Can LPN get IT job?

[Nurse Beth, MSN]

Dear Nurse Beth,

I have been an LPN for 5 years working in various positions, mostly Assisted Living facilities and clinics. Before becoming an LPN, I was a Computer Science major working in Web Development. I would like to get into Health IT.

I've considered Informatics but from what I've read, those positions usually require you to do a lot of teaching to nursing staff about EHR. I'm not really interested in teaching. I currently work as a Phone Nurse for a Pain Management Clinic which is a part of a big hospital organization. Do you have any words of advice on how I can get into Health IT?

Dear Wants IT,

You're right, typically Information Technology (IT) hospital jobs include teaching nurses and doctors.

But there are many IT jobs that do not include teaching. There's Clinical Documentation Specialist.

Clinical Documentation Specialists support appropriate clinical documentation to ensure correct coding.

Nurse Informaticists

According to the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Nurse Informaticists combine the “science and practice (that) integrates nursing, its information and knowledge, with management of information and communication technologies to promote the health of people, families, and communities worldwide.”

System Analyst

A nurse Systems Analyst will support a healthcare organization's clinical documentation platform, assist with workflow, participate in design, and troubleshoot end user problems.

While each of these titles are different and unique roles, organizations use them differently.

Here's the thing for you, though. If you want to get into IT as a nurse, you will need to get your RN. All IT jobs I've seen require an RN with 1-2 yrs nursing experience. For some jobs, a BSN or an MSN in informatics is preferred. If you obtain those credentials, you will be golden in the job market.

If you don't want to get your RN, then you may consider just applying to non-nursing IT jobs that require an education in Computer Science.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!

[Martinezrn84, ADN, RN]

Wow! I thought I was the only one...this I exactly my dilemma. I’m already an R.N but only with an ADN. I love computers and want to merge both fields. Unsure on what route to take.

[LPN_Computer_Guy, LPN, LVN]

On 10/24/2019 at 7:57 AM, Nurse Beth said:

Dear Nurse Beth,

I have been an LPN for 5 years working in various positions, mostly Assisted Living facilities and clinics. Before becoming an LPN, I was a Computer Science major working in Web Development. I would like to get into Health IT.

I've considered Informatics but from what I've read, those positions usually require you to do a lot of teaching to nursing staff about EHR. I'm not really interested in teaching. I currently work as a Phone Nurse for a Pain Management Clinic which is a part of a big hospital organization. Do you have any words of advice on how I can get into Health IT?

Dear Wants IT,

You're right, typically Information Technology (IT) hospital jobs include teaching nurses and doctors.

But there are many IT jobs that do not include teaching. There's Clinical Documentation Specialist.

Clinical Documentation Specialists support appropriate clinical documentation to ensure correct coding.

Nurse Informaticists

According to the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) Nurse Informaticists combine the “science and practice (that) integrates nursing, its information and knowledge, with management of information and communication technologies to promote the health of people, families, and communities worldwide.”

System Analyst

A nurse Systems Analyst will support a healthcare organization's clinical documentation platform, assist with workflow, participate in design, and troubleshoot end user problems.

While each of these titles are different and unique roles, organizations use them differently.

Here's the thing for you, though. If you want to get into IT as a nurse, you will need to get your RN. All IT jobs I've seen require an RN with 1-2 yrs nursing experience. For some jobs, a BSN or an MSN in informatics is preferred. If you obtain those credentials, you will be golden in the job market.

If you don't want to get your RN, then you may consider just applying to non-nursing IT jobs that require an education in Computer Science.

Best wishes,

Nurse Beth

Author, "Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job"...and your next!

Thank you for the advice. I know I ultimately will probably need to get my RN but I'm leaning towards getting a Masters in Healthcare Administration first.

On 10/31/2019 at 4:34 AM, Martinezrn84 said:

Wow! I thought I was the only one...this I exactly my dilemma. I’m already an R.N but only with an ADN. I love computers and want to merge both fields. Unsure on what route to take.

As I've been reading more and more posts on this website, I've seen that others have been in the same boat...wanting to merge computers and healthcare but not sure how to get a foot in the door or where to start.