With scientific advancements, traditional handwritten prescriptions or patient records have been gradually replaced by technological techniques.
If you love caring for patients and still want access to modern technologies, then a nurse informaticist is the right career for you. It makes you interested in working through medical management by applying technology.
It is not only a high-paying job but also a long-term opportunity. So, if you want to learn about this profession, continue reading the detailed article below.
We will describe the profession, job outlook, and salary in detail through the sections below. Scroll down to see more!
Job Description
Although you may have heard of a nurse informaticist, you probably have yet to be able to envision their job description in detail.
It will be difficult if you do not know the difficulties and challenges associated with the career but want to pursue it for the long term.
Let’s follow a nurse informaticist’s definition, duties, and working environment. From there, you will have a more general understanding of this profession.
What Is A Nurse Informaticist?
A nurse informaticist will apply technology to prescriptions, diagnostic records, monitors, and equipment. With this modern combination, nurses will reduce errors and bring more accurate recording information.
Be aware that medical informatics and nursing informatics are two completely different jobs. If nurses can take care of patients, nursing informatics deals with administrative issues, information security, and data.
Therefore, to become a nurse informaticist, you need specific computer skills and a high level of expertise to advance your long-term career.
Once you’ve adapted to the job description, you’ll find things more accessible. Nurse Informaticist is also one of the professions with high income and stable career prospects.
Duties and Responsibilities
Nurse informaticists will have different responsibilities and duties depending on the work environment and position.
Thanks to modern technology support software, they all have the leading role in connecting care and nursing patients. Here are the essential tasks that you need to consider.
- System design
- Project management
- Research new software
- Clinical statistical analysis
- Fix technology problems
- Monitor the progress of projects
- Deployment and evaluation of profile information
- Teach nurses how to set up and use the software
Where Do Nurse Informaticists Work?
The working environment for nurse informaticists is mainly in hospital settings, and you can hold staff positions.
If you accumulate long-term experience and diligently hone your academic knowledge to advance your degree, you can grow to leadership positions as a nursing informatics director.
Nurse informaticists can also work in information technology companies or health consulting services with higher salaries.
Plus, if you are interested in the university and college environment, you can apply as a reporter who conducts research analysis and screening of patients.
Nowadays, with information technology development, the workplace of nurse informaticists is much more open.
Education
To become a nurse informaticist, education requirements are indispensable factors. It will be a valuable measure and help employers select candidates. More and more human resources focus on the nursing informaticist industry.
So, even if there is a shortage of human resources, you still have to prepare the certificates and educational degrees thoroughly.
Education Requirements
Education is a prerequisite to becoming a nurse informaticist. With a master’s degree, you must complete advanced courses in academics and other skills.
Although each school has different teaching methods, most of the specialized knowledge will be available according to the general curriculum, including:
- Database Management
- Informatics Theory
- Data and information security
- Leadership
- Research
- Statistical
- Information system
Work Experience
Experience is essential for the nurse informaticist. The reason is that computer operations and skills will be honed and practiced during the working process.
If you have worked for more than one year in a similar position, you must have mastered the basic job descriptions. A leader or employer always favors experienced candidates over those who have nothing.
Undergraduate programs require one year of clinical experience before admission. If you have an excellent academic record, they will offer you a job as tech support.
Certifications
Certifications guarantee you are qualified to undertake computer-related tasks besides your primary expertise.
You can get a certificate after completing a particular study. Specifically, ANCC will provide credentials of informatics with the following conditions:
- Completed bachelor’s or higher
- Practiced as a nurse for 2 years
- Complete 30 hours of continuing education with 3 years duration
- Practice at least 2000 hours or 1000 hours with 12 credit hours in the last 3 years
- Certificates are valid for 5 years
Essential Skills
In any profession, skills are as necessary as qualifications. If you can stand out in either of these areas, it’s easier to pursue it long-term.
Besides the core knowledge skills taught in school, advanced skills are what we have to draw ourselves after each challenge.
Core skills
- Computer Engineering
- Clinical skills
- Data Management
- Patient care
- Data analysis
Advanced skills
Advanced skills will assess the quality and productivity of each individual’s work. If you possess the skills below, you will surely succeed and achieve higher positions and specific achievements in your work.
- Communication skills
- Leadership skills
- Sensitive thinking
- Critical thinking and problem-solving ability
- Leadership skills
- Deep vision
Essential Tools
Nurses must use software and support tools if they want the monitoring work to go smoothly on technology devices. Of course, pre-installed applications always bring a sure accuracy during use.
