phd/doctoral Informatics/Nursing Informatics programs

[mhy12784]

Been having a hard time finding any legit accredited phd/doctoral programs for this field.

Seems that there are a TON of masters programs, but very few for the phd/doctoral level.

Anyone know of any or have any resources/links for lists of them ?

(Not necessarily looking for a program specific to nursing informatics, as im also looking into a healthcare informatics one)

[BCRNA]

Your research focus for your dissertation determines your specialty, not the actual nursing program. There is only one informatics specific PhD--University of Maryland. There are several nursing PhD programs that have active informatics researchers.

Vanderbilt University has a great informatics track for PhD or DNP, but they are cost prohibitive. 130,000 for a phd. Also, can't apply for scholarships until you are already a student. I am not sure how anyone pays for this program because student loans will not cover it.

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has a mainly online PhD program and has a few informatics research students (including me). The cost is 30,000. Out of state students pay in state rates for this program.

Other programs that have both a MSN informatics and a PhD program would be a good bet, they will have the resources. A PhD does not teach you a specialty, but to conduct research in a specialty you already have. You get about 12 SH of credits you can spend on informatics courses, or any course to strengthen your skills.

Are you already an informatics nurse? If so, any PhD program will work. It is your dissertation that determines your specialty, not the PhD program (it will be in nursing regardless of where you go, assuming you choose a nursing Phd). If you are not a current informatics nurse then choose a nursing Phd with a MSN informatics associated with the school. They will have the resources to give you the foundation.

[Mission]

I would look at PhD programs where you would receive full funding. I didn't pay a dime for my PhD (nursing with an informatics specialty). I would focus first on finding and advisor that you want to work with and whose research you admire. Contact them and let them know you are interested and find out if they have funding for pre-doctoral trainees. The easy way to find out who may have funding is by reviewing conference proceedings to see who is presenting at academic (not HIMSS) conferences such as AMIA, MedInfo, and Nursing Informatics 2014 and at the same time you'll find out what research they are currently working on. You'll also be able to find out what they're students are doing by looking at presentations where they are the senior (last) author.