strata IT and healthcare IT tech cert?

gdeusthewhizkid

Hi,

has anyone taken and passed these certs? Is it worth it to get them ?

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Mstavridis

Passed my HIT one. Lots of HIPPA and HI-tech questions that are mixed together with how they relate to technology

gdeusthewhizkid

Mstavridis wrote: »

Passed my HIT one. Lots of HIPPA and HI-tech questions that are mixed together with how they relate to technology

is it highly regarded to employers? Just thinking i may decide to take it...

ptilsen

They have virtually no value. They are at about the level of MTA, which also has virtually no value. I might list on my resume the healthcare one if I had it and applied to healthcare jobs, but I wouldn't pursue it. I wouldn't even put Strata on a resume. No employers are looking for either from what I can find online.

Just get your A+ or Security+. Since you passed Network+ they shouldn't be too tough.

jmasterj206

The healthcare IT Technician is starting to get "some" notice in the healthcare world. I have to take it and I work in a hospital and I know a few other people in healthcare IT have to take it as well. I guess if you are interested in healthcare that 100 bucks might give you a slight edge over other applicants.

cbates

I took the Strata Green certifications because of the whole idea of "Going Green". For those who took the Healthcare IT (Hit-001) what material did you use to study for? I found only one book but did not cover much it was by uCertify ISBN 9781470138523. Healthcare is a growing field once they mix is technology it will get even bigger. I believe this cert could get your foot in the door for an entry level job.

jmasterj206

I have this book coming from Amazon: Amazon.com: CompTIA Healthcare IT Technician HIT-001 Authorized Cert Guide (9780789749291): Joy Dark, Jean Andrews: Books

It was just released.

cbates

Me to! I ordered it and will ship out on 7/10 after reading it and getting a feel for the material, I plan on taking the exam.

ptilsen

Honestly, I think you guys are wasting your time and money. These are less-than-entry-level certifications that really add no value to your resumes. Healthcare IT is really not special. The security and compliance concerns are not fundamentally that different from card payment or financial organizations, and the software, hardware, and networking equipment are largely the same as the rest of the industry. There might be a few special things here and there, but ultimately healthcare industry organizations are looking for mostly the same skill sets as large retailers and financial firms.

Sure, if absolutely everything else is completely and perfectly equal between two candidates, maybe one of these certifications will tip the difference. But such an event is all but impossible. Outside of that, they will never make up for a significant difference between two candidates -- resume quality, likability, experience, skills, valuable certifications, education, various soft skills ,etc.

Even getting past the complete and utter lack of any market value and the apparent lack of a single job ad on the entire Internet asking for either certification, I'll remind everyone that these are less-than-entry-level. A+ is the entry-level cert, and these are a step below that, even by CompTIA's own ridiculous system. No one in this thread has any business getting a less-than-entry-level certification. OP I would hire for entry-level on Net+ alone, and MCP is another plus. The rest of you are way past having any use for new entry-level certifications. Cbates, you could take all of your Comptias off your resume other than Security+ and it would have no impact on your market value or ability to get hired.

I get that there are healthcare jobs, but this just isn't going to help you get one unless you have no certifications -- even then, A+ makes a lot more sense.

Sorry if I'm coming off really harshly on this, but I really hate to see people waste time and money, and I can't see anything less than A+ as anything but a waste of both.

Sam5305

Thank you all. Ptilsen, this is what I have been trying to find out, whether to pursue the healthcare IT cert or security +. Are there any books that you can refer in preparation for studying for the Security + exam (SY0-301)?

gdeusthewhizkid

cbates does have some serious certs.. you must be making six figures with those on your resume...

jmasterj206

Work is paying for mine so I have no expense. Working in Healthcare IT for 8 years there are differences. Not at the help desk, desktop support, or system admin level but as you start supporting Electronic Health Records and dealing with Patient Health Information. When you get into that world it is not as cut and dry as adding a user account to a domain and configuring a few shares. You need to know when you can "break the glass". By no means will this Comptia cert help with those issues, but I don't think a fundamental knowledge would hurt. The bottom line is that it is your money and time.

ptilsen

@Sam, I used Exam Cram and it was just fine, but that was about two years ago. Everyone and their sister recommend Darril Gibson's books, especially for Security+. Five stars on Amazon. From what interaction we've had on TechExams (he is a semi-regular poster here), he definitely seems to know his stuff.

