MSN in Informatics

Specialties Informatics

Updated:   Published

Hey guys, I am getting ready to pursue my masters in informatics and am having a hard time deciding on a program. I was looking into Capella and Walden and have read some pretty negative reviews. I am just wondering where did you pursue your informatics degree and how did you like the program? This is a big investment and I want to make sure I make a good decision. Thanks in advance for any advice!

I am currently at and looking for any information about their program. I have spoken to a few people but know one has any specific answers. Could you give me a run down of the classes and any other info? Thanks

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 8/30/2017 at 12:34 AM, ikarus7401 said:

Neither. An informatics program gives you a foundation of what informatics is about. Vendors create programs and they are all very unique to a setting. An informatics program can't possibly teach you all these programs. Is like completing a business master's degree---the degree is not going to teach you how to run a specific business, but it will introduce you to theories, idea on how businesses are run.

I agree. If you do research on what the job entails, Informatics-RNs are a liaison between the clinical(nurses on the front lines) and technical (programmers, developers, report writers) domains in healthcare. That typically manifests in the form of meetings (to identify issues, solutions, build needed, timelines, etc), build/test (where either the liaison or dedicated builders would build & test into the actual system), and a lot of emails that can range from general questions about the system, future enhancements, broken things in the system, etc.

As the NI field develops, programming skills are going to be needed more as time passes. Having these programming skills will allow you to liaise seamlessly between the clinical and technical domains. Especially, when working on a project with very tight time constraints. Also, data visualisation, data mining and other data analytical tools are becoming the norm and are slowly making Excel alone obsolete. These tools require programming skills in SQL, Python and R.

If you have a BSN already, go for a Masters in Information Systems with an analytics track or Management in Information Systems. It is more useful than just a narrow Masters in Nursing Informatics.

Also, stay away from private for-profit institutions; they are usually not looked upon favorably by employers, costly and lack connections to progress in the field you are seeking.

Stay in Public University Systems or public local colleges, they are a good ROI.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
2 hours ago, JMR85112 said:

Also, stay away from private for-profit institutions; they are usually not looked upon favorably by employers, costly and lack connections to progress in the field you are seeking.

I personally know two nurses who went this route. Neither was able to get a job with their master's degree. One is now enrolled in a mid-level practitioner program. The other is back to working as line staff.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 1/23/2019 at 9:43 PM, Orca said:

I personally know two nurses who went this route. Neither was able to get a job with their master's degree. One is now enrolled in a mid-level practitioner program. The other is back to working as line staff.

Yes. I don't know any personally. But many have shared their stories online. There was a documentary about this many years ago called College Inc.

https://www.pbs.org/video/frontline-college-inc/

2
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment