What Is Informatics Nursing?

Informatics nursing combines information technology and nursing science in an effort to process patient-related data and assist in making important medical decisions. Informatics nurses monitor large amounts of electronic medical documentation using computer equipment and hand-held devices. These specialty nurses evaluate the overall usefulness of their information technology systems to retrieve data as quickly and accurately as possible.

Informatics nursing mainly retrieves patient information in one electronic format and then manipulates or sends it to another nursing department. Other daily tasks in the informatics nursing world include: applying the nursing process to electronic data to assure patients receive optimal healthcare. Nursing informatics contributes an analysis to the field of research nursing, and processes patient data in accordance with the current research projects' guidelines.

What Is An Informatics Nursing Job Description?

Nursing informatics have trouble maintaining patient privacy while processing electronic data. As society continues to transition into a digital and paperless data system, the medical community continues its contribution to this societal transition by computing all past and current documents into electronic format. Informatics nurses ensure that all patient data remains confidential, regardless of the method of electronic transference employed during the changeover. Informatics nurses must also maintain high ethical standards by preventing the misuse of patient data or releasing patient information without consent.

What Is The Daily Routine For An Informatics Nurse?

Other challenges for informatics nurses include: developing consistent medical chart guidelines, and sharing the chart details among different electronic formats. Informatics nurses accurately report all electronic details while maintaining their roles as nurses during the process. For instance, informatics nurses use adaptable point-of-care technology relevant for the appropriate assessment and healthcare at a patient's bedside.

What Are Some Informatics Nursing Education and Training Requirements?

Prospective nursing informatics nurses must obtain a general degree in nursing and then apply for the certification to work in this field. Informatics nurses must complete computer science courses. Employers desire candidates with postgraduate degrees centered on computerized healthcare data analysis, system project management, and health information and technology integration.

Nursing informatics education programs has grown slowly over time. For instance, many nursing schools offered information technology classes during the 1970s; however, the healthcare field did not focus on nursing computer skills until the 1980s. Nursing informatics developed into a primary nursing education path during the late 1990s. These nursing specialists continue to redefine the field of informatics nursing.

What Further Educational Requirements Are There For Informatics Nursing?

Prospective informatics nurses have a long educational road ahead of them. Most informatics nurses will need to enroll in a traditional LPN program and then bridge into an RN program after completion of the NCLEX-PN exam. Beginning nursing students enrolled into online nursing programs should inquire about the clinical requirements needed to complete the accredited nursing programs at the institution. Online LPN programs and online RN programs may not offer the necessary hands-on training that a nursing graduate would receive at traditional nursing schools. This may present problems when presented with nursing opportunities in a general hospital or clinic. Prospective nursing students should volunteer or apply for an internship to avoid the hassle of finding nurse jobs after completion. Lack of clinical experience may also interfere with the potential graduates' ability to pass the NCLEX-PN or NCLEX-RN examination to obtain their nursing license. Therefore, it's imperative to find accredited nursing programs that offer competent clinical instructors for a promising nursing career.

Do I Need A Bachelor's Degree For A Career In Informatics Nursing?

After obtaining the necessary registered nursing credentials, most healthcare professionals that receive a bachelor's degree in a health-related field can enroll into an informatics nursing certification program. Informatics nursing courses prepare prospective students to manage information systems and work in an administrative healthcare field. An informatics nursing certificate requires the student to obtain a great deal of knowledge about information technology systems and communication, including general nursing information. Informatics certificates are strictly offered at the graduate level. Most universities and nursing schools require prospective students to hold a health-related bachelor's degree; however, some nursing schools allow students to obtain a bachelor's degree in a different discipline.

Information technology has procured cost efficiency as shortages in nurses continue to rise. Therefore, informatics nursing continues to grow with an emphasis on the technological aspects in healthcare. Certification involves academic courses in mathematics, informatics, statistics, data management, project management strategies, team building, information systems evaluation, and database development. Some informatics nurses enroll into a master's or doctoral program in nursing informatics. The American Association of Colleges of Nurses offers information about accredited informatics certificate programs for interested parties.

Many recognizable universities offer nursing informatics certification programs nationwide. These specialty nursing programs are offered as part of the computer science department of any accredited university. Online nursing programs and other non-traditional, for-profit institutions offer informatics nursing courses; however most reputable programs offer certification only to those with a bachelor's degree and clinical healthcare experience.

Prospective students can contact the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) for a comprehensive list of reputable and formal informatics nursing training programs. The American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) offers program information to many countries, and remains as a highly reliable source for those seeking training outside of the United States. Other organizations and associations that assist students in finding informatics certificates include: the American Health Information Management Association and the Healthcare Information Management System Association.

What Are The Jobs and Earnings Projections For Informatics Nursing?

Informatics nurse jobs continue to grow faster than average nursing fields. Job prospects should be very good in the coming decade for candidates possessing a strong comprehension of information technology and computer software. Informatics nurse professions are expected to increase by 20% through 2018. Employment growth will continue as the industry increases its medical tests, treatments, and related procedures. Cancer registrars should be in high demand for nursing informatics as the incidence of cancer continues to increase from an increased elderly population.

Informatics nurses are expected to earn an average salary of $30,610 with the lowest 10 percent making roughly $24,290 and the highest qualified candidates more than $50,000. Most of the competing candidates will find employment in healthcare registrars. Informatics nurses can obtain a career in other areas of the nursing field. Other health care occupations similar to informatics nursing include: medical and healthcare supervisors and medical transcriptionists, although these occupations do not require the intensive training that informatics nursing must obtain to enter their specialization nursing field.