What now?

rninformatics, DNP, RN · Jul 29, 2010

CONGRATS on getting your MSN!

Forgive me and no disrespect intended but this questions begs to be asked. You are at a loss for what to do with your degree?

I council everyone that before investing their precious time, energy, resources and money they should have some idea about what it is they want to do in informatics and what their career goals are .........other than having a "love" of computers........ which is admirable but not doing your homework in this area leads to - being "at a loss for what to do with your degree"

So what is it YOU want to do? While studying what areas seemed to hold your interest the most?

What do you enjoy doing in nursing? Do you like managing people and find it easy to coordinate new projects? Perhaps you want to look at Project Management???

Do you enjoy working independently and are very detail orientated? Perhaps you would do well as an analyst building systems for organizations.???

Do you enjoy interacting with people and seeing that light bulb come on when someone "gets" what you have been trying to communicate? Maybe you would be a good Clinical Systems Trainer/Educator

Do you like change, are comfortable in new situations, like to trravel and work well under pressure? Maybe you should look into consulting ..........after you have had a few years of informatics practice experience.

Again CONGRATS and Good Luck!

Well, I have passed my comp exam and filed my intent to graduate for my MSN - NI degree. I've been a nurse (not too much at the bedside though) for 12 years. Now I am just really at a loss for what to do with this degree. I love computer work...which is why I specialized in this area of study. Any suggestions from those in the field?

bambi227 · Jul 29, 2010

No disrespect taken and I appreciate your advice...

I probably should have been a little more broad in my question. I am currently a PI analyst for a hospital system and to an extent, I use my computer knowledge on a daily basis. Much of my work is building system level dashboards and analyzing the data. As well, I am a trainer for Crimson and am learning Midas. I love my work and plan to use this position to get as much experience as I can. However, once I do get the background, I would like to advance since this is not as high on the career ladder as I would like to be eventually and I hope my newly earned degree can take me to the next level. I would just like to know what I can expect a few years down the road with the experience + degree. Or maybe the better question would be where to look once I am ready to venture out?