Interesting and innovative, creative and collaborative, diverse and dynamic — have you ever considered that a career in Information Technology could be all of these things… and more?
At UPMC, our IT department is made up of more than 2,000 employees who work together to support our workforce of more than 92,000 people. You might imagine these employees as developers and designers looking at a screen of complex code, but if you take a closer look, you will be surprised to see the variety of roles, responsibilities, and personality traits that make up our team in IT!
Let’s bust some myths about Information Technology, shall we?
Across UPMC and every other health care system, clinical workers have been standing bravely on the frontlines of care throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, providing critical patient care to those in need. Those health care heroes have not been alone, though. Standing right behind them have been many other less visible teams, hard at work keeping our systems running without a hitch and ensuring that clinical workers have all the support they need to focus on what they do best.
One of the teams that played a critical role in UPMC’s pandemic response is Information Technology. You might not initially think of IT as a team that was impacted by COVID-19, but the truth is that their work has become even more essential than before.
Because of the diligent work of our people across PC Support, Remote Access, Certify, EPCS, and more, our Information Technology team transitioned seamlessly to working from safe and socially distanced locations without missing a beat. They accelerated the technology that allowed patients to receive care remotely, implemented digital solutions to make our hospitals safer, and quickly established vaccination clinics across our communities.
While this experience is not one our teams could’ve ever predicted, it has been a challenge that they’ve met with excellence. Let’s hear from some of the members of our team about their experience working in IT throughout the COVID-19 pandemic:
Fact:
Behind every information technology issue that our IT team addresses, there is a patient in need of care, and that connection to the mission is what drives the team every day.
Myth #1: IT employees always work alone.
FACT: You can probably picture the image from a TV show or movie: an IT professional, hidden in a cubicle in an office building, wearing headphones and hunched over a computer. Although technology and individual contributions are important parts of the work of IT, members of our team also spend their time communicating strategy, writing, presenting, connecting, and building relationships with diverse people and organizations. Different roles within IT call upon different skillsets – from highly collaborative project managers to more independent developers and designers – but every role is a part of the greater IT team and works to further our culture of collaboration.
Not only do IT employees work in a collaborative environment with their peers, but many employees also have the exciting opportunity to work with our clinical partners to directly impact patient care. Behind every information technology issue that our IT team addresses, there is a patient in need of care, and that connection to the mission is what drives the team every day. Regardless of what your day-to-day role looks like, a career in IT at UPMC gives you a unique and rewarding career opportunity.
Myth #2: You only need analytical skills to work in IT.
FACT: While some members of Information Technology would identify as primarily “left-brained,” our team brings so many more skills to the table than just logic or analysis. Roles in IT require critical thinking and creativity to solve problems, emotional intelligence to understand and meet the needs of our customers, strong reasoning and communication to identify and explain solutions to partners throughout the organization, to name a few. Technical skills are certainly important to the work of IT, but it’s just as important that members of IT bring these unique strengths and qualities to the table as well, to ensure a diverse and well-rounded team.
Myth #3: Every member of IT does the exact same work.
FACT: In the same way that health care workers often specialize in a particular area of care like oncology, pediatrics, neurology, or dermatology, Information Technology consists of many unique fields of work, and employees have the opportunity to specialize and develop particular skills in their area of work.
Our IT department at UPMC is made up of nearly 80 unique teams like PC Support, Telemedicine, Remote Access, and many more, who each fulfill a vital purpose within the organization. Within each of those teams, you’ll find people in many specialized and distinct roles, which allows for a host of career opportunities and pathways for employees, no matter their skillset or area of interest.
Myth #4: Careers in IT are just for one type of person.
FACT: Years ago, career fields like Information Technology suffered from a lack of equitable opportunities and lack of representation for minority groups. Thankfully, the industry has made massive strides, and today there are opportunities in healthcare IT for people of any gender, sexuality, race, and ethnicity. UPMC is committed to continuing to break down those barriers, offering resources and community support to encourage inclusion in all career areas.
For example, UPMC’s Women in IT employee resource group plays a key role in empowering women in the IT space. With a network of more than 600 participants, their mission is to inspire, empower, and promote female technology career paths at UPMC and in the community.
Fact:
Within IT, you’ll find people in many specialized and distinct roles, which allows for a host of career opportunities and pathways for employees, no matter their skillset or area of interest.
UPMC is proud to be a part of breaking stigmas about careers in Information Technology and our team of unique, diverse, and dynamic IT professionals makes it easy! The truth is that our talented IT employees could choose to work anywhere in the tech industry, but they choose to work at UPMC where our work makes a difference in the lives of our patients.
If you have a passion for innovation and technology and you’d like to use your skills to help others, a career in health care information technology could be a great fit for you – and UPMC could be the right place to put your skills to work.
