Anyone work in a hospital's IT?

[Kindjal]

I'm the IT Pharmacist at my local hospital. My focus is more on the clinical applications than on the infrastructure. I generally enjoy what I do. The biggest frustrations involve dealing with the IT bureaucracy and idiocracy. I do not work for the IT department but they often choose to overlook that fact.

Most of the my hospital's systems have been deployed for years so nursing is fairly comfortable with each systems issues. Pharmacy users are great. I have very few problems with the pharmacy systems vendors. My biggest task is optimizing what systems we have to exploit all the safety and efficiency they provide.

The hospital is converting to Epic EHR next year. We are also purchasing a new automation solutions to replace existing systems and moving to a new physical location. Challenges abound in health care IT. I would recommend the field to you.

 

[Mark R]

do your radiologists complain about every pacs upgrade there is that might affect the number of mouse clicks it takes to view an image? then calculate the extra number of clicks they might do in a year and then calculate how much it's costing them per year to click one extra time per study?

The thing is that this is a very valid complaint - it may sound ridiculous, but managers put huge pressure on radiologists to get though as much work as possible. The managers bought into the improved workflow of PACS, and if they don't get their improved efficiency, they are going to bitch and moan about it. What I would want in an IT department is someone who understands my requirements, and why they are important, and helps me get them.

I'm a radiologist, if I don't get through 50 X-rays an hour, my manager starts bitching and chewing my ass. On our current PACS it takes 17 mouse clicks to save an opinion. It takes something like 10-15% of the time to complete a study, to click all the buttons needed to save my opinion. I doesn't help when I ask IT to sort this out because it's a) a waste of time, and b ) causing RSI, they tell me to piss off because I'm a whining bitch. (OK, they didn't say that, but they just refused to do anything about it, or even raise a ticket with the vendor).

 

[Gibson486]

where i work (and im told this, because as an intern, the only benefit i get is the cafeteria discount) that the insurance here is awesome. 80% coverage after your deductible, and the hospital gives a 50% discount on that last 20%.

a guy i know there has had some MRIs or something because he has back issues...his costs is a few hundred, instead of a few thousand dollars.

as for career advancement/pay raises: its based on an annual review. if your review is average, you get a minor raise, if its above average, you get a slightly larger one. there are annual bonuses as well, dont know much about those. the only people i know where i work that havnt advanced or gotten a raise are slackers, not bad people, but they let their skills stagnate and dont really do much but barely get their work done.

or you could work for a company that lets you choose insurance with no deductibles or atleast pay nothing when your total deductible is met.