Edit:
@jmaster I don't work in healthcare, so I will ultimately defer to your experience. However, from what I've seen in consulting with a few (yes, only a few) healthcare providers is that EHR and HIPAA and all that are not fundamentally different from PCI-DSS or SOX. Yes, there are some specifics that get to be very different, but the principals are the same and in many cases, hospitals in particular don't take compliance as seriously as financial institutions. An engineer with security certs/training/skills/experience should be able to handle any of those industries after learning the specifics. Obviously no one can fault you since work is paying for it, but my advice to OP is focus on something like A+ or MS or Cisco over a sub-A+ CompTIA.

jmasterj206

I'm not disagreeing with you ptilsen. I probably wouldn't do it if it wasn't paid for. For the general IT person healthcare really isn't different. I am just saying that if a person really, really wants to get into healthcare IT it may not hurt to have a little extra knowledge, but ultimately it is up to them to decide if the expense is worth it.

I wish I didn't have to deal with compliance.

I have to sit in meetings weekly and audit like crazy.

gdeusthewhizkid

ptilsen wrote: »

@Sam, I used Exam Cram and it was just fine, but that was about two years ago. Everyone and their sister recommend Darril Gibson's books, especially for Security+. Five stars on Amazon. From what interaction we've had on TechExams (he is a semi-regular poster here), he definitely seems to know his stuff.

Edit:
@jmaster I don't work in healthcare, so I will ultimately defer to your experience. However, from what I've seen in consulting with a few (yes, only a few) healthcare providers is that EHR and HIPAA and all that are not fundamentally different from PCI-DSS or SOX. Yes, there are some specifics that get to be very different, but the principals are the same and in many cases, hospitals in particular don't take compliance as seriously as financial institutions. An engineer with security certs/training/skills/experience should be able to handle any of those industries after learning the specifics. Obviously no one can fault you since work is paying for it, but my advice to OP is focus on something like A+ or MS or Cisco over a sub-A+ CompTIA.

ive been debating on a+ since I didnt crack a book open for Strata or the MTA's on whether to take the A+ specially 701. Security+ is definately on my radar I know my network skills are pretty entry level but I know i need to shore up my entry level skills and get to that next level. I truly believe I need some training classes for microsoft certs as they are quite difficult.

ptilsen

Did you pass 70-270 on your own, or with training? It's the second most difficult exam I've personally ever taken.

A+ and Security+ should be fairly easy after Net+. Obviously they are very different material for the most part, but my point there is if you can grasp the Net+ concepts the A+ and Sec+ shouldn't be out of your reach.

Sam5305

Thanks Ptilsen!

gdeusthewhizkid

ptilsen wrote: »

Did you pass 70-270 on your own, or with training? It's the second most difficult exam I've personally ever taken.

A+ and Security+ should be fairly easy after Net+. Obviously they are very different material for the most part, but my point there is if you can grasp the Net+ concepts the A+ and Sec+ shouldn't be out of your reach.

self study.. and yes I fear microsoft certs lol.. one of the reason I stopped pursuing certs for a few years I used to be bummed out after studying for months and failing those certs lol..

ptilsen

While I did and do have a lot of server experience to back up my self-study, I've found most of the server exams easy compared to 70-270. I also found Win7 (70-680) to be easier. I'm just saying that you can probably do more than you realize with self-study.

gdeusthewhizkid

ptilsen wrote: »

While I did and do have a lot of server experience to back up my self-study, I've found most of the server exams easy compared to 70-270. I also found Win7 (70-680) to be easier. I'm just saying that you can probably do more than you realize with self-study.

yes im very comfortable with self study probably more than a classroom. you passed 680 also ?

ptilsen

Yeah, I passed 680 by a pretty decent margin on the first try. I'm not saying it was super easy, just that it was much easier than 70-270. Anyway, it still might make more sense to focus on A+ and/or Sec+ before you really delve into the MS stuff.

gdeusthewhizkid

your make a great point sir. Ill definately finish off the comptia stuff before I delve into microsoft.

crashdump

dont't take those exams. They are not for technical folks

Really crap.

CompTIA Strata IT Fundamentals

Candidate job roles may include any of the following in information technology environments: sales associate, sales engineer, account manager, business development manager, product or marketing specialist, or entry level customer support. The Strata IT Fundamentals certification is ideal for individuals and students preparing to enter the IT workforce and professionals changing careers to IT or technology-related fields.

source: CompTIA site

DEC901

Where I am at, the HIT is a sought after cert. In my opinion, these types of certs are demand area driven. I'm chasing my HIT presently!!!

HLRS

strata is below A+

cbates

Took exam and passed today. If you have any questions let me know.