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Mar 2, 2021 1:36:00 PM · by David Kushan

You’ve Been Turned Down for a Job. How Would You Prefer to Receive Feedback?

General, Consulting, Misc., Interviews, David Kushan

It’s always been our organization's policy to call candidates and inform them if they’re no longer under consideration after they’ve interviewed for a position. 

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Oct 6, 2020 9:10:00 AM · by David Kushan

WFH Career Progression

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Misc., David Kushan

If you’re a career-oriented person, can you afford to work from home?

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Sep 21, 2020 1:49:00 PM · by David Kushan

The #1 Way To Make Your Résumé Stand Out

General, Consulting, Resume Tips, Misc., David Kushan

Your résumé is typically the first impression an organization will have of you when you apply for a job.

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Jul 6, 2020 8:40:00 AM · by David Kushan

Your Career Options Will Be Greater Than Ever Before

Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan, consultants

When considering your career or job options, you’ve always put location at the top of your list. That’s because most healthcare IT positions required that the person be on-site every day. 

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Jun 29, 2020 2:49:00 PM · by David Kushan

Focus on What Things Will Become

Consulting, David Kushan, consultants

This is the time to reach out to your industry contacts and truly get a sense of what changes are coming. Be proactive and expand your network, so you can get a variety of perspectives. Many people have been furloughed or laid off. If you haven’t been, you may feel grateful and secure. After all, in today’s world, not being laid off means you have a job because your current employer needs your skills. However, that doesn’t offer you any guarantees for the future, and you should have an understanding of what’s to come.

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Nov 20, 2017 10:59:00 AM · by David Kushan

The Importance of Cultural Fit in Identifying the Right EHR Consultant

Consulting, Corporate Culture

 

When it comes to building out your team — healthcare information technology consultants included — it’s imperative to screen potential team members carefully to ensure they have the level of expertise required to handle the job.

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Jun 28, 2016 8:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Best Practices for Hiring a Healthcare IT Consultant

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Healthcare IT, David Kushan

Figuring out how to best handle IT concerns can be a daunting challenge, especially for healthcare organizations transitioning to a new Electronic Health Records (EHR) system.

Qualified consultants with extensive experience handling these transitions can provide significant help.

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Jan 26, 2016 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Finding Your Next Engagement: Five Firms Working at 10% or One Firm Working at 80%?

Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

If a consulting firm hires salaried employees, they are going to make an effort to have projects available for them when they are nearing their current assignments’ completion. They do this because, in the absence of projects, their employees will become pure expense. This is why many people who are getting into consulting think it is less risky to be a salaried employee of a consulting firm — they will have someone actively looking for their next project.

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Jan 12, 2016 10:53:00 AM · by David Kushan

Common Doubts When Entering Pharmacy IT

General, Consulting, David Kushan

Was there a time when you weren't sure if this was for you?

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Dec 15, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

4 Health IT Consulting Benefits You're Missing As A Permanent Employee

Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

When I'm talking with people about their career options, the subject of consulting frequently enters into the conversation. Many times, they just aren't sure if consulting is for them. In these situations, I try to give them a starting point, in order to determine if it's a path they should explore further.

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Dec 8, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

How To Determine When It May Make Sense To Take a Lower Rate

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

I want to share a conversation I had with a consultant, who, for the sake of this post, we’ll call Bob. Bob asked me for my advice regarding a contract he found on his own.

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Dec 1, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

How To Protect The Integrity Of Your Resume

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Healthcare IS Team

When looking for work, it’s understandable that you want to make sure your resume is getting in front of the right people and you’re not missing out on any good opportunities. However, when working with a recruiting firm, it’s also important to know to whom your resume is going, as well as for what position you’re applying and/or being considered. 

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Nov 17, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Factors Affecting Your Contract End Date

General, Consulting, David Kushan

Anyone who was a contractor or in consulting during the last recession (2008-2009) either had his or her project end early or knows someone who did. When I say end early, I mean end prior to the end date established when the project began.

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Nov 12, 2015 9:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

The Challenge in Starting a Health IT Contract From Home

General, Consulting

Once you've been in the consulting field for a reasonable amount of time, you'll be faced with a client that's in a bind and wants you to start immediately.

