Texas Tech Informatics Program

PauperRN · May 10, 2014

I was looking into it too! Sent email back and forth and nothing really worth mentioning that they said. I like that it is a masters program, however with that said there are several schools in Texas that provide certification for it, so am still trying to decipher the difference and if it's worth it. I like you need to here from either people in it or graduates from it. And whats their take on the program- all those good n bad stuff.

ikarus01 · May 10, 2014

however with that said there are several schools in Texas that provide certification for it, so am still trying to decipher the difference and if it's worth it.

Is the question, what's the difference in a certification and a master's degree?

If so, some schools let you take some classes and give you a certificate saying you completed some informatics courses and if you decide to come back for a master's degree in that specific school, then those courses might count for your master's degree.

In terms of that helping you to find a job...I wouldn't put so much weight on a certificate.

Then there is also a certification you can get once you are in informatics and that's a different story, and you can only get it once you have worked in the field so many hours. I wrote a post about it a while back so a bit old, but a lot of it still applies.

As far as a master's degree...when we hire individuals, the main thing we are looking for is, does this candidate have relevant experience in the field.

Right now there is an influx of applicants for jobs who just got their master's in informatics and many of these people have zero and i mean ZERO experience in the field.

They were working as nurses, they read that informatics pays well, they went for their master's degree and now that they look for jobs, they are overlooked because many other candidates have also a master's plus experience. And also, if you don't have a master's and you have some experience in the field (superuser, being involved in committees, etc), these candidates will get the job because of their experience.

And as far as what's the best informatics program, after getting comments from people who graduate and can't find jobs, I would say the best one is the one who will at least help you to find a job, specially now that everybody seems to be jumping for a master's in informatics.

PauperRN · May 12, 2014

Thanks for the reply. Yes, u tackled my question right on, now with that said I would love to ask another one, don't u think an employer wld hire one with a certification compared to a masters since the latter wld command a higher salary, if both were to have everything same? Another question would be, why are they letting nurses have a masters without a certain numbers of hours in that field? What I mean is- shld there be an experience requirement? CRNA requires1- 2 years of experience in a critical area, that means u have experience going in therefore when looking for a job, experience becomes less of an issue.

ikarus01 · May 12, 2014

don't u think an employer wld hire one with a certification compared to a masters since the latter wld command a higher salary, if both were to have everything same?

Back when certification was more popular than a master's degree...I want to say that was in 2009, 2010, I saw a couple of hiring directors pretty much say, "and what the hell is this certification?"

In other words, at that time, a certification did nothing to say you were a better candidate than let's say, somebody who had helped out as a super user in an implementation.

As far as commanding a better salary because of a master's....do you know how many resumes directors get for one position nowadays? At least 100, unless the position is situated in a small town or out in the middle of nowhere.

What does that mean? Directors right now can choose anybody they please, specially if they are looking for an entry level position.

Back when I started it used to be that you said, yea, i have some experience and you were told, when can you start.

Nowadays when you have experience, the questions are more precise: have you worked with this application? And have you implemented CPOE with that application? And have you actually trained physicians?

Say no to any of these questions, and they move on to the next better qualified candidate, so you might have a PhD, but you missed one of the questions above, and you're not the best candidate for the job.

In other words, if you're just joining the profession, commanding a higher salary is not as concrete as you might think it might be. And once you have experience, what really commands the salary is your experience.

Another question would be, why are they letting nurses have a masters without a certain numbers of hours in that field? What I mean is- shld there be an experience requirement?

Because there is no entity that will enforce such requirement. No entity out there is saying, if you don't have these many years of experience, you can't go for a master's degree.

Hell, I've gotten emails saying, just graduated from my BS in nursing, and I'm looking to enroll in a nursing informatics degree. And apparently, there are schools that will let you do that and of course, nobody is telling those schools they can't do that.

However, the reality that happens is that these people come out with a master's degree, no clinical experience, no informatics experience, and then they can't get jobs, and I've gotten emails about that too. "Oh, i was told there were tons of jobs and I can't seem to find one." When I see the resumes of these gullible souls, no clinical experience and no informatics experience. But again, schools are in the business of making money. Is not like they are doing charity work out there.

And heck, some schools require a practicum for you to finish your masters in informatics, yet, these same schools won't even find one for you.

Can you imagine going to nursing school and that school saying, by the way guys, you have to complete all these 4 clinical rotations but you're on your own finding a hospital and an instructor to complete these rotations. Total insanity. Yet, schools do this and somehow students put up with that.

TEXASWAG, MSN, RN · May 12, 2014

Wow, you make me really rethink getting a master's in informatics before actually working in the field. Thank goodness most schools require students to take core classes first. Those core classes are prerequisites for all the other programs such as a master's in education. At this point I might be leaning towards getting my master's in education.

ikarus01 · May 12, 2014

Wow, you make me really rethink getting a master's in informatics before actually working in the field. Thank goodness most schools require students to take core classes first. Those core classes are prerequisites for all the other programs such as a master's in education. At this point I might be leaning towards getting my master's in education.

