Entry level jobs in informatics

Specialties Informatics

Published

I am currently working at the bedside as an RN and have been for a little over 3 years in ICU and Med/Surg. This is my second carrer. I was formerly an avionics technician in the Coast Guard. I have been looking to make some career moves and I got into a class for informatics in my RN to BSN cirriculm. I have since fallen in love with the idea of moving into the field of informatics. There is only one probelm...Where is it? I live in a rural area and the largest hospital is only about 250 beds and you say the word informatics and people look at you and tilt their heads like a dog hearing a high pitch noise. I don't have any specific IT training but I am computer savy and not afraid of electronics. I am wondering where I should try and enter the profession and how to enter without the IT experience. It seems that everyone wants a certification but to be able to sit for the certification you have to have logged a couple of thousand hours in an NI or IT field. Am I missing somthing here or is this just impossible. I am willing to travel and have seen several jobs that would require extensive travel but is this necessary to get into the field? Is this even the right door to be going through? I would love to find a mentor and attach myself to them and find the answers but I can't even find someone who knows what it is I'm talking about...that brings me to this forum. Thank you for this forum and please HELP!

Sincerely,

h60avtrn

Thank you Eileen for your reply. What a baptism you had. LOL Sounds like you have come along way with along way to go. :saint:

Angela, thank you soooooooo very much for your advice. As a recognized expert in the field your input is worth its weight in gold. :bow:

Specializes in PACU.

Greetings h60avtrn,

I also laughed when I read your comment about ‘a dog hearing a high pitched noise’. FWIW, I get the same kind of reaction when I ask about NI, if I get any response at all. And I live in a major metropolitan area working at a large county hospital, so the lack of information about NI is not, in my experience, limited to location. I have many unanswered questions as well, as well as the confusion about certification without experience (seems almost catch-22ish).

I am also interested in NI, but I am just beginning my research on the subject. So, it’s really nice to have found this forum and to read yours and others posts. Also, I have only been an RN for about 8 months (I graduated almost a year ago), so I still have a lot to learn clinically. I have 12+ years experience as a software engineer, and wonder how, if possible, I can apply that background to NI.

Thanks for your post and to those who responded. Best wishes to you, your family, and your endeavors. Looking forward to reading about your progress and any info you can provide :). Regards, kim.

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