Exasperated and in need of advise, Please

[tmcolema]

Hi all,

I have posted on here regarding this topic but really have not gotten any responses. I am in need of advise. I have been doing a lot of soul searching and have decided to study Nursing Informatics. I have been an LPN for 20 years, will graduate from an ADN program this December. I will start my BSN program this January and plan to go on for my DNP. I have done so much research on Nursing Informatics trying to find out how to break into this industry. I have reached out to my Informatics director, I emailed twice and called and LM but never received any correspondence back. I was hoping to be able to volunteer as a super user or serve on IT committee of some sort to get experience. I have also reached out to the Informatics nurse at the hospital I did my preceptorship with but yet again she never responded to me. All I want is advise on how to best prepare myself and set myself up for a good career. I'm feeling very discouraged that I cannot get anyone in the field to so much as respond to me. Anybody on here have any advise? Thank you so much in advance for any advise you may be able to give.

[ikarus01]

I was hoping to be able to volunteer as a super user or serve on IT committee of some sort to get experience.

Essentially, what you mention above---volunteering as a superuser, or serving in an informatics committee--are one of the the best ways to get experience in the field, and give you a "live" perspective of informatics, which you could then translate into a job. This has been repeated in many other posts asking the same question. How you go about doing that is really up to you and how accessible these opportunities are for you in your current place of work.

Many have "broken" into the industry by getting involved as superusers, and then applying for jobs. Indeed, at the moment, competition for jobs is definitely stronger than it used to be years ago, but there are still many getting jobs without getting masters degrees, so you could do the same. But again, that depends on how determined you are to do this. You could also out, get a master's degree, and that guarantees you possibly interview for jobs, but again, it doesn't guarantee you'll get a job, just like any other field out there.

Then you can say, but how do I best prepare myself and set myself up for a good career? If somebody who wants to be a nurse came up to you and asked you that, what would you tell them? read nursing care plans? Attend a good nursing school? But is that really what it takes to be the best nurse out there and have a good career?

[tmcolema]

Thank you so much for your comment. Unfortunately, here in the Panhandle of Florida opportunities are few and far between. I have thought about joining HIMMS and maybe volunteering for committees, that may open some doors and help me with contacts. For now, I will focus on my BSN and hopefully an opportunity will present itself if I keep looking and putting myself out there. Do you think it would be helpful to work on some kind of certification such as Database and E-commerce IT cert while I purse my BSN, or would that simply be a waste of money and time?

[ikarus01]

Do you think it would be helpful to work on some kind of certification such as Database and E-commerce IT cert while I purse my BSN, or would that simply be a waste of money and time?

Refer to this recent post which should clearly answer your question.

Although I'm not well versed on database certifications, my only additional comment is that database reporting is a niche in the informatics community that is always in need of people. If that's an area that appeals to you, getting a certification in that area might not be a bad idea, but that does not guarantee that you'll land a job just because you have a database certification.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

Analytics, I have been told is going to be a huge field. In a program right now and I take my first data analytics course starting in Jan.

I got involve in Informatics by being a super user and working with the diabetes educator as they were developing better documentation and education components. Keep working through your BSN and trying to find ways to volunteer and you will find your way.

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

I think a huge piece of your dilemma is that you are not an RN yet. Get established in an RN role, and I think you'll find a more welcoming attitude.

[sweetlilwolf]

Before jumping into a DNP program work as an RN for awhile. Most informatics positions want at least 2-5 years working experience prior to moving into that role. A MSN and DNP doesn't mean squat sadly it's not required for the most part only a BSN is. I'm a informatics nurse with multiple epic certifications and have my BSN I had 5 -almost 6 years of bedside care including ER and Oncology infusion that experience is what got me into the role because they need nurses who understand workflows.

Id suggest becoming a super user for your floor or whatever they have there - also if they have a shared governance for documentation and technology join that.

Your welcome to measage me me if you want to talk more about informatics