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Nov 3, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

The Challenges In Billing For Hours When Working Remote

General, Consulting, David Kushan

When you travel to a client location each week and spend 40 hours on-site, the client sees you there; they have no doubt that you put in your hours for the week. Therefore, they have no problem signing off and approving the hours you put on a weekly timesheet. They may have an issue with the quality of your work or whether you accomplished enough during that time, but that’s a different issue.

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Oct 20, 2015 9:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

How To Have A Smooth Transition From One Contract To The Next

General, Consulting, Industry News, Career Planning

As a contract consultant, every six to 12 months, on average, you’re going to have to transition off of one contract and start another. From time to time, this can be difficult to manage. The challenge can arise when you have 30 days left on your current contract and a new one-year contract becomes available a week or two before your contract ends. It can be difficult to stay two more weeks at your current engagement, knowing that it will soon be over, and having to pass up on a new contract that can secure your income for the next year. So, how do you handle this situation? What can you do ahead of time to make the transition from your current contract as smooth as possible so that you don’t 1) miss out on the new one-year project and 2) do not leave your current client in a bind?

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Sep 22, 2015 9:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

How To Lose Credibility When Negotiating Your Rate

General, Consulting, Career Planning

Whenever we look to bring a contractor onto a project on which we’ve never worked before, we have to discuss compensation. Unfortunately, many new contractors are not prepared to have this conversation. Anyone can discuss what he or she wants to make. What I’m talking about is being able to have that discussion in a professional, credible manner.

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Sep 15, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Get A Contract Or Build A Practice

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

What’s better, a two-year contract or four six-month contracts? Well, it depends. In keeping with what I discussed in a recent post, there are two types of contractor mentalities: The “get a job” consultant (GAJC) will, nine times out of ten, be more attracted to the two-year contract. This person isn’t thinking about a long-term career in consulting; he or she is thinking about a very well paying contract with the convenience of limited travel. If you add the fact that he or she won’t have to be concerned with looking for another contract for up to two years, well, things just couldn’t get much better.

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Sep 10, 2015 9:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Why Your Bench Time is Not a Safety Net

General, Consulting, Career Planning

First, let me clarify what I mean, in the title of this post, by “security.” I’m referring to the money you will have to pay your bills and take care of your family. There are many reasons to join a consulting firm as an employee. Typically, joining a consulting firm due to the perceived security of bench-time pay is not one of them.

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Sep 1, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Will your firm find your next contract?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

In past posts, I've discussed the difference between firms that hire consultants and those that place consultants on a contract basis. There are firms that hire consultants as salaried employees and pay them whether they're working or not (bench time), and firms that bring on consultants and pay them hourly for the term of the project. There are also some firms that do both.

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Aug 4, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Don't Inflate Your Rate to Justify Turning Down a Contract

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

In a previous blog post, How to Price Yourself In Health IT Contracting, we discussed how to calculate the minimum hourly rate you need as a contractor in order to know that you’re making a sound financial decision.

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Jul 27, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Why Join a Consulting Firm?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

As managing partner of a healthcare IT consulting/staff augmentation firm, I’m always having conversations with people who are looking to enter the consulting marketplace.

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Jul 21, 2015 9:30:00 AM · by David Kushan

Healthcare Consulting: What Does 'Bench Time' Mean?

General, Consulting, Career Planning

The term "bench time" refers to the time spent in between engagements as a consultant while working for a consulting firm.

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Jul 14, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Should you contract as a generalist or a specialist?

General, Slideshare, Consulting, Career Planning

In consulting, professionals face a dilemma when it comes to working as a generalist in their field or focusing as a specialist.

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Jul 7, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Why You Cannot Trust Your Contract End Date

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Things change. It’s that simple.

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Jun 16, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Ep 8 - Is the security of a full-time job more of a myth now then it was 40 years ago?

General, Consulting, Healthcare IS Podcast, Interviews

Today we continue our interviews with consultants sharing their perspectives on how and why they got into consulting. I’m really happy to have our guest Kevin Roy, a podiatrist who entered into informatics in 1992 as an associate director of informatics with a hospital in the northeast. He got involved in consulting in 2008. Within the last year he has been working on a project with Healthcare IS, which involved transitioning from one long-term engagement to a project with our firm.

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Jun 9, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Does your firm have an unfavorable expense policy?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

As a consultant, you're going to be traveling weekly. Some of the associated costs can be covered up-front by your firm; other costs you'll have to cover yourself and be reimbursed by your firm. 

