Anesthesia and Informatics

I think you are on target related to generalizing. Healthcare informatics will give you a broader interdisciplinary focus. You will still bring your nursing background with you (you will find it invaluable!!!) and that will help you as you look for ways to solve the challenges you mentioned related to CRNA practice and patient care. Congrats on being able to identify where your interests lie and focus your efforts.

GOOD LUCK!!!!!!!!!

For all on the informatics board, hello. I'm new here. Usually I'm on the anesthesia board. Currently I'm in CRNA school. I'm finishing this year and am looking to the future. I love anesthesia and have no desire to leave once I'm out. However, I have to continue with my education because I love school and I want to further myself. I have decided a PhD in informatics is a good way to go. Good future, good way to assist in furthering nurse anesthesia. I have discussed my plans with the nursing informatics department at the university I attend. They have two options and I'm confused as to where I should go with this. There is nursing informatics offered. Then there is an interdiscilinary informatics PhD. I'm leaning toward the interdisciplinary PhD because of working in anesthesia with multiple providers (AAs, MDs, CRNAs) from different backgrounds coming in with a background that is more diversified might assist me in working with anestheisa and informatics. Does all this make sense? Í'm trying to decide which route..interdiscilinary or nursing. Any suggestions? I supposed I should tell you where I would like to use this. Anesthesia in general is a little bit behind when it comes to the computer age. We care for patients too much and avoid computers (except the anesthesia machine!). I think bring electronic anesthesia charting, patient tracking, etc would really assist the field. IN addition, with CRNAs working in some very small towns where they may not see some of the odd disease processes very often, having a database of anestheswia related problems associated with diseases may help care for patients in rural settings.