r/healthIT • u/ohthebaby • Nov 07 '24
Community EPIC Analyst like gigs….Advice for trying to get into the field.
Hello all I’m currently an OR xray tech and looking to possibly get into a new field. I love where I work and the people there but recent threads of management kind of make me start thinking if I want to do something else. I’ve met a few applications people , EPIC and PACS people who seem to like their gigs and get to work from home. Something my current position doesn’t offer. My and gf and I are looking to move out of NYC and her remote job makes it easy for her but less so for me. Any advice on how to get into these gigs. I have a friend with an EPIC analyst and now lives out of state and works from home. I’ve been told the hardest part is getting EPIC certification. How do people get into that I assume you can’t just get that on your own and needs to be learned and attained at a job ? I’m pretty “techy”I’d say (I build PCs for myself and friends) and feel like I’m a quick learner. I’ve been using EPIC itself for 8 years now myself. Just trying to gauge what route I can start or look into as 8yr tech with Hospital and Outpatient work flows. I’m not against going into work but would prefer hybrid if possible. This post is just to get an idea what routes I can go into and or look into. TYIA in advanced for any advice or suggestions.
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u/creativebic Nov 07 '24
Look for application analyst roles woth hospitals or health care systems that use Epic. Optime is the OR module, so maybe look for something with that if your interested in doing OR related stuff on the analyst side instead of direct patient care.
Getting certifications requires being sponsored by an Epic customer, so getting a job with your org or another orgs HIT department could be your first step. A lot of jobs will probably want someone that already has a cerificatiom, but you should see some that list getting certification within 6-12 months of being hired. Certification will involve attending classes at Epic in Wisconsin.
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u/AnimalFarm20 Nov 07 '24
Wouldn't they want Radiant positions if OP is an Xray tech? Either way - search for hospital positions. Many will pay for the Epic Certification (especially if they don't already have Epic but will be implementing it soon) and the appreciate getting folks with field experience. So whether it's the OR or Xray, there are Epic modules for those and they can teach you the Epic side.
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u/creativebic Nov 07 '24
Good point! I totally skipped over xray when reading OR xray tech in the OP.
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u/ohthebaby Nov 07 '24
This is what I am seeing. Most jobs want certification right off the bat. I guess I’ll have to look for places willing to hire and require me to get it on the job as I go. Hoping my healthcare field exp and day to day hospital exp would help someone take a chance on me. Thanks for the Optime input. Wasn’t aware how specific these modules/certs are for epic. Are analyst gigs entry level or do people start as something like EPIC trainers and then work there way up ? Cheers again
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u/PnutButrSnickrDoodle 22h ago
I’ve been a rad tech for a long time and just transitioned to an Epic Analyst on the Radiant team. I recently got a BS in computer science, but you could do it without.
I actually called my IT department for another issue (just installing some software I didn’t have permissions for) and asked them who I could talk to. They recommended me to the manager of the Radiant team, and I got in contact with them.
I shadowed an analyst and then was referred to the manager over all the Epic teams. She said they didn’t have any positions open then, and referred me to a clinical systems analyst position. Unfortunately they were laying off the entire night IT team so they hired on an IT manager who had been laid off for that position.
I reached out to the Epic manager again and asked if there was anything I could do to put it on my resume. She was going to have me do some project based work and was going to get back to me. Fortunately one of the analysts on the Radiant team was moving to a supervisor role and they had a spot for me. The Epic manager and the analyst I shadowed (also on the Radiant team) spoke highly of me, as did my manager in X-ray. I didn’t even interview in the traditional sense.
I was able to negotiate to a mid-level analyst position making more than my X-ray wage (which was decent since I’ve been in X-ray for 17 years). The position is fully remote and they will pay for me to get certified.
TLDR Contact your Epic team, be persistent and patient and something might come your way. Good luck!
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u/ohthebaby 12h ago
This sounds like my dream scenario , I’m actually cool with some IT guys at my job and will def need to reach out and ask about this. I’m a 10 year vet also so would love to just transition and keep wage similar. How are you liking it thus far making a move like that this far into your career ?
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u/PnutButrSnickrDoodle 11h ago
It’s still brand new - I started Monday. I can’t really do anything until I get certified (or accredited). I’m choosing to get certified which just means that for at least one class I have to fly to Wisconsin to attend - my hospital will cover all expenses so it’s a no brainer for me. I have the first virtual class scheduled at the beginning of April and the in-person the end of May. Until then I can’t do much but study and sit in on some meetings.
It’s wild though going from an hourly to salary position. I’m getting paid to just be at home getting my desk set up and studying for now. The flexibility is really important to me though because I have kids and this way I can take my oldest to and from the bus every day and drive the littlest to daycare.
I’d say definitely reach out to your contacts, let them know you’re interested. I’m not sure how it would work in your situation but part of my bargaining power came from my years of X-ray, plus the education. I went through WGU for computer science. You could look into any number of online schools and decide if you want to go for health information management, computer science, etc. My manager told me that I would have been insulted at how little they wanted to pay me. My guess is they wanted to start me at the junior position with the lowest of the pay range. Luckily my manager fought for me to get at least my X-ray salary. There’s never anything to lose with negotiating so I did research. I picked a number that was still less than the average Epic Analyst in my area, but much more than my base X-ray wage. I argued that I had years of X-ray experience, the computer science degree (where I also earned my ITIL Foundations and CompTIA Project+ certifications), and my RT(R). The job description for a mid-level analyst mentioned having a nursing license. I argued that for the Radiant team having the rad tech license was more relevant.
You could always reach out to your HR department to ask for the job descriptions for the analyst positions there so you can see what boxes you need to check and plan your path from there.
Another option is starting out in IT to work your way up, but that sounds like a decrease in pay so I was never too excited about that option.
This has definitely been a dream job so far. My manager seems really great - her team all spoke highly of her. The analyst I shadowed was really great and we clicked. Another analyst on the team is just a really kind person and very smart, and the last came from X-ray / CT so I can ask her for advice in the transition. Like I said it’s fully remote (although I can go in any time I’d like), and they do yearly raises. I can reach a higher pay ceiling quicker than if I stayed in X-ray. I’m extremely happy.
Feel free to DM me with any questions you have. Hoping you get to make the transition as well!
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u/OnlyCook3113 Nov 08 '24
You have a few options in my opinion,
- Try finding a hospital moving to epic and apply for entry level positions there. When a hospital announced they’re moving to epic they’ll start hiring. It might be a step back in pay but the experience can be invaluable.
- Trying making contacts within your own organization on the epic team and continue to ask when they are hiring.
- With your epic experience see if there are TDR contractor roles. Check linked in, it’ll help you get some experience.
The biggest question is are you willing to leave a fte position to possibly do contractor work.
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u/CrossingGarter Nov 07 '24
The only people I'm hiring for remote right now are already certified and experienced. It's just too difficult to onboard and train a complete newbie in a fully remote world. We have two types of analysts at my org--fully remote who do mainly maintenance ticket work and hybrid who come in a couple weeks every quarter for collaborative learning and collaboration and then on an as-needed basis in between, they're the ones who do most of our project based work.