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Jun 2, 2015 9:30:00 AM · by David Kushan

How to Evaluate a Career in Health IT Consulting

General, Consulting

In this brief video, I will cover the key points that drive people to consider consulting. 

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May 19, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by Ashley Wetmore

4 Career Advantages of LinkedIn Groups

General, Consulting, Networking

LinkedIn Ranking

When you belong to a LinkedIn Group and participate on a regular basis, your profile views are going to increase. As a result, your ranking score is going to rise above the scores of others in your network who are searching for the same contracts.

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May 14, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Who is helping you find your next Healthcare IT project?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Networking, David Kushan

When you are considering taking a contract, many people know to consider the following:

  • Is the project a good fit to your skill set?
  • How will you fit in culturally with the group at the hospital?
  • How much will the position pay?
  • What is the expense reimbursement policy?
  • What will the travel be like? How long will it take in travel time to get to the client site each week? 
  • How often will you be required to travel to the client site? 
  • Will they have flexibility if it is necessary for you to work from home occasionally?
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May 7, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Consider a Career In Consulting If You Want To Become A Specialist

Consulting, David Kushan

As a pharmacy IT or pharmacy informatics professional, your primary focus is to participate on projects that have to do with enhancing the operation of your organization's pharmacy software, automation, and technology. As you work in this setting for a while, you'll gain exposure to a number of different projects, such as implementing a pharmacy system, CPOE, barcode administration, medication reconciliation, to name just a few.

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Apr 30, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

If You Like Working Project To Project Instead Of Support

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

As part of their day-to-day job descriptions, hospital IT employees typically have a number of different responsibilities. Most of those responsibilities can be filed in one of two categories: “new project implementation” or “support-type functions.” If you prefer one area over another, you probably can’t image how anyone could like the other area. Many people like the “new project” side because of the satisfaction they get from beginning something new, having a timeline to follow, and seeing a fresh solution implemented within their organization. People who like the “support side” derive satisfaction from working on an immediate problem-fix as well as being a go-to person who keeps things running smoothly. Some people like the variety of having a long-term project on which to focus while, at the same time, dealing with support issues that allow them to have a day-to-day sense of immediate accomplishment. Either way, there’s a multitude of variations out there to keep team members challenged.

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Apr 23, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

You Want Security, But You're Not Willing to Work for It

General, Consulting, Career Planning

What do I mean by this title? What I mean is this:

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Apr 16, 2015 9:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Do you like travel and variety in your work?

General, Consulting, Career Planning

Most people don’t like change. At the same time, most people don’t like to perform the same mundane tasks day after day, week after week. This paradox can be challenging for the pharmacy IT/pharmacy informatics professional, or for any professional for that matter. 

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Apr 7, 2015 9:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

What makes a non-compete clause reasonable?

General, Slideshare, Consulting

When you join a consulting firm you may be asked to sign pre-employment documents. You'll receive the standard forms, such as W-4, I-9, etc.

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Apr 2, 2015 9:30:00 AM · by David Kushan

Getting Into Healthcare IT Contracting

General, Consulting

If you’re looking to get into consulting as a contractor (someone who gets paid an hourly rate while on projects but is not paid in between), then you have to understand the difference between getting your first contract and getting every other contract after that.

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Apr 2, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Is your Job Description Realistic for the Job Market?

Consulting, Career Planning, Healthcare IS Team

Our firm focuses on pharmacy informatics. It’s a tight niche with a very specific skill set. Our clients are seeking a pharmacist with extensive experience implementing and using their pharmacy IT software. They will send us a very detailed job description that lists bullet point after bullet point of skills and experience for which they’re looking. In many ways, it’s helpful to have a detailed understanding of what they want. However, oftentimes this will hinder the search internally. 

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Mar 26, 2015 9:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Does the firm you are with have a terrible travel schedule?

General, Consulting, Tips for Traveling Consultants, Career Planning

There are people who work for a consulting firm who come to the conclusion that consulting is not for them. This is understandable. What’s unfortunate is when they feel that consulting is not for them when, in fact, the consulting firm they work for is not the right firm for them.

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Mar 3, 2015 9:00:00 AM · by Ashley Wetmore

How To: Cash in as a Traveling Consultant

General, Consulting, Tips for Traveling Consultants

In a past post by Allison Harrison, Things That Every Consultant Should Have, she recommends that every consultant hold a designated credit card for expenses incurred on the job.

