Difference between nursing informatics and health informatics?

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 4, 2015

Non-nurses usually cannot enroll in nursing informatics programs, but they can enroll in health informatics programs.

Nurses can enroll in either health informatics programs or nursing informatics programs.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 4, 2015

The question becomes ... Do you want to study "nursing" at an advanced level as part of your graduate education? Or do you want to have a curriculum that focus on healthcare in general and does not include any advanced level nursing content?

Both degrees provide information about informatics ... but one includes nursing content and the other does not. While that might not effect the type of job you get after graduation, it may limit your options eventually. Some nursing jobs might require a nursing education beyond the entry level -- and expect the people in that job to be familiar with the advanced nursing content.

So ... if you are sure that you will never want an advanced nursing job ... and will only want jobs in healthcare informatics that don't require advanced nursing knowledge or credentials ... then there is nothing wrong with a degree in Health Informatics. In fact, that degree would be preferred for some jobs that are not focused primarily on nursing and informatics. But if you think that you might want a job someday that focuses heavily on nursing, it could be risky not to get your Master's in Nursing or Nursing Informatics.

whichone'spink, BSN, RN · Aug 4, 2015

I struggled with this initially when I was looking at informatics programs. I looked at the University of Minnesota's DNP in nursing informatics, and University of Illinois' MS in Health Informatics. I don't want to be limited in any way. My ultimate aim in getting any advanced degree is to get far away from the pits that is bedside nursing, and to ensure I have enough prospects to make sure I stay away. I ultimately chose the DNP because although the program will focus more on nursing informatics, I'm sure what I learn will translate in some ways across the board. I think I will have more options with the DNP. I'm still trying to find a nursing informatics position so that I have 2-3 years of experience even before I graduate in 3 years. That will help me to break into the field even more than the degree. But the degree offers staying power.

ikarus01 · Aug 5, 2015

The main difference is that in one program all your classmates will be nurses, while in the other program, you will have people from different backgrounds---clinical and non clinical.

In terms of jobs...it really comes down to how anal an employer is about hiring. In my years working in informatics, I have never heard of anybody being told, yea, you can't get a job because you don't specifically have a master's in nursing informatics. In fact, what I hear is, if you want to get promoted to management, make sure you get a master's degree. MBA, Nursing Informatics, Health Informatics---whatever! You just need a master's degree.

I have some colleagues who are nurses who went for the health informatics degree mainly because they wanted to be in classes with people with different backgrounds, and as one colleagues said, "Am I going to go pay all that money to be back taking nursing classes? hell no!"

Also, it seems you more schools offering a healthcare informatics degree, which means, better shopping around for tuition.

Furthermore, I've had people email me and tell me that for their master's in nursing informatics they had to specifically find a practicum in a nursing informatics department and it seems that the schools left you on your own on this. My colleagues who did the healthcare informatics degree had more flexible practicums. For example, one of them did it in the financial department, so you get to see another side of healthcare IT that you wouldn't really get to see in a nursing informatics program if they put constraints as to what type of practicums you can do. I would say that's something to further investigate when you consider a program---what type of practicum can you do, and how do you find them?

But really, in the end, both programs have two main classes that are really important: Systems Design, and a database class. I personally like the healthcare informatics curriculum much better. At least the ones that I have seen from different schools. But those two classes mentioned above are really the core of informatics.

As far as opportunities, really, your implementation experience is what mainly opens doors for you in this field. WE had a candidate for example that had a master's degree in informatics, and we had another candidate only with an RN degree, no BSN, but this person had trained and tested a system in a previous hospital while the master's degree person had no experience. Yep, RN person got the job.

Thus i would say, if that was me, i would just get the more convenient degree because in the end, there is really not much of a difference in job opportunities, once you have specific implementation experience. I have never looked at a resume and thought, oh wow, this person has a master's in nursing informatics so they will do better. We always look at the experience, experience, experience!

And as far as one being a riskier choice than the other---I don't see how is that even possible at all, given the number of applications that are implemented in the Healthcare field, specially if you're good at your job.

Rocknurse, MSN, APRN, NP · Aug 5, 2015

I was hired as a nursing informatics analyst without any certification or experience. I was trained and certified in EPIC shortly after I was hired. I had a BSN and am now doing an MSN to be an APRN but it is possible to break into the field without going to school for it. I don't know one person in my department who has a degree in informatics. We have a lot of nurses, doctors, pharmacists and some people with only IT experience.

TheCommuter, BSN, RN · Aug 5, 2015

This thread has been moved to the Nursing Informatics specialty forum with the goal of amassing more responses and feedback. We wish you the best of luck.

llg, PhD, RN · Aug 5, 2015

The main difference is that in one program all your classmates will be nurses, while in the other program, you will have people from different backgrounds---clinical and non clinical.
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I don't disagree. The possible limits I was talking about in my post above are relevant for those people who may want a non-informatics job someday or who may want to teach in a school of nursing. It's possible that some people who get a master's focusing on informatics may want to apply for roles later in their career that were not strictly informatics (e.g. nursing education, nursing program management, quality management, etc.). Or some jobs may combine informatics with other functions within a nursing department (such as nursing quality data management, nursing program management, etc.. If the job has a nursing focus, then the nursing content of the graduate degree would be important content to have.

Personally, I focused some attention on informatics while I was a doctoral student. After spending some time in that field, I decided it was not for me -- and was glad that my PhD was general enough in focus and that is was in nursing so that I was able to get jobs not focused on informatics after graduation.

The question of, "Which is best..." depends a lot upon the individual, their age and experience, and where their possible career paths will take them.

nur18 · Aug 5, 2015

Thanks everyone for clearing that up for me. I have looked into different school and is thinking about the University of South Florida program.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 5, 2015

Thanks everyone for clearing that up for me. I have looked into different school and is thinking about the University of South Florida program.

Just curious, which program? The MSN Health Systems Informatics program or the MS in Health Informatics program.

nur18 · Aug 6, 2015

Just curious, which program? The MSN Health Systems Informatics program or the MS in Health Informatics program.

The MS online program. I don't believe they offer a msn program.

SummerGarden, BSN, MSN, RN · Aug 7, 2015

The MS online program. I don't believe they offer a msn program.

Ok, thanks. I saw a nursing masters program in Health Systems Informatics, but I do not know if it is online .... Good luck on your career specialty change and education. :)