A survey found that 43 percent of consultants working in the health IT realm were “very satisfied” with their jobs, while a meager 19 percent of full-time health IT workers felt the same way.
The survey, conducted by Healthcare IT Leaders and called HIT Workforce Engagement Trends, also found that on the reverse end of that question, a mere 2 percent of consultants were “very dissatisfied” compared to 12 percent of full-time health IT workers who said the same.
It’s not that surprising why: Consultants make more than the average HIT professional. Forty percent of consultants said they were very satisfied with their current pay, while 18 percent of full-time health IT workers said the same. Conversely, 28 percent of full-time workers said they were either somewhat or very dissatisfied with pay, compared to 12 percent of consultants who felt the same way. But both groups said better pay would be the number one factor in pursuing new work or changing jobs.
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The one area where full-time HIT workers fared better, not surprisingly, is in satisfaction with benefits — 13 percent of consultants were very dissatisfied with benefits, compared to 3 percent of full-timers who said the same. Of course, most consultants are independent contractors, so far fewer receive any benefits at all.
The two groups are closely aligned on how challenging they find their work — 54 percent of each group said they are “extremely challenging” or “very challenging.” Similarly, both groups found their work meaningful, although consultants had a slight edge.
“Healthcare IT can have a profound impact on patients’ lives and outcomes, and our respondents seemed to grasp the critical importance of their roles,” the report said. Only 1 percent of HIT professionals overall said their jobs were “not at all meaningful.”
Pay was the number one reason that both full-timers and consultants might consider a change in jobs, followed by opportunities for advancement. Interestingly, 44 percent of full-timers said work-life balance is important, but that wasn’t even a top five consideration for consultants, the study said.
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The survey, conducted in May this year, collected 446 valid and completed responses from healthcare IT professionals, including 198 who were self-identified as permanent IT employees with a healthcare industry employer. Another 248 were self-identified as IT consultants with healthcare clients.