Besides, daily nurses can receive and care for different patients simultaneously. With tools, they can remember everything. The software allows users to store a vast data source with high security. Here are the essential tools you can refer to
- Database Management
- Cloud Computing
- Machine Learning
- Predictive Analytics
- Data Visualization
Job Outlook
After the pandemic, the requirements for selecting human resources for the medical field are increasing.
People have become more concerned about their health than ever before. Therefore, nurse informaticists are a popular profession and will still be popular.
After events and losses, we must always be on the lookout for possible further health hazards. Nurse informaticists are the most critical factor in this work.
Nurses were a challenging profession in the past because they had to take on many tasks with only average salaries.
Yet, while technology is developed and available in the medical field, nurses mainly only manipulate and manage their work on technological devices, which is now easier than before.
Besides, with any profession, if there is technology integration, the salary will be higher than the traditional way.
Salary
According to statistics, the income for a nurse informaticist ranges from 56,372 to 97,376 USD. The average figure is usually around $75,939, which could increase by 16% through 2024.
Also, the Bureau of Labor Statistics forecasts that careers related to informatics and systems analysis will grow by 21% by 2030.
Your salary and income depend entirely on your ability, qualifications, and qualifications. The longer you work, the higher your pay will be.
Different companies and medical institutions will sometimes offer different base salary brackets. Therefore, the number is only a standard for your reference and comparison.
No matter how scarce a profession is, you can only increase your income to your ideal level if you meet the basic requirements.
Constantly update yourself with core knowledge and advanced skills to be confident about your chosen path.
Advantages and Disadvantages
Every profession has its pros and cons, including nurse informaticists. Understanding the pros and cons will help you quickly make your decision.
When you become a nurse informaticist, you will receive many favors and benefits from your workplace. When dealing with patients, if they are satisfied with your care, you may receive a higher income based on your performance.
- Annual bonus
- High income
- Promotion opportunities
- Career prospects
- Medical allowance
- Contact with many people
- Diverse working environment
- Massive workload
- Busy time
FAQs
What can I make in this field?
As mentioned above, a nurse informaticist is a job with a diverse working environment and high prospects.
Therefore, you can work in healthcare companies, colleges, or universities as a researcher and consultant besides medical facilities.
Is a job as a nurse informaticist suitable for me?
To find out if you are a good fit for a nurse informaticist, you need to pay close attention to the job requirements and skills I outlined above.
Nurse informaticists will require employees to have analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
How to become an informatics nurse?
To become an informatics nurse, you need to do the following steps
- Pass the NCLEX exam
- Prepare all permits and certificates
- Participate in an industry-related program
- Earn a bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing
- Determine where you want to work
- Find out the requirements of the place and proceed to follow each goal
How long does it take to become a nurse informaticist?
With a BSN degree alone, it takes you four years to get it. Also, to get a master’s degree, you will need a few more years. Therefore, seven years is the average time to become a nurse informaticist.
Yet, it depends on your ability, as you will shorten the time quickly if you are good enough to pass the level.
Are nurse informatics promising careers?
Nurse Informatics is a promising career because of its high income, human resource needs, and long-term prospects.
Can an informatics nurse work from home?
Although informatics nurses often work in institutions or companies, this is still possible if they want to work from home. You need a background in clinical nursing and electronic health records.
How much do informatics nurses make?
Informatics Nurses have the highest salary of up to $185,500, with an average of about $79,500. But it’s just a statistic, and this number can be higher or lower depending on your performance.
Is being a nursing informatics difficult?
Nursing informatics is a difficult and complex profession. You not only need to have patience for patient care but also certain computer knowledge. You must become a nurse informaticist with one of these two factors.
What are the demands for nursing informatics?
Nursing informatics requires you to have programming skills, work with electronic records, solve problems quickly and surely, and be sensitive in communication and problem analysis.
Can I become a nurse informaticist from home?
Working from home with a nurse informaticist is challenging because of its many barriers.
It would help if you had long-term skills, experience, quality staff, and modern machinery and software systems. Yet, everything is still available if you can build a fast workflow.
Career Advice
Pursuing a career in any profession will also be a challenging task. With the nurse informaticist, it will be more difficult for you to simultaneously handle technical skills and advanced information.
Regardless of challenges, if you have passion and enthusiasm, everything will be solved quickly, and you will come closer to your dream career.
Thank you for reading!