Clin_Informatics_RN

Thank you, @Lisa Brooks for this article. I am also an informatics nurse, and I would like to share the path I took to enter the field of Nursing Informatics. Just a bit of background about me... About 20 out of my 24 years as an RN have been in informatics. When I completed my post-RN BSN in 2000 (after being an RN for 3 years), I wanted to continue my studies in healthcare IT (Nursing Informatics was a little foreign in the industry during that time from my perspective). Educational opportunities in healthcare IT were also quite limited back then. I ended up enrolling in an intensive diploma program in applied IT, where I learned about e-commerce, programming languages, databases, and IT best practices. I was fortunate enough to secure a job before I even graduated in late 2001; I was the first in my class to do so. I worked for a medical imaging software company as a clinical applications trainer--being a nurse definitely helped me get the job even though I didn't know much about medical imaging workflows. I was part of an implementation team that traveled all over the US, Canada, and France to roll out the software in medical imaging departments. I wanted to learn as much as possible, so I offered to help my "techie" co-workers build the hardware and configure the software whenever I was available. I also became knowledgeable and skilled in project management and learned a lot about the intricacies of data exchanges between the different systems within the hospital. Three years later, I got a job in Nursing Informatics to lead an order entry system implementation, which was part of a larger EHR project for a multi-campus hospital system. From that point on, I have been involved in clinical IS or EHR implementation (across the systems development life cycle, including education and training), informatics-related patient safety investigation, and EHR data reporting for regulatory and accreditation compliance (my current position). As alluded by others, within the field of Nursing Informatics (NI), there are essentially several sub-specialties. Those who are just starting or trying to get into NI, don't give up, especially if you already completed your MSN in NI. One important thing to consider emphasizing on your resume and in interviews is that even IF you don't have a lot of industry experience in informatics, I'm quite sure you have many transferrable skills to apply to whatever informatics position you are seeking. Oh, and an updated LinkedIn profile may help. That's how I got connected with a great NI job nine years ago. ?

This is a biased response (as I've been an informatics nurse for over 18 years), but I think you should continue exploring nursing informatics ? if you are really interested in technologies in health care. Do you need to have a Master's degree to get into informatics? It isn't a requirement, but it makes you more marketable if you do have it. If you're unsure about pursuing a graduate degree in nursing informatics or if that's something that is not economically feasible; then you can also consider doing a certificate in health/nursing informatics first to kinda' test the waters without having to spend a lot of money and energy on grad school. I suggest getting involved in anything EHR-related at your work--maybe consider becoming a "superuser" or perhaps shadow somebody who is currently in informatics at your workplace, if that's possible. Watch this quick video about nursing informatics; this would give you some idea if nursing informatics specialty is really for you: There is a continuous push for data sharing and health information exchange, which has driven over 95% of hospitals across the United States to implement and optimize the use of EHR technologies. Hence, there are opportunities out there in informatics, especially for those with clinical backgrounds. I work with a nurse who did not have any informatics background and was hired as an EHR-related patient safety investigator right after completing her master's degree in nursing informatics. I've worked with other nurses who were hired without any formal informatics background but were very keen on technologies. Sometimes, it's just a matter of luck too... Hope this insight is helpful ?

Similar to what the others said, working in informatics is very different than bedside nursing. Instead of working with patients directly, you work around or within the interaction between technologies, processes, and people in health care (I.e., informatics triad). I think you need to ask yourself if you have the passion or are really interested in working with that informatics triad. With your experience and educational background as an RN, you probably have a good foundation on the "people" (clinicians and support staff) and "process" (clinical and business processes) aspects of informatics. I don't know about your IT or IS background, but for the "technologies" piece of this triad, you would need strong knowledge and skills in this area. Even within informatics, there are many jobs or subspecialties. In my case, for example (I have been in this field for over 18 years), I have worked as a medical imaging software trainer, EHR implementation project coordinator, builder of an order entry module, EHR-related patient safety investigator, and a compliance analyst to satisfy federal and state EHR-related mandates (e.g., Promoting Interoperability Program, Inpatient Quality Reporting Program, etc.). I've loved my professional journey as an informatics nurse. Currently, because I'm not involved in direct patient care, I have been working from home full-time since March (and more likely to become a full-time setup once we're over the pandemic), and I really like this work setup... I'm just sharing the path I've taken in informatics to give you a perspective; I'm sure others have different experiences.

I just did the NI certification exam today and passed it, so I thought I'd share some tips with you. I used Informatics Nurse Exam Secrets - Study Guide by Mometrix Test Preparation. I found this study guide to be concise, although I think this would be ideal for nurses with some background in informatics already (obtained through coursework and/or field experience). I only used the study guide above. I also work in health informatics and have been involved in multiple clinical IS rollouts in the past plus I've taken few courses in informatics in the past (years ago), so I was able to draw from my experience and knowledge in project management, systems implementation, and data management. Having said all these, I still found the exam quite challenging because of how the questions were laid out. There were 175 questions. Lots of situational questions around systems deployment planning, evaluation, training, policies, and standardized terminologies. I also found that there were numerous questions about team dynamics and theories about group development. And of course, you get IT-related questions about computers, data, databases, and interoperability. Lastly, I think it's really helpful to have good test-taking skills -- like always focusing on the key words in the question so you don't get lost in the middle of answering those questions and distracted by the multiple answers that all seem to be correct :)