Is a Certification in NI necessary?

Is getting my post-grad certificate necessary to work in NI?

I would say no.

Like you said it yourself, not many employers require a certificate in NI, and have never seen one to be required in job listings.

Obviously, if you're already working in the field and you want to become NI certified, that's a different story.

But if you're a new candidate trying to get a job in informatics, a certificate is really not necessary. A couple of years ago there were some place that were offering certificates and they were working with some hospitals, so that certificate might qualify you to apply for a job. In that specific case, I would say, why not? It might land you a job. However, haven't seen any of that recently, so unless the place offering the certificate is guaranteeing you some job leads, I wouldn't really waste my money on it.

I would say it depends on where you want to work. Are you only wanting to work in a hospital setting? The hospital setting does not generally require a certification in informatics. However, if you are interested in government contract work, Nursing Informatics leadership, or software development, those fields will usually require either an advanced degree or certificate in informatics. Good luck whatever you decide to do!

Casey