BY JENNIFER JENSEN

Technology is now integral to every clinical practice, just like communication. The two are inseparable — and for the clinician of today and tomorrow, digital literacy is not a supplementary skill to develop at some point in the future. It is a present-day professional competency that directly affects patient safety, care quality and career trajectory.

Digital tools touch every dimension of care delivery: clinical documentation, decision support, care coordination, patient communication, remote monitoring, scheduling, quality measurement and population health management. AI is accelerating this integration through intelligent summarization, predictive analytics, ambient clinical documentation and operational automation.

Organizations are increasingly designing workflows, staffing models and leadership pipelines around clinicians who can confidently engage with these technologies. That does not diminish the baseline real-world clinical competencies physicians and allied health professionals need. If anything, the stakes are higher: technology will magnify the incompetencies that exist.

In a competitive market, the ability to speak fluently about both the promise and the responsible limitations of AI has become a genuine differentiator, according to Dr. Brian Lobo, chief medical information officer at UF Health. When hiring executives see active experience with AI tools or electronic health record migrations, their perception of a candidate shifts.

"We are at an inflection point in healthcare where organizations are making multi-million-dollar investments in digital transformation, and they need physicians and allied health professionals who can bridge the gap between technology and frontline care," Lobo said.

Hiring executives are looking for leaders — clinicians who have effectively managed implementations and change management. Change management is a desirable skillset whether technology is involved or not, and it is essential for organizations to transform. Demonstrating it shifts a candidate from a clinician to a clinician leader.

Active involvement bridging IT teams, software vendors and front-end users signals that a candidate can collaborate, navigate ambiguity and help usher meaningful change, Lobo added.

For clinicians who aren't the most tech-savvy, the good news is that becoming digitally literate does not require an advanced degree. It requires intentionality, adaptability and willingness to be self-aware about one's limitations. The first step is understanding your current digital clinical environment and asking whether your toolset actually matches the clinical, operational and patient care needs of your space.

"Use this as a springboard to gain knowledge and then use this knowledge to get involved," Lobo said. "Volunteer for committees, optimization projects or technology pilots whenever possible — even modest involvement signals genuine engagement."

Editorial Note: This article was produced by the author with support from AI tools.