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Feb 5, 2015 12:00:00 AM · by Dave Wolfe

Maintaining Disparate Systems - CDM-PDM Synchronization

General, Consulting, Industry News, Dave Wolfe

This blog is the third in a series on "Maintaining Disparate Systems." To ensure appropriate pharmacy medication billing, it's imperative that the Charge Description Master (CDM) and Pharmacy Drug Master (PDM) are in sync. The CDM, described as the backbone of the hospital’s revenue cycle, is the key database from which all patient bills are generated.

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Jan 20, 2015 9:30:00 AM · by David Kushan

The Important Question Many Managers Fail To Ask

General, Consulting, Hiring

This will be a short post, because its point doesn’t require a lot of elaboration. So, let me quickly tell you this story and get to the point.

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Jan 15, 2015 9:30:00 AM · by David Kushan

What Three Things Will Put An End To Your Contract Consulting Career In The Healthcare IT Industry?

General, Consulting, Career Planning


In the 15 years Healthcare IS has been in staffing and recruiting for the health information technology industry, we have found three key points that can terminate a successful career.

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Jan 13, 2015 9:30:00 AM · by Ashley Wetmore

Structures of Compensation in Independent Contracting

General, Consulting

There are many questions to ask when you first learn about consulting. The most frequent and urgent question is usually, “How will I be paid?”

There are multiple ways to structure compensation

 when moving into independent consulting.

In this presentation we pin point 4 structures of compensation and how they work best in different situations.

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Dec 29, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

4 Main Compensation Options for Health IT Consultants

General, Consulting, Career Planning

Compensation Classification

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Dec 23, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Ashley Wetmore

Health IT Contracting is a Business of People

General, Consulting, Tips for Traveling Consultants, Networking

In Pharmacy Informatics consulting, regardless of your implementation experience, if no one knows what you’re capable of, you might as well be invisible. It’s important to be known and trusted for your skills by securing your place on shortlists and learning how to manage your relationships in ways that gain loyalty and respect.

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Dec 11, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

How to Calculate Your Rate as an Independent Health IT Contractor

General, Slideshare, Consulting, Career Planning

When transitioning from permanent employment to contract consulting in healthcare IT you need to understand how to price yourself so that you are making a sound financial decision.

In our previous SlideShare presentation we outlined three crucial mistakes that can lead to a short career in contracting, the very first being pricing and budgeting. In this post we hope to address the issue of how to calculate your rate while considering every aspect of working independently.

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Dec 9, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Top Incentives for Independent Consulting In Healthcare IT

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Healthcare IS Podcast, Interviews

This is our second podcast in a series about working as a consultant in the healthcare IT industry and talking about the differences between working for a consulting firm and being an independent consultant. Our guest today is Jerry Queen. Jerry comes from the health insurance payer side of healthcare; many of our guests in the past have been on the hospital provider side. He has 25 total years of experience working in the payer IT space with three different health plans, 11 of those years in consulting. He primarily provides his expertise in operational management, configuration management, system integration and operational leadership for payers in the IT area.

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Dec 3, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Don't Fail To Do Your Pre-Interview Homework

Consulting, Career Planning, Interviews, Healthcare IS Team

If you fail to do the three things listed below prior to an interview, chances are you’ll not be offered the job. 

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Dec 2, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Ep 3 - Can a retail pharmacist transition to a hospital and bring any value in an informatics pharmacist role?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Healthcare IS Podcast, Interviews, David Kushan

David Stansbury gives his insight in this month’s Healthcare IS podcast. Listen in and hear David’s experience in working as a pharmacist in IT, making transitions and what he’s observed in the last 30 years of his experience.

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Nov 26, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

How to Rank Your Job Satisfaction

Consulting, Career Planning, Healthcare IS Team

When it comes to making a career move, everyone’s motivation is different.

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Nov 19, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Are you a consultant or a long term temp employee?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

At the most basic level, the definition of a consultant is "a person who provides expert advice professionally."

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Nov 18, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Ep 2 - Healthcare IS Speaks with Jerry Fahrni on Pharmacy IT

General, Consulting, Healthcare IS Podcast, Interviews, David Kushan

Take a moment to hear Jerry Fahrni tell his story of experience in Pharmacy IT. He tells us how he came to be in the field of Health IT, what challenges he worked through and observed and what advice he would share with someone looking to break into Pharmacy IT. You can also follow Jerry’s Blog at www.JerryFahrni.com.

