On-line education in informatics

rninformatics, DNP, RN · May 11, 2005

I'm not familiar with Canyon College or its programs. I am familiar with Excelsior as I have done graduate course work there and have several colleagues who have graduated from or who teach at Excelsior. So maybe I'm not the right person to ask as I may sound bias.

My 2 cents is that Excelsior has both proven experience and an excellent reputation in both Nursing and Healthcare Informatics education. The college itself is accredited by the Commission on Higher Education of the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools. The associate, bachelor's, and master's degree programs in nursing are accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission (NLNAC). The NLNAC is a specialized accrediting agency for nursing recognized by the U.S. Secretary of Education. Excelsior College Examinations are recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE), Center for Adult Learning and Educational Credentials, for the award of college-level credit. Excelsior College Examinations in nursing are the only nursing exams approved by ACE.

In contrast Canyon College (per the schools website) is accredited by

Central States Consortium of Colleges and Schools, (CSCCS). I dont see anywhere on the website if the school of nursing has any additional accreditation. If I were looking for a program these factors would figure strongly into my decision as to which certification or degree program I chose.

Mijourney · May 14, 2005

Would you recommend being proficient in certain types of software programs before taking on-line courses in health or nursing informatics? If so, what programs should I learn? Thanks.

soapynurse@adel · May 15, 2005

Would you recommend being proficient in certain types of software programs before taking on-line courses in health or nursing informatics? If so, what programs should I learn? Thanks.

From all the researching I have done, it seems that you need to be proficient in Microsoft office....access, excel, etc. You will be doing a lot of database work, spreadsheets, etc. You also need to know presentation software...Powerpointe.

Hope this helps. Luckily my teenage daughter just finished a computer program at her college, so I get the textbooks to work from. Guess I know what I'll be doing next week.

Good luck. And also, make sure you have enough memory on your machine so programs will run efficiently.

Alice in VA

Mijourney · May 15, 2005

Thank you soapy. It looks like I'm going to be working with the IT people at work in setting up or refining databases for nurses to work from. While I have knowledge of Microsoft office suite, I am not proficient. Through my employer, I will be able to learn Microsoft online. This way will probably tell me if I would be a good candidate for on-line courses through Excelsior or some other program as I will definitely need to pace myself accordingly.

Your research indicates that you have to be proficient in Microsoft before going into an informatics program. Does this mean that the majority of people who enter these programs are already in informatics? RNinformatics, do you know? Just wondering again.

rninformatics, DNP, RN · May 15, 2005

I'd recommend you have a working knowledge and comfort level using MS Word and Excel. Different schools and organizations use different e-mail programs but if you know how to use Outlook you can get use to using any of the others. You dont need to know Power Point before taking on-line course work but it won't hurt to have a comfort level with it should you in the future need to present or should someone send you a PP presentation that you have to access. Related to MS Access - you should have an understanding of relational databases.

With Access there are two types of proficiencies 1) that of a user and 2) that of a builder. You dont need to know how to build in access unless you plan on specializing in or primarily working with databases and informatics programs offer specific database courses - so for now concentrate on understanding the the principles of databases and specifically relational databases. MS Access is not the only relational database used in healthcare.

I'd also strongly suggest you have a knowledge level related to PC basics - i.e knowing how to run scan disc, understanding how to format a disc, how to do basic trouble shoot related to a PC and its peripherals.

Informaticists dont always have tech support at hand and I've frequently had to fix a simple hardware issue before I could address a user's software issues. You know the saying: "Jack of all trades.........."

Would you recommend being proficient in certain types of software programs before taking on-line courses in health or nursing informatics? If so, what programs should I learn? Thanks.