Minnesota’s burgeoning healthcare tech scene sparks huge demand for coders

Minnesota is well-known for its robust healthcare tech scene, and now the demand for coders has reached such a high level that the University of Minnesota has launched a coding boot camp. Last year, 98 health technology startups in Minnesota raised $420.28 million, according to an article by Modern Healthcare. A simple job search on Indeed for “medical coding specialist” in Minnesota displays some 450 positions ready to be filled while ZipRecruiter lists over 2,000 available slots for “medical coder.” Companies that are looking for coders include Twin Cities Orthopedics, Health Partners, and Fairview among many others, but more on that later. In order to meet the overwhelming demand for tech talent in Minnesota, including its burgeoning healthcare sector, the University of Minnesota is launching a coding boot camp. Although the boot camp is not aimed specifically at healthcare tech, that’s where you will find the highest demand as evidenced by recruitment within the industry. With demand for skilled web developers at an all-time high, University of Minnesota’s College of Continuing Education will launch a 24-week Coding Boot Camp in November 2017. “Students who complete the program will have the skills they need to develop dynamic end-to-end web applications—and to make a great impression on prospective employers,” the university website reads. The University of Minnesota Coding Boot Camp is offered in collaboration with Trilogy Education Services, a Continuing Education Program Manager (CEPM) that creates and manages skills-based training programs that combine market-driven technical instruction with a deep emphasis on career coaching and employer networking.

“Today, more than ever before, knowing how to code is a form a literacy just like the ability to read and write, said Dan Sommer, Founder and CEO of Trilogy Education Services. “Forward-thinking continuing education programs recognize their essential role in helping train a job-ready workforce with technical skills, and the University of Minnesota College of Continuing Education is at the forefront of this movement.” While the University of Minnesota Coding Boot Camp will help train students to do code across industries, the healthcare sector is where big companies and startups alike are looking to hire. Startups in Minnesota’s healthcare tech sector are receiving serious funding, including $14 million raised by Minneapolis-based Gravie last month. Other leading healthcare startups in Minnesota that are looking for tech workers include Bright Health, who are looking for data scientists, and SherpaHealth, which was created by Element Consulting based on the need to “leverage clinical data to recognize patient risk factors and enable patient interventions with clinicians,” is looking for “Technology Solutions Integration and Migration” positions. With big funding coming in for startups in Minnesota’s healthcare tech sector, the demand for coders is rising tremendously. According to Modern Healthcare, “In Minnesota, about 439,300 people are employed in the healthcare industry.” The University of Minnesota’s Coding Boot Camp is one of way of educating home-grown students to meet that demand, but it still won’t be enough to fill all the thousands positions currently available in healthcare, from well-established corporations to up-and-coming startups that are producing great work everyday in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.