Quick certs to spice up resume for Epic application analyst job

[Life Long Learning]

The PMP seems to have a great universal following and used in many careers. It will cost you $$$.

[Life Long Learning]

I would goggle healthcare leaders on LinkedIn. See what CERTs they have. Healthcare is a broad area. What sub-field in healthcare? Logistics, IT, emergency management, healthcare admim, healthcare leaders, medical support, HR, etc. LEAN Six sigma is getting bigger in Healthcare. Going green or black belt would not be bad.

I'm not familiar with healthcare IT, but in general...

Certifications rule in IT, however on the development side companies are usually more concerned with your portfolio. Do you have any projects you have worked on that you can put on github or provide code samples for?

[TrailRunr]

That makes sense. I just don't know if my 2-hour Nursing Informatics course in my BSN is going to cut it, and I don't have the time to try to take an actual college course before the interview process begins.

Look into passing the Project+ if the hiring manager is anal about having project management knowledge. You may be able to do that quickly without having PM experience.

[rebel100]

I definitely like the project management angle...

[dmjacobsen]

Look into passing the Project+ if the hiring manager is anal about having project management knowledge. You may be able to do that quickly without having PM experience.

That may be an option to look into. The only thing I don't like about it, though, is that it's a certification without experience. I like certifications that validate experience, and not necessarily certs that are crammed for. That's why CompTIA's certifications lost a lot of value in the early 00s, because so many people with zero experience were going to CompTIA "boot camps", cramming for the exam, and then coming out with a piece of paper that validated that they could pass an exam, but not much else.

I don't disagree that it could be done, and it may look good at first glance on a resume, but would it actually hold up in the interview process? I'm genuinely asking -- I have no idea.

I would goggle healthcare leaders on LinkedIn. See what CERTs they have.

I didn't even think about this. I always forget that LinkedIn is a gold mine for this kind of stuff.

Edit: Turns out, this was maybe the best advice of all. Looks like a lot of people went into this position straight from a clinical position with no IS/IT background or credentials. I think I'll just submit my application as-is and bring up my technical experience in the interview. I'll still brush up on project management/Six Sigma to give me a little edge over the other applicants. Thanks all!

[TrailRunr]

That may be an option to look into. The only thing I don't like about it, though, is that it's a certification without experience. I like certifications that validate experience, and not necessarily certs that are crammed for. That's why CompTIA's certifications lost a lot of value in the early 00s, because so many people with zero experience were going to CompTIA "boot camps", cramming for the exam, and then coming out with a piece of paper that validated that they could pass an exam, but not much else.

I don't disagree that it could be done, and it may look good at first glance on a resume, but would it actually hold up in the interview process? I'm genuinely asking -- I have no idea.

Yeah, I think comptia certs are worthless to everyone except those entering helpdesk jobs. I'm not sure you could tell that I'm very lukewarm about certs in general (both IT and non-IT) and I generally think they're a waste of time and money for most. HR won't care. Maybe your future boss wants some validation of potential PM ability (does she have a PMP?). Lots of people do fine with no certs and no degrees. In your case, you just need to rock the interview and pass the Epic "entrance exam".

One of the non-employee senior consultants I work with on Epic has multiple Epic certifications, a MBA from an Ivy league, and a PMP. I think the PMP is useful down the line if you're going for management or consulting. The market for Epic related consulting has gone down quite a bit since the early ACA days, so be careful if you eventually think about leaving the hospital.

[dmjacobsen]

Just a quick update -- I got the job offer and it came with a pretty decent raise. I'm 99% sure I'm going to take it, but will have to talk it over with the wife because I'd have to travel 3 or 4 times to Epic HQ in Wisconsin for about a week at a time to get Epic certified.

[rebel100]

Congrats,..........