A round about way into nursing informatics

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Specializes in Progressive, Intermediate Care, and Stepdown.

I want to get into Nursing Informatics but I've been on an unusual career path so far.

I started in skilled nursing facilities for 1.5 years after I graduated the ADN program. I quickly had my fill as that environment burns you out quickly.

My first job in the hospital was a pulmonary step-down unit with dedicated palliative beds and some medical overflow. I was fortunate to have that job because it's the experience I used to start travel nursing.

I've been travel nursing for about 1 year in primarily step-down units. But, as a traveler, we are always up for floating so I've literally done a bit of everything. We often see more of the hospital than the staff nurses. But, it's great experience.

About 4 years into a nursing career, I'm starting to think of my career long term. I know one thing without a doubt is bed side nursing isn't for me forever. Anyone that does it understands the physical and mental exhaustions it entails. I am amazed at "lifer" bedside nurses. I don't know how they do it.

I've always loved technology and anything related to computers. Prior to travel nursing, I was on the clinical documentation committee for EPIC. It was a volunteer position but interesting.

With my interests, I'm gravitating towards nursing informatics. It makes sense.

It seems informatics is a hard field to penetrate particularly without experience. It also seems to be a timing thing like being at a facility with a EHR conversion (i.e. meditech to epic)

Here's what I'm thinking about doing

I have a BSN so my natural inclination is getting a masters in nursing informatics. However, I've read that doing so doesn't necessarily guarantee a job due to experience and timing.

I've thought about going another route. There are online degrees in information technology or data management that seem VERY useful to a informatics nurse.

For instance, WGU's data management/analytics degree includes information technology, logic, web development, networking, security, programming, databases, machine learning, and other topics.

I understand that an NI position may not use all of data management or computer science degree. However, it could get my foot in the door a little easier.

In addition, I joined ANIA (American Nurse Informatics Association) to start learning more about the field and begin to network.

I guess I'm looking for validation that getting a second degree could be beneficial to getting into nursing informatics. I don't think it would be a waste of time. And, I'm looking for advice in general to move forward into nursing informatics without having any real experience.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

I think that as the field grows, the degree will matter. I am in a program and my practicum will probably lead me to position. I have already had an interview for a position and waiting for a response. I have no exceptional experience other than being an EPIC super-user.

I would look at some programs really carefully. The Capella, WG, Chamberlin, I am not sure have the most prestige. There are some great schools with MSN Informatics. Duke, Houston, a small school in FL. We were talking about it today in class. It is a difficult area to describe and there are few NURSING informatics programs.

I am in the Duke program and one of my classmates said it was cheaper than WG or one of the other of those types of schools. many in my class, including me, are getting tuition assistance from our organizations or the military. It is doable and I think, certainly worth it.

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I am glad to see this post, I was just thinking today that perhaps a computer science degree, maybe in software design, would widen the field for possible opportunities. Many jobs for epic, cerner, etc are computer programming jobs, and having the nursing background seems like it would give you a leg up in these health IT companies because you understand and can perform the programming as well as the healthcare side.

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Specializes in informatics for 10 years.

As the field grows?

Anyway...just met an RN who got an entry level job simply by applying for entry level jobs. All she has is a BSN, and she was a superuser, for a few months. Is definitely not as easy as it used to be to go this route since the competition for jobs is high, but the possibility is there. People still seem to be getting jobs this route. If you happen to be a nurse using software from vendor like Epic or Cerner, look for go live opportunities and sign up for those, and eventually you'll have enough experience that you can apply for analyst jobs, or training jobs. I mean, this is what these nurses with super user experience seem to be doing.

As far as companies like Cerner and Epic giving you programming jobs...I actually have a computer science degree, and originally I had applied for the technical jobs with vendors; however, once they saw my clinical experience, they wanted me to instead go for the so called consulting/analyst jobs where you configure the application and interact with the clinical staff.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

We just had an on campus intensive for 3 days for my Informatics program. They need NURSES to help with EHR and research. They have programmers that can do what they are told but the healthcare field is needed. In my cohort, there are people that have experience in programming or familiarity with Oracle and SQL but that is not necessary. I like clinical ed and that is where I am headed, but there are SO many opportunities as nurses. We use EPIC at my facility so I am familiar with it and we had some great discussions about large entities versus small community practices and hospitals and meaningful use requirements (which they are changing).

There is a future in nursing informatics as opposed to programming.

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I'm already a masters degree nurse, with over 10 years experience. I want to be the most marketable that I can be.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

at my school you can get a post masters certificate in Informatics.

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Most schools offer that, but I've found there seems to be a bigger job market for those with IT degrees and being a nurse would make me more marketable to companies like cerner, McKesson, etc

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Specializes in informatics for 10 years.
Most schools offer that, but I've found there seems to be a bigger job market for those with IT degrees and being a nurse would make me more marketable to companies like cerner, McKesson, etc

Having worked for different vendors, I haven't found that to be the case.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

that is changing. They have PLENTY of IT/programmers. They need nurses to make sure that the end-user product makes sense and "works" for who is using it. We have informatics certified physicians in our organization. They need professionals in health care. Example: programmer who knows nothing about cardiac issues. Had in an EHR a place to document history of coronary artery bypass graft : cabbage.

They need nurses to help with documentation standards (next huge area as the EHR companies grow)

It really is going to be nurses in demand for this field.

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Specializes in Informatics, Med/Surg.

As a nurse with a computer science degree, I would only recommend a computer science degree if one wants to be involved with software design and development, most likely for a vendor. The degree takes a lot of work and has a very specific focus. Many of the classes in nursing programs do not overlap with computer science including 12 credits in math. A CS degree does not usually cover or focus on topics that are involved with other nursing informatics positions such as marketing, project management, and system implementation. As a nurse with a CS degree, I work as a software developer for a vendor. As the previous comment stated, such informatic nurses are very much needed to help build better systems. I love my job, but it is not for everyone.

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Specializes in Outpatient Psychiatry.

I don't quite understand nursing informatics.

Here goes...

Nursing only gives you an awareness of what data is put into a database (EHR) and what information one would want on the back end. Still, there is a disconnect. A nurse is typically unaware of the information sourced for quality, compliance, marketing, process design, and other analysis. An IT person isnt going to know inherently what data is gathered by healthcare staff much less what that data will be used for.

Informatics degrees don't typically provide significant coding, analytics, database management training, and I've yet to see one with any emphasis on networking and security which are huge in the cyber world.

That being said, nursing informatics doesn't seem to do much for the consumer and what it does do doesn't seem to be done well.

I've taken one informatics course. I walked away concerned about the tuition cost and absence of applicability.

I'm presently learning about cyber defense , forensics, and ethical hacking. It's a slow process because I have no IT background.

This all being said, what was the envisioned role when informatics was developed as a course, degree and career field? I'd really like to know. From my limited exposure it seems like many other areas of nursing; rushed and poorly thought out.

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