Careers of the Northland

Healthcare is among the region’s top employers, but many are unaware of just how broad its demand is.

One reason is a lack of familiarity. Everyone knows about doctors and nurses. If you’ve had a broken bone, you may know about X-rays and imaging. But you probably don’t think about how all of that information is now stored in computers and how that massive amount of data is managed, shared and maintained.

One of Clay County’s largest employers – Cerner – is an international leader in just that: healthcare IT. Cerner operates three campuses in the Kansas City area employing thousands of people in a huge range of fields.

And that’s just one healthcare “niche.” Other growing areas with a local footprint include infant care and the growing field of senior care. In many of these areas, qualified workers are in serious demand.

Again using healthcare IT as an example, that field is projected to grow at 13.5 percent in the near future. That’s not surprising considering how much reform and modernization requires technology.

But even that’s only the beginning. Careers ranging from medical billing, transcribing, coding, pharmacy technology and much more are also on the rise. Most of these require relatively short training for certification.

Perhaps most dramatically, the extent of this industry is enormous. Though often overlooked, healthcare is one of Great Kansas City’s top employers and the locations for employment grow constantly. The Northland is blessed with outstanding hospitals, all of which obviously employ healthcare personnel. However, the growing list of urgent care centers, clinics and outpatient services are also increasing demand.