Can new RN grads start in Informatics?

caliotter3 · Jul 9, 2009

You can start in any specialty that someone is willing to hire you and train you in. It is as simple as that. While most employers put up barriers to people starting out with no experience, it is quite true that most skills and procedures can be taught by someone who is interested in imparting the knowledge and willing to make the effort.

rninformatics, DNP, RN · Jul 10, 2009

So you only have 6 weeks worth of clinical practice experience as a new graduate, but you have a "computer background", a Bachelors degree in CS, "an almost completed Masters degree" in IS" and you want to know if its possible as a new grad to get hired working for a hospital's information systems dept with minimal RN experience?

Sure anything is possible and it all depends on what the IT/IS hiring manager is looking for.

Ideally in order to be a good Informaticist you need a solid foundation as an experienced clinician,you need to know how healthcare works and how nursing and medicine are practiced. Ideally you need a certain amount of credibility (which comes with being an experienced clinician yourself) in order to lead clinical users. You need to be able to speak their language along with interpreting and translating IS/IT to them.

A degree in CS or IS is not exactly the same as a degree in Informatics, Clinical Informatics or Healthcare IS/IT.

Nursing Informatics is the specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate date, information, knowledge and wisdom in nursing pratice. The goal of NI is to improve patient care and nursing practice.

Contact that hospitals IT/IS department that you were a new orientee at and inquire if they would be interested in someone with your CS/IS background who had just graduated from Nursing school. Again as I wrote above, they

may snatch you up or they may tell to come back when you have more clinical experience..........it all depends.

Do check this Forum as there are numerous posts on this subject.

Good Luck!

Forgive me if this has already been asked, but I haven't be able to see any post on this question ...
I am a new grad nurse that graduated back in December 2008, I took an ICU position and only lasted 6 weeks (horrible orientation - promised a bunch of training, then wasn't given training that was needed & was terminated b/c they felt I needed more med/surg exp) ... that being said ... I come from a very solid computer background. My bachelor's is in Computer Science and I have an almost completed Master's degree in Information Systems. Is it possible as a new grad to get hired working for hospital systems with minimal RN experience? I want to be a bedside nurse, but few hospitals around the area are hiring new grads at all, I thought perhaps I needed to fall back on my prior degree. Also, how do does one get the experience as an EPIC trainer?

WDWpixieRN, RN · Aug 4, 2009

I had less than a year's bedside experience and a bachelor's and several years in the IT field and was hired in an informatics position. I feel very fortunate to have been hired in to my position and am really enjoying the healthcare IT field.

In order to get Epic training of any kind, you must be employed by an employer who will send you to training to be either credentialed or certified.

Your best bet is to start inquiring in your area, or looking online at local hospitals, to find out who is doing what in the EHR field. Look for positions with these facilities and start sending out resumes or applying online. There is a need in many areas for healthcare professionals w/an IT background or knowledge, so hopefully you can find something! Training is a great way to get your foot in the door and many in our company have worked their way up through that position.

I will agree that having a pretty solid clinical background is a true advantage as I feel I am spending a lot of time bringing myself up to speed on a good majority of that as well as my IT knowledge in my current position, but I don't believe it's a deal-breaker if you are truly interested in this field. There are many who do the systems work who don't have IT backgrounds and are doing well.

perseus29 · Aug 6, 2009

If you want to do informatics, just start applying and see what turns up. Companies like Epic, Cerner, Siemens, etc, love to brag that they have IT nurses in their staff because that gives them a lot more credibility when going to hospitals and implementing their systems.

I was working at a hospital in the houston area that hired 2 CNA's because their background was in computers and they understood the clinical talk. Now, the CNA's were smart enough that when they saw the nurses struggling with the training, they volunteered to help; they got noticed and eventually hired and trained by the hospital in setting up their IT system, and they don't even have a nursing degree per se.

If I were you, I would definitely put my resume out there, and start applying for any jobs you see in the area; right now is a tough time to be in the market because I know of two nurses with IT implementation experience, and they tell me that hospitals are right now looking for specific experience; so their experience is in cerner implementations, and in their specific region, hospitals are looking for meditech or epic, and even though they got that IT/nursing backgroudn, hospitals know that if they wait long enough, they will get somebody with that specific experience, so they are not even getting interviews; couple fo years ago it was very easy to get the job.

But to answer your questions, yes, is possible that rn grads can start in informatics. YOu just have to put yourself out there and start knocking on doors.

Itshamrtym · Aug 31, 2009

You must have BSN? Thank you!!!!!!!

Nursing_chick · Aug 31, 2009

No, I have an ADN, bachelor's in Computer Science & an almost completed Masters in IT ... that being said, I finally found a job in bedside nursing ... so I have backed off on looking at the IT route. I eventually plan to skip over a BSN and go straight for my master's in nursing since I already have one bachelor's ....

Itshamrtym · Sep 3, 2009

No, I have an ADN, bachelor's in Computer Science & an almost completed Masters in IT ... that being said, I finally found a job in bedside nursing ... so I have backed off on looking at the IT route. I eventually plan to skip over a BSN and go straight for my master's in nursing since I already have one bachelor's ....

Congrats on getting bedside job that you wanted any way!!!!! Thanks for the reply. I have ADN/RN, and was curious if I could get a job in IT/informatics... GOOD Luck to you!!!! :nurse: :redpinkhe:nurse:

sscoootzz · Oct 22, 2009

Thanks rninformatics, this post really spoke to me...

You need to be able to speak their language along with interpreting and translating IS/IT to them.
A degree in CS or IS is not exactly the same as a degree in Informatics, Clinical Informatics or Healthcare IS/IT.
Nursing Informatics is the specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate date, information, knowledge and wisdom in nursing pratice. The goal of NI is to improve patient care and nursing practice.
Do check this Forum as there are numerous posts on this subject.
Good Luck!