Entry level jobs in informatics

Thank you EileenRN for your input. Yes, I am looking at the bridge program at Walden. I have just finished statistics,which was my only gen ed class and now have to decide which program path I am going pursue. If you don't mind sharing, how did you get into the field?

Since you have no HIT, Epic or information systems implementation experience the range is probably comparible to the salary of an experienced staff nurse...............that is, if you have experience as a staff nurse??
To see salary ranges of experienced informatics nurses check out attached 2007 HIMSS survey slide #18

Since you are a seasoned and experienced clinican and you are not sure exactly what it is (what role, etc) you want to do in Informatics what about a compromise??
What about pursuing the BSN and Informatics Nurse cert and/while attempting to get an entry level job to get experience in HIT/NI/HIS. Then practicing as an informaticist for a while and then seeing if it is worth your wile to go for the graduate level degree.
I know many nurses who have no HIT/NI/HIS experience and think that getting a graduate degree will secure them a job in this specialty but the reality is that if you do have experience working in informatics/HIT its harder to get your foot in the door even if you are an experienced clinican/RN. Without the HIT/NI/HIS/IT experience with either degree or cert the chances are extremly slim that you would secure more than an entry level position as again you have no previous HIT/NI/HIS/IT, etc experience.

Re: Entry level jobs in informatics Thank you EileenRN for your input. Yes, I am looking at the bridge program at Walden. I have just finished statistics,which was my only gen ed class and now have to decide which program path I am going pursue. If you don't mind sharing, how did you get into the field?

My arrival in the field happened because I stomped into IS demanding to know who had made such a mess of our charting. This was 7 years ago. Nobody in the facility was willing to say the "Informatics" word until last year. They gave me a cubicle, a few photocopied pages from the System Administrator's handbook, changed my access from RN to System Administrator, and told me to figure it out, and to call McKesson if I had any questions. They called me a Clinical Systems Coordinator and put me on a bunch of committees. After I discovered McKesson's Download Central site, I got all the manuals I needed, including training manuals.That happened right after I rewrote the training manuals we had because they didn't make sense.The department had a lot of potlucks and were pretty friendly in general, but nobody knew anthing about my system, so I practiced trial and error, building charting screens, designing reports, fixing the parts I had come to complain about, and getting the complaints from the whole house. That's kind of how it's been the last seven years.

Thank you Eileen for your reply. What a baptism you had. LOL Sounds like you have come along way with along way to go.

Angela, thank you soooooooo very much for your advice. As a recognized expert in the field your input is worth its weight in gold.

Greetings h60avtrn,

I also laughed when I read your comment about ‘a dog hearing a high pitched noise’. FWIW, I get the same kind of reaction when I ask about NI, if I get any response at all. And I live in a major metropolitan area working at a large county hospital, so the lack of information about NI is not, in my experience, limited to location. I have many unanswered questions as well, as well as the confusion about certification without experience (seems almost catch-22ish).

I am also interested in NI, but I am just beginning my research on the subject. So, it’s really nice to have found this forum and to read yours and others posts. Also, I have only been an RN for about 8 months (I graduated almost a year ago), so I still have a lot to learn clinically. I have 12+ years experience as a software engineer, and wonder how, if possible, I can apply that background to NI.

Thanks for your post and to those who responded. Best wishes to you, your family, and your endeavors. Looking forward to reading about your progress and any info you can provide . Regards, kim.