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Nov 13, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

What Does Your Firm Represent?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

As an independent contractor whose current project is coming to an end, you're going to be talking with staffing firms about projects they have coming up for which you may be a good fit. If a particular project sounds like a good fit, the firm with which you’re talking will present you to the client. At that point, whether you’re their W-2 employee or a Corp-to-Corp, you’re being represented by that company. As far as the client is concerned, you’re part of the organization that’s representing you.

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Nov 11, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Should Your Contract Cancellation Clause Be Based On Hours?

Consulting, David Kushan

Unfortunately, some of the lessons you learn in the contracting business are learned the hard way. The hard way generally means that you were dealing with someone who took advantage of a situation that caused you some major inconvenience. Once these situations occur, of course, you do what you can to prevent them from happening again.

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Nov 6, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Where To Get Your Contracts And What To Avoid

General, Consulting, David Kushan

If you’re considering getting into consulting as a contractor, you obviously have to be prepared to get new contracts. Depending on the length of the projects you’re on, you may look for new contracts from one to three times a year on average. Unless you’ve built your own client base, you’re going to, most likely, make yourself available for projects through a firm that specializes in finding engagements that require people with your background.

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Nov 5, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Challenges In Breaking Away From Your Consulting Firm To Go Into Contracting

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Breaking Away From Your Firm

When you're an employee of a consulting firm and you're thinking about getting into contracting, one of the challenges you'll face is being able to break away from that firm in a smooth manner.

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Oct 30, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Should you Explore a Career as a Health IT Consultant?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Very often when I am talking with people about their career options the thought of consulting enters into the conversation. Many times, people just aren't sure if consulting is for them. In these situations, I try to give them a starting point in order to determine if consulting is a path they should explore further.

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Oct 28, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

How to Price Yourself In Health IT Contracting

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Today's topic concerns something I'm asked quite often. When speaking to people who are working at a hospital and are thinking about getting into contracting, I'm commonly asked, “How do you price yourself in terms of the hourly rate you should be earning?”

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Oct 23, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

4 Main Reasons People Turn to Consulting

Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Over the years, we’ve followed four main trends in a professional’s decision to transition from a career as a salaried employee to the lifestyle of an independent consultant. Consultants typically work at a higher rate due to the requirements involved, but also because of their scarcity. In order to work successfully as a contract consultant you need to fully understand what motivates you as a professional and what you can take away personally from this career option.

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Oct 16, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Contracting as a Generalist or Specialist

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

When you’re in consulting, you’re offering your knowledge and skills as a service to organizations in need of that specific expertise.

Contractors frequently express that their #1 fear is not being able to find their next contract. It’s only natural for people dealing with that concern to look for ways to acquire as many skills as possible, in the hope of casting a broad net over contracts for which they can apply.

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Oct 15, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

What Kind Of Contractor Are You?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

What I’ve found, over the years, is that there are two types of contractors: “Get a Job” Contractor (GAJC) & “Build a Practice Contractor (BAPC).

“Get a Job” Contractor

When this type of contractor is looking for their next contract, dollar amount and travel convenience are their top priorities. The more money being paid and the less travel required, the better. This person gives little thought to the type of work or project. They fail to consider how this project will either increase or decrease their marketability for the next project. 

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Oct 14, 2014 9:30:00 AM · by David Kushan

Are You Job Oriented or Career Oriented?

General, Consulting, Career Planning

What’s the difference? If someone is "Career Oriented," they have an idea as to what type of position they want to be in down the road (timeframe can vary) and have an idea as to what they need to learn or accomplish in order to be qualified for that position. A "Job Oriented" person is someone who focuses more on their satisfaction with the job they are in today AND for the most part will not consider another job unless they become dissatisfied with their current position.

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Oct 8, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Use Your Time Providing Services to Secure Your Future

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

When evaluating taking a contract, many people will take into consideration the following:

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Oct 7, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

How Your Limitations Determine Your Salary

Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Things are hot in the Healthcare IT marketplace today. As a result, many people I speak with think they need to leverage this demand and attempt to increase their compensation while the going is good. So, how do you make the most of this hot market? Can you just walk into your manager’s office and tell them how much demand there is for your skills and request, or demand, an increase in salary? I guess you could, but what if your manager says, “I would love to increase your salary, but we just don’t have it in the budget.”

