Internships/Externships/Preceptorships/Traineeships/Residencies

[Info(RN)matics]

In a forum frequented by informatics professionals in various stages of their informatics careers and career ladders, it would be encouraging for informatics aspirants to learn about opportunities for exposure to the field of informatics.

For people who work in settings where informatics departments are either nonexistent, nominal, dysfunctional or defunct, it would be great to find out about such opportunities in order to gain a firsthand experience of what informatics roles are like.

This is a request to professionals to let informatics aspirants like me know if you are willing to share with us contacts, information about programs that offer an exposure to the field, institutions that have functional informatics departments, etc., and other useful information you think newbies would find useful.

Offers to personally precept/train/shadow would be more than welcome - even if it is not an officially funded/established program. It would serve as a valuable unpaid internship-like opportunity if preceptor and preceptee/mentor and mentee can work out the logistics between themselves.

Let's make "eating our young" passé... let's make "encouraging and building up" the norm.

Thank you to all the trailblazers and forerunners in this field.

[Mission]

I would recommend joining the Student Working group of AMIA (http://www.amia.org), they often post information about fellowships/traineeships/etc. as well as offering webinars on early career networking. You might have to joining AMIA itself to get access, it's only $35/yr for students. There is also a nursing informatics working group (NIWG). Both groups have pages on Facebook if you want to check them out but they're new and not quite as active as the AMIA sponsored mailing lists. I have found both groups to be an excellent resource. I would think HIMSS would also offer something similar but I'm not a member so I don't know for sure.

[Info(RN)matics]

Thank you Mission. I only see job postings for experienced informaticists wherever I look - hence the post here.

[rninformatics, DNP, RN]

The best way to locate the kinds of mentorship opportunities you seem to be looking for would be to join your local nursing informatics organization and network within the NI group.

Another excellent source of potential intership/preceptorship type opportunities would be within degree programs, at WINIs (Weekend Immersion in Nursing Informatics) and at SINI (Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics).

Good Luck!

Thank you Mission. I only see job postings for experienced informaticists wherever I look - hence the post here.

[Info(RN)matics]

The best way to locate the kinds of mentorship opportunities you seem to be looking for would be to join your local nursing informatics organization and network within the NI group.

Another excellent source of potential intership/preceptorship type opportunities would be within degree programs, at WINIs (Weekend Immersion in Nursing Informatics) and at SINI (Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics).

Good Luck!

Thank you Angela. Is it possible for someone at a nursing informatics department to take someone under their wings - if the preceptor does not have to be liable for the preceptee. Can someone be allowed to shadow an informatics professional to find out if they like that kind of job? Can someone be allowed to shadow just to learn from the preceptor?

[rninformatics, DNP, RN]

You are welcome. The untraditional scenario you speak of would leave not just the preceptor potentially liable but the organizatin as well, if you were not within the jurisdiction of a degree program or an employee of the organization......

There is also the issue of HIPAA.

Again, job shadowing is usually a one time occurance - (to my knowledge) that occurs within the jurisdiction of a high school or college degree program.

To find out if you would "like that kind of job" do informational phone interviews, network within NI organizations/meetings and conferences; locate an experienced NI professional who is willing to mentor you. Do your research and read about the different roles to learn the responsibilities and roles of each. Reading job descriptions should also give you an idea of roles, responsibilities, skill set needed.

Good Luck!

Thank you Angela. Is it possible for someone at a nursing informatics department to take someone under their wings - if the preceptor does not have to be liable for the preceptee. Can someone be allowed to shadow an informatics professional to find out if they like that kind of job? Can someone be allowed to shadow just to learn from the preceptor?

[Info(RN)matics]

I thought liability would be an issue too. Thank you for clarifying.

Maybe we can use NI jargon one day when I have a working knowledge of the subject area :)

Excelsior has an online MSN in NI. Have you heard anything about the degree at Excelsior that you think is important to consider prior to application?

[mimi225]

nursing students are not allowed to make mistakes in clinical setting yet RNs make mistakes.

[Info(RN)matics]

nursing students are not allowed to make mistakes in clinical setting yet RNs make mistakes.

Sure, everyone makes mistakes - but it is natural for organizations to be wary of allowing activities that have the potential to snowball into huge liabilities. So also, if a licensed professional decides to personally precept an aspiring professional, it presents a huge personal liability - especially, if not backed up by organizational support.

RNs make mistakes - we're only human, but we're responsible for every mistake we make. We're personally liable. That's probably the reason why so many RNs think it's a wise idea to purchase personal malpractice insurance. We can't forget that we live in a sue-happy society now, can we?

[rninformatics, DNP, RN]

Excelsior's program has an excellent reputation. I'd say you need to have good basic computer skills and be comfortable with on-line enviroments like chat rooms, forums and posting to electronic bulletin boards, etc if you intend to enroll in Excelsior's (primarily) on-line method of education delivery.

I thought liability would be an issue too. Thank you for clarifying.

Maybe we can use NI jargon one day when I have a working knowledge of the subject area :)

Excelsior has an online MSN in NI. Have you heard anything about the degree at Excelsior that you think is important to consider prior to application?