developing new business opportunities for the organization, with a focus on rowing revenue and expanding the company’s brand. Not strictly a technology role, directors of business development are also responsible for maintaining relationships with clients, management, and sales, as well as recommending new opportunities to help move the business forward. But as healthcare industry becomes further reliant on IT as core to its business, technology is seen as increasingly important to the role, with business development directors often tasked with identifying multi-discipline technology service deals, managing CRM software, and identifying new potential technology partners. The role requires strong communication and interpersonal skills, an ability to identify industry trends, preparing and maintaining budgets, developing training plans to address skills gaps, and developing sales strategies and business plans.

The average salary for a director of business development is $129,838 per year, with a reported salary range from $81,000 to $237,000 per year, according to data from Glassdoor.

Business intelligence developer

A business intelligence developer is responsible for using data analytics and technology to relay important information about the business to key stakeholders and decision-makers. In a healthcare setting, a business intelligence developer will have a focus on building dashboards and reports related to healthcare data. The role typically requires skills such as SQL, JavaScript, Python, CSS, Tableau, data visualization, data optimization, agile, Scrum, and strong written and verbal communication skills.

The average salary for a business intelligence developer is $135,280 per year, with a reported salary range from $88,000 to $259,000 per year, according to data from Glassdoor.

Application analyst

A clinical application analyst is responsible for managing an organization’s software systems, which includes identifying potential solutions, testing software, and identifying what tools will be best for the organization. They are also tasked with implementing, troubleshooting, maintaining, and optimizing software applications. You may be required to maintain relationships with vendors, configure new software, train end-users, develop training materials, and handle any questions about software deployments. Other tasks may include managing billing, preparing reports and dashboards, software design, and identifying opportunities to implement new software solutions.

The average salary for a healthcare application analyst is $108,552 per year, with a reported salary range from $71,000 to $192,000 per year, according to data from Glassdoor.

Data scientist

A healthcare data scientist is tasked with developing tools to collect and extract healthcare data from hospitals, providers, and federal or state agencies. Where data analysts focus more on interpreting the data, data scientists have their eye on the logistics of obtaining and managing the data. Since the data in healthcare is particularly sensitive, you’ll also be expected to prioritize security, data protection, compliance, and adhering to regulations. Healthcare data can also be incredibly important to public safety, as made evident during the COVID-19 pandemic, so healthcare data scientist is a role that’s not only in-demand, but vital to the industry.

The average salary for a healthcare data scientist is $117,952 per year, with a reported salary range from $86,000 to $175,000 per year, according to data from Glassdoor.

Systems administrator

The role of a systems administrator in healthcare is to oversee a company’s systems and ensure there’s minimal interruptions and downtime. These tech professionals are often tasked with monitoring system performance, identifying system issues, performing maintenance, troubleshooting systems, QA testing, and more. You may be expected to work with vendors, install and configure hardware and software, make recommendations for the technical direction of the company, and more. In healthcare, you might see systems administrator jobs listed as clinical informatics specialist, health information systems analyst, or similar titles.

The average salary for a healthcare systems administrator is $99,399 per year, with a reported salary range from $67,000 to $165,000 per year, according to data from Glassdoor.