Nursing Informatics???

Thread moved to Nursing Informatics forum.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nursing_informatics

To be an informatics nurse yes, one needs to be a nurse. To work in informatics generally, no.

Nursing Informatics needs a nursing degree, whether it is an associates or bsn is up to the facility hiring. they usually want some bedside experience and to be computer savy. Learn quickly.

The ANA (2008) defines Nursing Informatics as "a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge and wisdom in nursing practice."

In plain English Nursing Informatics is a specialty within Nursing that focuses on utilizing information systems as tools to improve pt. care and nursing practice.

http://nursing.umaryland.edu/program...atics/faqs.htm
http://my.clevelandclinic.org/nursing/informatics.aspx

There are non-nurses, LPNs, military medics, lab techs, pharmacists and (other healthcare and allied healthcare professionals) who practice, teach and conduct research within the specialty of Nursing Informatics - Example: Dr. Skiba of the U of Colorado
http://www.nursing.ucdenver.edu/facu...es/d_skiba.htm

Primarily those who practice within this specialty are nurses/RNs.
The area that has the most practitioners is the acute care /hospital setting. Other areas include working for a vendor, within a physician practice, clinic, home health agency, for goverment agencies and within insurance companies.

Check out the HIMSS Nursing Informtics surveys............these will also give you a good picture of who we are, where we practice............... and what we make as Informatics Nurses.

http://www.himss.org/ASP/topics_Focu...c.asp?faid=243

I've just enrolled in the Excelsior RN-MSN/Informatics program.

The informatics cert will definitely help you, particularly if you are in a larger population center with big hospital and health care systems.

Do you have any computer background? Because that's another big plus.

I got my LPN through a local CC and the RN via Excelsior, yes.

You could do EC as you're an RT. Of course, in what state you wish to practice is a consideration.

Oh, informatics cert is NOT obtainable without a bachelor's degree. Which is kinda funny when you consider that I'm an informatics nurse and have over a decade, and a diploma, in systems.