So you’re looking for an amazing health IT consultant. You’re not alone. With more than half of IT employers adding temporary or contract workers this year and the ICD-10 deadline looming, the competition to find great health IT consultants is fierce.

It makes sense, as health IT consultants must have specialized skills, a thorough understanding of what it takes to work in a hospital setting and knowledge of the health IT industry. Plus, they must firmly grasp technology, in a different way than the rest of the workforce.

“As companies rely more on technology to inform business decisions, enhance services and stay competitive, they need employees with the skills to navigate the increasingly complex technologies that are developing,” said CareerBuilder CTO Eric Presley in CareerBuilder’s 2015 IT Forecast.

So how do you find the right Health IT consultant for your practice? What qualities should you look for?

Here’s what we look for at Healthcare IT Leaders – these qualities are what separate the average consultants from the ones who can drive your Health IT initiatives and boost your efficiency, profitability, and innovation. Get ready to empower your healthcare workforce with the best possible workers for the job.

Flexibility

Great health IT consultants know that technology is sometimes temperamental. And they’re ready to roll up their sleeves and roll with the punches if go-live deadlines are moved up or pushed back, health IT legislation changes or additional software needs updating in the middle of a contract. The most flexible consultants can easily adapt to new projects, work cultures and colleagues.

Self-confidence

Sometimes what separates one consultant from the next is confidence, which is critical when he or she has to explain complex systems and updates to a hospital CIO unfamiliar with a specific IT process. That boost of confidence will help if a consultant has to deliver bad news in a good way, especially for a sensitive issue.

Team player

Since health IT contracts are usually six to twelve months long, health IT consultants are often dropped in the middle of new teams – and need to learn the group dynamic fast. A great health IT consultant understands how to communicate to introverts, extroverts and everyone in between, and can manage up if he or she has more than boss.

Discipline

Consultants have to plan their travel, keep large projects moving on schedule, and know when to buckle down and work hard. They have to stay on top of their certifications and any training, and they must know where to turn to solve problems. Great health IT consultants are disciplined enough to stay up to date on job-related knowledge and work smart to get the job done.

Plain language

Programming and coding have their own languages, and none of those are easy to understand if you’re not well-versed in them. Great health IT consultants know how to simplify complex problems with plain language that anyone in a hospital’s hierarchy can understand.