aficklin

Also, I thought this webpage was interesting. Not exactly a peer-reviewed journal article, but it has some interesting data on how our current NIs got into the field/what training and education they have had. http://674711443289410500.weebly.com/education.html

No problem. Here are some answers: 1. I don't carry the title of consultant and I am currently employed at an organization here in Omaha. I have met several consultants, however, and it seems if the hours and travel are conducive to your out-of-work lifestyle, it can be really rewarding. 2. I believe the average annual salary for our area is around 70K for experienced nurse informaticists. This is a bit below the national average, but Nebraska also has a lower standard of living, so that is common across all fields around here. 3. If you are interested in getting your foot in the door, definitely reach out to other informaticists. Job shadows are a great idea and many organizations encourage that sort of thing. The ANA has stated that informatics should be a part of all basic nursing curriculum, but it is new enough (still!) that many organizations may not be certain what to do with their informaticists. If you are in nursing school, you will likely need training in the EHRs of all the hospitals/areas where you will do your rotations. This is a great opportunity to talk to the trainer 1:1 on a break -- in some organizations, the EHR trainers also build/customize the system, plan/train for each GoLive, serve on project teams and in some cases, they may even have been a part of the actual EHR selection process. You never know what knowledge that person has outside of the planned curriculum unless you ask! :) Each organization has its own unique culture and process for how their NIs got involved. For some, it was a targeted decision to change careers into NI, for others, they may have been asked to work on a "temporary project" and found it never ended. Good luck in your search!

The pay was certainly increased in my situation, but I would have made the change nonetheless. I have a computer-heavy background and had been looking for a way to blend the two. It is my understanding that some organizations still struggle with what is reasonable payroll for their NI staff and how the role is defined, not to mention through which department should it report (IT, Nursing or some separate EHR-focused department). My guess is that a lot will depend on how much of the organization's operating budget goes to the EHR/IT and how focused the organizational vision is on becoming "wired". :)

The ANA suggests that nurses with masters degrees in informatics carry the title "Nurse Informatics Specialist" while nurses who are board certified without the masters degree should carry the title, "Nurse Informaticist". Frankly, just because the ANA suggests it, doesn't mean that all of our health care organizations will follow this guideline...or even be aware of it. I recently attended a nurse informatics boot camp in preparation for board certification this Summer and one of the instructors has done some research in job titles r/t nurse informatics. She found out of 1200 individual interviews with nurses who held classic informatics jobs (based on job description)...over 800 unique job titles! :) So, as I don't have a Masters yet, I don't know if I fit the qualifications for your assignment, but I have worked a nurse informatics job for the last two years and am happy to answer nonetheless. Feel free to use or not! 1. My current position reports to its own, independent department which was created to support the training and ongoing build/upgrade of our EHR. In addition, this department manages the daily operations of the 80-some individuals who fall into this department. This includes trainers, analysts/builders, nurse informaticists, analytics specialists, project managers & process improvement. ALL of us need to be well-versed in change management/change acceleration. Ultimately, our reporting structure leads to the Chief Information Officer. 2. The advantage of the current reporting structure is that our leadership team (directors, executive directors, etc.) have a great understanding of the functional parts of our EHR including the benefits and challenges, in spite of the fact they don't actually work/document in it ever. This allows us to more simply explain issues when they are revealed and can present more succinct decision documents to change processes when necessary. The disadvantage of this reporting structure is that nursing in general, including role, scope and fundamental purpose can be misunderstood. Many of our leaders are not nurses by background and at times this can make a nurse informaticist feel disconnected from their field. This structure also typically does not encourage things like board certification or nurse's week celebrations as our backgrounds are dissimilar. This can be remedied with an active group of nurses working in these jobs together who strive to encourage all informaticists as a community. As the ANA says informatics should be a part of EVERY nurse's education at every level, we all have a responsibility to encourage those who are new to the field of nursing. I hope this is helpful, guys! :)

I will be taking the Nurse Informatics board certification this Summer. The CE boot camp I recently attended had one LPN working in the field. She worked at a critical access hospital in a rural area. Nursing Informatics jobs can be everything from supporting an existing EHR to monitoring Meaningful Use numbers to the actual selection and planning for a full EHR implementation. I work in a 600 bed facility with 50+ associated ambulatory clinics. I was present for our full EHR implementation and now (2+ years later), I serve as a primary trainer of new hires as well as investigating/standardizing workflows through the organization. This is where I typically use the project manager portion of nurse informatics, which I have found to be really necessary in order to be successful long term. Hope you find this post useful! :)