These are some of the fastest growing jobs in health care

Love health and wellness but loathe the sight of blood? Though we often think of doctors and nurses when it comes to health care, there are many desk jobs that require an interest in health and medicine but not an M.D.

In fact, one up-and-coming area in the health care industry involves a keen understanding of data, coding and medical records, in addition to strong people skills.

Deborah Sek, division director at professional staffing agency Ajilon, says both temporary and permanent positions are growing — fast.

“With health care, with it continuing to evolve and adapt to technology, and with what people need out there, it’s now a combination of the warm and fuzzy side of health care coupled with the technology backup piece,” Sek says.

Any sort of health care bachelor’s degree is a plus, and for some positions, clinical experience and clinical certification — for instance, care managers need to be registered nurses — are crucial when recruiters are looking to hire.

Here are three areas that are staffing up, Sek says.

Care coordinator/care manager
Usually RNs, care coordinators use their nursing training to be able to manage patients’ transitions through their entire care curriculum, says Sek. Coordinators are the people a patient can rely on, and each has a specific discipline, whether it be oncology or gerontology.

Data compliance
This is a tech-intensive and crucial position that involves “analyzing and reviewing documentation and records to ensure compliance with HIPAA [Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act] laws.” This position suits those with a meticulous attention to detail.

Medical billing, coding and collections
Medical coders basically translate a doctor’s orders as accurately as possible into a numeric or alphanumeric code, which then ensures health care providers are paid for their services.

This position requires both hard skills like coding and computer savvy plus the ability to provide one-on-one attention and quality customer service to individuals calling with concerns, Sek says.