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Oct 1, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

One Way to Guarantee Credibility as a Consultant

General, Consulting, Hiring, Corporate Culture, David Kushan

In this post, I want to discuss how to gain credibility with a hiring manager at the conclusion of an interview. 

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Sep 30, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Projecting Demand For Your Skills

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Corporate Culture, David Kushan

When looking to get into a new marketplace in which you think there will be high demand, you'll want to consider a few factors:

• How difficult will it be to break into the new market?

• How long will demand last?

• Will you be better off than if you were to remain in your current market?

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Sep 25, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Three Main Points to the Evolution of the Consultant

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

After consultants have been with a firm for about two to three years, most will stop for the first time and evaluate where they are in regard to their ability to continue traveling on a weekly basis. Put another way, if a consultant is going to burn out on constant traveling, this is typically when it will occur.

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Sep 24, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Ashley Wetmore

How To Prepare For A Hard Interview

General, Consulting, Tips for Traveling Consultants, Career Planning

7 Hard Hitting Interview Questions for Consultants

A while back we turned to Twitter & Facebook and asked our followers to share with us their worst interview questions. We ended up some pretty funny responses. When it comes down to it, we've all had some ridiculous interview questions thrown our way. What helps us to address these odd ball topics and hard hitting questions is simple. Preparation. In an attempt to share what we know here  at Healthcare IS we put together the following questions that we come across and advice on how to thoughtfully answer them.

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Sep 23, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Changing Your Healthcare IT Sellable Skill Set

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

As a consultant, you need to know your sellable skill set, or knowledge base. Just as importantly, you have to be able to package yourself in a way that the people who are buying your services will be comfortable engaging you.

I decided to write this particular post as a result of being asked the same question by several consultants over the last two years.

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Sep 17, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

What About the Second Contract?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Frequently, people looking to get into contracting don’t have a true understanding of what the Health IT marketplace has to offer in terms of money and required travel. It’s very important to have a realistic understanding of these two criteria in order to work consistently. What I see often is someone waiting to leave their full-time job for a contract that will meet their terms. On the surface, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with this. In fact, it’s exactly what you should do.

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Sep 16, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Time Kills All Deals

General, Consulting, Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

From a recruiter’s standpoint, a delay in the hiring process is the most common factor preventing a successful hire. A delay can range from too much time between interviews, to a postponement in making an offer, to putting a position “on hold.” Below are a few things to avoid during the hiring process.

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Sep 3, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Is a longer contract always better?

General, Consulting, Corporate Culture, David Kushan

Consultants who work primarily on a contract basis know that there will come a time when their “job” will come to an end, and they’ll have to look for a new one. Even though there are many benefits to contracting, this is the one aspect to which contractors do not look forward.

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Aug 21, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

3 Things Contractors Do Wrong That Lead to Short Contracting Careers

Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Many people get into contracting for different reasons.  Some of those reasons I discussed in a previous post titled Guide to Successfully Working as a Consultant in the Healthcare IT Industry

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Aug 14, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

3 Ways To Work As A Successful Contractor

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Networking, David Kushan

Contracting can be a bit tricky.  You need to keep your current client happy, be on the lookout for your next engagement, while at the same time making sure you attain or maintain a skill set and knowledge base that will continually keep you marketable.

I have been talking with many consultants who work for consulting firms that are thinking about becoming a contractor.  It's natural for people who are considering this change to have some apprehension.  Because of this I wanted to take a minute to highlight the 3 common characteristics I see in successful contractors.

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Aug 6, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Do Salary Expectations Get in the Way of the Right Career Decision?

General, Consulting, Interviews, Healthcare IS Team

There are a handful of factors that motivate people to make a job change. In my experience, it's not just one of these factors that prompts someone to start looking, but a few combined. In the end, though, the focus tends to come down to just one thing: money.

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Jul 16, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

When Taking Less Money Makes More Sense

Consulting, Career Planning, Healthcare IS Team

Most the time, when discussing salary and/or hourly rate, people state an amount that they desire to make, accompanied by what they're currently making - adding that they would not want to go below that. Certainly, this makes sense. But are there exceptions to this rule? Are there times when taking less money may make more sense?

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Jul 15, 2014 9:30:00 AM · by David Kushan

Reasonable Non-Compete Clauses in Healthcare IT

General, Consulting, Career Planning

When you join a consulting firm you may be asked to sign pre-employment documents. You’ll receive the standard forms, such as W-4, I-9, etc.

