Need help in career direction please!

ikarus01 · Dec 4, 2013

However my question is if its necessary for me to have to be an RN to get into this field?

You don't need to be an RN to be in this field. Plenty of LPN's out there working in this field.

Something else to keep in mind, some hospitals I've worked with will put out a job ad for an analyst position. HR uses a template that has a lot of requirements, like, 5 years of this, 10 years of that, 50 years of blah blah blah. Even then, the hiring manager will still interview relevant candidates that don't have many of these requirements added by HR. And these include LPN's.

Any website i have consulted says rn's are required in the health informatics field. Is this so??

I'm a bit confused by the question so you might need to clarify what you're asking. I'm going to assume that you're asking that to be in health informatics you need to be an RN, is this your question?

If so, the answer to that is, no you don't need to be an RN to be in health informatics, but every position is different and every position might have its own requirement.

jp1234 · Dec 4, 2013

Thank you so much for answering! Iam wondering if I should pursue a degree in health care informatics or some other computer science. I dont have any work experience in IT but have used computers plenty and am quite capable of catching on.

And yes your assumption is right about my asking do you have to be an RN. The job market for lpn's always feels so limited.

ikarus01 · Dec 5, 2013

Thank you so much for answering! Iam wondering if I should pursue a degree in health care informatics or some other computer science. I dont have any work experience in IT but have used computers plenty and am quite capable of catching on.

I actually went the computer science direction, but that's because when I was doing my nursing degree, I had done extra math and science courses as I couldn't decide if to go for a math degree or nursing. Ended up doing nursing because of job opportunities back then.

Thus, when I came back to school and the university saw my transcripts from my nursing degree, because of my many math courses on it, they recommended the CS degree as it would take me less time to complete.

Obviously if i were in your shoes, I would see what would take the least amount of time to complete and maybe go for that. Or if they take the same time, then go for what's more interesting to you.

As far as the job market for LPN's, really depends on what you're doing to get jobs.

The fact that you're working in a facility that doesn't IT, doesn't really help your cause.

Once in a while i will get an email on my blog from an LPN asking your same question, do I need to get another degree to get a job in this field? I always say no, but the difference is that these LPNs work in institutions that have an EMR.

My advice has always been, get involved anyway you can with any of the implementations at your hospital, then update your resume, and then apply for jobs. Yes, the field is definitely more competitive now, but there is always a chance you could get a job. I know one LPN wrote me back and told me within 6 months he had found a job. And this was sometime this past August, but again, he said he was out there hustling to help out any way he could and he was noticed that way.

The scarcity might not be in the opportunities out there, but maybe in the unique position you're in of not working in a place that has an EMR.