rickparrott

Well, maybe I am over reacting. And i was responding to two post, obviously that was a recipe for confusion. I know I'm a clinician. I just feel that those of us who have moved into the medical field should be able to leverage our skills. My IT skills are better than the IT skills of almost any nurse or doctor I have met... There are processes that you can only learn when you work in a full time IT environment. Few nurses I know have that opportunity. I lost out on a $150,000.00 job just because I wasn't an RN. I was actually told that I wasn't a real nurse. Guess I'll finish my RN so then I'll be a real nurse... LOL!

I too am looking to move into the Health Care IT world. So far, I have met with people who only think they understand IT and don't want anybody to disturb their world-view. So far, the most common advice I hear is get your "RN" license. RN's know everything, especially if they have a... BSN...

I've been looking at moving to another position. I have over 15 years of IT experience with Fortune 100 companies, a LVN/LPN license and over 20 years of management experience. I'm looking for a IT Director or Assistant Director position. However, it seems people in the health care industry don't know anything about information technology. Is coding IT? No, it's data entry. Do you have to have a RN to understand nursing and computers? No, you don't? I'm looking for Information Technology Professionals who have successfully transitioned to the health care information technology world. I need those who can help me understand how to leverage my information technology experience, management experience and nursing skills and advance in an environment that is so closed to outsiders... Please don't tell me I need to get my RN, I already know that. It's just more money out the window, the US Army already trained me at the RN level. All I need is the license. That's coming soon, I hope... Everyone's looking for certifications like the RHIT. Looking at the Common Body Of Knowledge shows that certification is mostly a coding certification, and you need a degree in HIM. How can true information technology professionals breaks through this artificial barrier?

Thought I'd add... Information technology, the study, design, development, implementation, support, or management of computer-based information systems... Isn't that what you do in Informatics??? If anything, I'd say Informatics was a minor subset of Information Technology.

You really think so? That so typical of the arrogance I have experienced since coming into the health care field. People in health care seem to think that they are the only people who can be professionals. Why is that? Being a true professional at any trade takes a lot of hard work. It is true, you can teach someone to be a competent computer person fairly quickly. Just like I can teach someone to be a competent nurse fairly quickly. But, it's a lot harder to be a true professional. Some doctors and RNs seem to think that they are better than others because of their education. I have a BS in Aeronautics, can't see how it made me any better than anyone else. What I'm saying is that a true Information Technology professional is every bit as accomplished as any RN or doctor, and my experience is that you can't make a blanket statement like you did. It shows ignorance and arrogance... Maybe you can define informatics for me? How is it different than information technology? At the base level isn't it using computers to leverage workload? Computers reduce workload by automating repetitive tasks and by enhancing communication. As for the LVN to RN thing. No, my IT experience shouldn't count for anything regarding my nursing license. LVN or RN. It should count as much as my nursing license when dealing with IT issues. An IT professional with a LVN license is far better able to do the job than a RN or doctor without professional IT experience. Don't worry, I'm going to get my RN license. Need to fill that little check box don't we? And the subject was informatics nursing, wasn't it? Peace out!

This is a great thing! The health care industry needs an influx of people experienced in professional information technology. So far, my experience is that my 15 years of IT experience isn't enough to bridge the gap between my LVN license and a RN license. Maybe that'll change...

Actually, I would love to train customers in the HIT field. I do understand that I will need to gain clinical experience to balance out my IT background, but I do not plan to wait several years to gain that experience. And yes, I do have a lot of knowledge to bring to the table. I have been working for over 30 years, the last 15 in Information Technology. I do appreciate you helping me out! Thanks!

I am interested in Clinical Informatics also. I have a background in the mainstream IT field as a technical support specialist, network administrator and IT manager. (Why change careers? OUTSOURCING!) I am currently finishing up the Army LPN program and will be returning to San Antonio. I have already started on my RN/ADN program. Should be complete by the end of 2009. I want to leverage my IT experience and I know I can bring a lot of knowledge to the Health IT field, but how do I break in? Is it Nursing Informatics? Clinical Informatics? or Medical Informatics? Do I need to be an RN or is an LVN good enough to start? It seems to me that the definition of "Informatics" is very fluid and/or undefined! HELP!