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Jun 26, 2014 8:33:00 AM · by Ashley Wetmore

How Can You Increase Your Compensation In Health IT?

General, Slideshare, Consulting

Can you just walk into your manager's office and tell them how much demand there is for your skills and request, or demand, an increase in salary? I guess you could, but what if your manager says, "I would love to increase your salary, but we just don’t have it in the budget."

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Jun 17, 2014 4:28:00 PM · by David Kushan

Does Your Consulting Firm Have an Unfavorable Bonus Schedule?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Many people who get into pharmacy informatics/pharmacy IT consulting are motivated by the additional income they can earn. However, there's one factor that keeps many more from transitioning into the market space: the required travel. In fact, the travel makes demand for qualified people that much greater. Still, most people probably wouldn't do the required travel without some additional financial incentive.

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Jun 3, 2014 10:29:00 AM · by David Kushan

Will extended bench time affect your future pharmacy IT marketability?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

When a pharmacy IT or pharmacy informatics professional is looking to get into consulting, they’ll realize that they have essentially two options: They can work as an employee of a consulting firm or as an independent contractor. Without going into the details of each here (for more information on both, download our free eBook), many people choose to join a consulting firm because of the paid bench time. The advantage of having their salary paid while they’re between projects is perceived as a big benefit. Make sure that you have a solid understanding of bench time first.

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May 21, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

How much do you trust your staffing firm?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Healthcare IS Team

I realize a lot of companies have had bad experiences with staffing firms, and I am not asking the above question to prompt memories of being burned one way or another. I am asking more to find out if you have enough faith in the firm you are working with to allow them to make your life easier.

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May 20, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

What Is Your Professional Touch Plan?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Healthcare IS Team

How often do you speak with, or get together with, a friend? How about an old colleague? A previous boss? A recruiter with whom you've worked?

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May 6, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Karl Dinse

Do You Really Want That Job?

General, Consulting, Career Planning

When following up on an interview, what's your strategy? If the opportunity is your dream job and there's heavy competition, what are you doing so that you'll stand above the competition? Many years ago, I learned a technique that, when put to use, has resulted in many job offers for candidates. It's called "the job description close" and here's a brief description . . .

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Apr 29, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Things That Every Consultant Should Have

Consulting, Tips for Traveling Consultants, Healthcare IS Team

Although there are many things that will make the life of a traveling consultant easier, I think there a few that qualify as must-haves for anyone who travels for work on a weekly basis. 

These may seem like common sense to most, but you’d be surprised by how many people with whom I speak who are not equipped with these tools designed to make travel more seamless. 

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Apr 16, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Do you understand the importance of a phone interview in the contract world?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

One of the main differences between contract placement and permanent placement is the speed of which the contract world moves. 

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Mar 27, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Hiring On a Contract-To-Hire Basis

General, Consulting, Hiring, David Kushan

Some companies prefer filling positions on a contract-to-hire basis. These are full-time positions within an organization, but rather than hiring someone straight into the role, the company opts to hire the candidate on a contract basis first. Then, if things go well, the company converts the person to FTE (full-time employee) status.  

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Mar 25, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Ep 4 - What Are the Advantages and Disadvantages for an IT Pharmacist Working in either the IT Department or the Pharmacy?

General, Consulting, Healthcare IS Podcast, Interviews, David Kushan

That’s just one of many questions we addressed with Ron Burnett in our latest Healthcare IS Podcast. Ron has been a practicing pharmacist for the last 29 years. Primarily working in hospital pharmacy practice, he has also done work in home infusion and the retail space. With 14 of those 29 years spent in the informatics space, Ron comes with immense insights from all angles of practicing pharmacy and our country’s implementation of informatics in hospitals.

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Feb 27, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Getting Into Consulting Requires A New Mindset

General, Consulting, David Kushan

Most people who get into Healthcare IT consulting come from a career spent, primarily, in hospital IT or informatics departments. By the time they seriously explore such a career move, they have five-plus years of industry experience and have worked for multiple organizations. 

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Feb 19, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Establish a Relationship With a Recruiting Firm Before You Need It

General, Consulting, Healthcare IS Team

More often than not, losing your job comes as a complete surprise. In my experience, when people get news of their termination or a contract ending early, they find themselves in an uncomfortable position - hit with a sense of urgency to find something new. 