If you're working as a nurse and you want to get in the field, get involved in the field. Get some experience as a super user, get involved in committees dealing with applications in your floor/unit, and once you have that, upgrade your resume and apply for jobs. I would do this before getting a master's in informatics. Although, nowadays you have these candidates that have both...experience and their newly gotten informatics master's so the competition for jobs is a bit more severe than it was even a year ago.

However, nothing to be discouraged about because I still see people with no master's degrees being hired and again, it comes back to their experience in informatics. These are candidates who were extremely active in informatics while working in clinical floors so if you're committed, I'm sure you can always find a job even without a master's degree.

PauperRN · May 12, 2014

@Ikarus7401, thanks for your input here. Very informative. I do have another question. How abt a nurse that decides- ok, am going to be a nurse but @ the same time get a second degree in BS computer science or computer engineering, then decides to do nursing informatics without the informatics experience, however has IT experience- would the IT experience count?

In other words, does having an active nursing license, having a BS in computer or computer engineering place you as a hot cake or not?

And another question, to be a super user, do u specifically have to work in a hospital? Or there are other channels of being a super user.

And another question-lol, if u can't not be a super user, whats the best way to get an entry into informatics?

ikarus01 · May 12, 2014

How abt a nurse that decides- ok, am going to be a nurse but @ the same time get a second degree in BS computer science or computer engineering, then decides to do nursing informatics without the informatics experience, however has IT experience- would the IT experience count?

In other words, does having an active nursing license, having a BS in computer or computer engineering place you as a hot cake or not?

You need to understand one thing. There are jobs out there that are not just nursing informatics jobs.

Nursing informatics jobs refer usually to informatics jobs that fall under the nursing informatics department and yes, usually the person that running that department is a nurse, and thus he/she is looking for people who have a nursing background for an informatics job and thus the title, nursing informatics.

There are also a ton of other jobs that are informatics jobs but are not limited to nurses. In other words, lots of other clinical applications used by hospitals that don't require nursing experience. For example, the supply chain application. The registration application. The interface application, and on and on.

When you decide to get a computer science degree or computer engineering degree, now you're opening yourself to a bunch of other jobs, not just nursing informatics positions.

In fact, that's what I have...a nursing degree and a CS degree. And about being a hot cake, it really depends, but I'll say that yea, it does give you a nice edge because you have better techical skills.

And another question, to be a super user, do u specifically have to work in a hospital? Or there are other channels of being a super user.

If the facility you work in has an EMR, then it doesn't matter if it's a hospital or not. What matters is, are you charting electronically? Because if you're not, then how can you be a superuser or how can you get involved in informatics if you're only using paper charts?

And another question-lol, if u can't not be a super user, whats the best way to get an entry into informatics?

Well, apply for jobs that are entry level. We hired a lady last year that had zero involvement in informatics, but that position specifically needed somebody who would be out mainly training the staff and she had a lot of nursing training experience. She beat a few candidates with master's and even superuser experience. You can apply for jobs and see what happens, but yea, not going to say the competition is not fierce right now. However, you got nothing to lose by applying for jobs.

PauperRN · May 12, 2014

Thanks a lot for this info. I have exhausted most of my burning questions, however, in finishing up my last batch of questions would be, when hiring does school name play a part? How abt entry level salary~what are they, so far everyone seems to be throwing the numbers out there, and lastly, when one has a masters in nursing informatics, is that the end? Anything above it?

ikarus01 · May 13, 2014

when hiring does school name play a part?

I would say, no. Obviously, if you're coming from Harvard, Yale, or any of those ivy league schools, I would say hiring managers would be impressed, but I can't say this enough. What plays a big part is your past involvement in informatics.

The biggest question we have when we look at a resume is, what relevant experience does this candidate have? We don't sit there saying, let's rank these resumes by the school they went to.

With that said, once I saw a director get rid of candidates who had degrees from that school online where anybody can get a degree from, so always google your online schools and their reputation.

How abt entry level salary~what are they, so far everyone seems to be throwing the numbers out there,

Unfortunately a survey comes out every 3 years with the average nursing informatics salary. This year's survery said that the average salary is 100k or so. Problem is, this survey only has 1000 or so participants.

Imagine getting a survery that only has 1000 nurses and then saying that's the average salary for nurses. Do you think that's correct? You can get a better picture from here: The Nursing Informatics Salary Range Gap | Nursing Informatics For All

But in short, starting salaries range from at least 55k. I mean, if you get a job in NYC your salary is not going to be 55k, but if you get a salary let's say in a small town like Bartlesville, OK, your starting salary won't be 85k either.

I get emails at least every month telling me, I got a job offer for this much...how come it is so low? I thought the average salary was 100k? Well, duh!!!!! And the emails are all over the place because again, it varies by city, employer, etc.

when one has a masters in nursing informatics, is that the end? Anything above it?

You can get a PhD degree if you want to do research. But most CIO jobs for example, require a master's degree. But if you love the field and you want to do actual research on specific topics, then you go for your PhD