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Feb 18, 2014 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Struggles in Transferring Into Pharmacy IT - Reasons It May Not Be for You

General, Consulting

Recently we interviewed 7 pharmacist who trasitioned into pharmacy IT. All of the seven pharmacists we interviewed for career-transition insights felt as though they’d made a good decision. Obviously, though, not every pharmacist who makes this career transition ends up feeling like it was a great move. We did not speak with any pharmacists who transitioned into IT/informatics and felt like they’d made a bad move, but the group with which we spoke has seen a number of pharmacists come and go. As a result, we felt they could also provide insight into aspects of the profession that caused their colleagues to leave.

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Dec 17, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Why Your Rate Will Drop During a Recession - and Are You Prepared for It?

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

I tell contractors that when the next recession comes around (and it will), the rate they’re able to charge for their work will likely drop. Most of them understand why. During a recession, there’s less work. When there’s less work (i.e. less demand) with the same number of consultants looking for projects (i.e. same supply), contractors are likely to see the amount they can charge go down.

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Nov 19, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

3 Things That Will Get Your Voicemail Immediately Deleted

Consulting, Career Planning, Interviews, Healthcare IS Team

When leaving a professional voicemail — or any other voicemail, for that matter — you should take a few things into consideration if you want the call to be returned:

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Nov 7, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Healthcare IS Team

Should you bring on a consultant as an interim employee while you look for FTE?

Consulting, Hiring, Healthcare IS Team

Although we are primarily a contract staffing firm, our clients often have needs for a full time employee to fill a permanent position. And although this is not a focus of our firm, we can certainly fill these positions as well. But first we ask, "have you considered bringing on a consultant while you look to find the permanent employee?"

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Oct 24, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

You Cannot Be Vague With Your Job Descriptions and Specific In Your Screening Process

General, Consulting, Career Planning, David Kushan

Most candidates who have more than ten years of professional experience cannot list all of that experience, not to mention their associated accomplishments, in the concise format of a professional résumé.

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Oct 10, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by David Kushan

Ep 10 - Securing the Second Contract

General, Consulting, Healthcare IS Podcast

Every contractor has his or her dream contract envisioned, usually before they even begin consulting. In today’s podcast, Managing Partner David Kushan examines the perfect contract — what happens when it’s found and what it means when the second contract needs to be secured.

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Sep 4, 2013 4:26:00 PM · by David Kushan

Slideshare - How to categorize your interview questions

General, Slideshare, Consulting, Career Planning, Interviews

If you experience high levels of anxiety when facing a job interview you are among 92% of the U.S. adult population.

Only 7% of the adult population surveyed claimed to have nothing to fear when it comes to interviewing. 

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Feb 26, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Ashley Wetmore

GateGuru For Traveling Healthcare IT Consultants

General, Consulting, Tips for Traveling Consultants

Imagine this familiar feeling.  You’re in a new city and a new airport.  You know you have an hour to kill before your flight begins boarding.  The rows of black chairs are filled with only awkward spaces left between wayward travelers.  

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Feb 5, 2013 12:00:00 AM · by Ashley Wetmore

Time And Expense Apps That Can Save Consultants A Headache

General, Consulting, Tips for Traveling Consultants, Industry News

As a traveling consultant, your job description contains more duties more than just your Health IT project. Working independently or for a firm means that you need to be tracking your own hours and recording your own expenses. Finding a rhythm to staying organized takes time, but with these helpful apps you may find that tracking, and exporting a time and expense report, may be as simple as a few taps on your phone or tablet.

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Nov 26, 2012 11:02:00 PM · by David Kushan

Will Travel Requirement Trends Lead To More Healthcare IT Consultants?

Consulting, Hiring, Corporate Culture, David Kushan

Once Health IT employees gain a certain level of experience working at a hospital, they have the option to consider working as consultants. As Health IT consultants, they would have the ability to increase their income by 25-70%, depending on their specific skills and the type employment or contracting relationship they put in place. Now, I understand that money isn’t everything, but it’s a motivator for many people who get into consulting. However, what keeps most people from getting into consulting is the amount of travel required.

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Aug 1, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by Ashley Wetmore

Top 5 Reasons to Blog About Health IT

General, Consulting, Tips for Traveling Consultants, Resume Tips, Career Planning, Hiring

The concept of blogging is nothing new but as the application process turns digital and fewer and fewer paper resumes are passed around.. One thing is for sure, taking advantage of the electronic era can only further your candidacy for the job you want.

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