Informatics Nurse: 5 Steps to Successfully Become one
Digital records, data management, and data analysis for care have all had an influence on health care. For decades, charts hanging on patients’ beds were replaced by computers. That’s why informatics nurse is in urgent need recently. In this article, we are going to introduce information about informatics nurses to bring you a closer look at this type of nurse as well as know the steps to become one.
1. What is an informatics nurse?
Informatics nurse is a term that is used to describe the combination of nursing care and technology in health care settings. A nurse informaticist is a qualified nurse that has the background of not only nursing skills but also advanced knowledge of technology and information system. Informatics nurse work can work in different facilities and under various titles namely nursing informatics clinicians, clinical informatics coordinators and IT clinical nurses.
2. What does an informatics nurse do?
The responsibilities of a nurse informaticist are based on which healthcare setting he/she is working at. However, the informatics nurse is represented as a connection between patient care and technological applications.
Informatics Nurses utilize data to assess trends, spot potentially harmful medical mistakes and adopt user-friendly, patient-centric innovations that help nurses be more efficient in their jobs. The area of informatics guarantees that technology is a consistent part of nurses’ everyday jobs, and in an increasingly digital culture, it is critical for healthcare to stay up.
Besides, they are also responsible for quality control and systems development of healthcare services. When new technology is deployed, they are also in charge of providing necessary training to clinical professionals. Other frequent jobs that occur on a daily basis include program administration, clinical data analysis, and policy authoring.
In addition, in terms of work duties, 44% of Nurse Informaticists consider system implementation to be one of their top priorities. Tasks connected to the usage and optimization of these systems are also high on the list of responsibilities, with slightly more than 41% of nursing informatics professionals performing this work on a continuous basis.
Nurse informaticists are also in charge of building systems that might improve the quality of care; however, only around 34% of professionals work in this field.
This position entails a considerable lot of leadership responsibilities. So, around one-third of the nursing informatics in the HIMMS research stated they manage at least one worker, while the remaining 20% claimed they manage between one and five staff.
3. How to become an informatics nurse?
Becoming a nurse informaticist requires you to have not only an excellent nursing background but also a strong technological aptitude. Other necessary characteristics are problem-solving and analytical thinking talents, a questioning mind, good communication skills, and the ability to organize and manage. In order to be an Informatics nurse, you must complete the 5 basic steps below:
3.1. Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing
A Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree is likely the bare minimum for a job in nursing informatics. Clinicals are a component of nursing education in which student nurses are supervised in rotating settings within a hospital as part of their education. If you are studying online, most colleges will assist you in coordinating your clinical locally.
3.2. Complete the licensing exam
To practice as a licensed registered nurse, you must first take and pass the National Council Licensure Exam for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN).
>> Read more: NCLEX-RN Exam
3.3. Obtain a master’s degree (optional)
While some entry-level roles may not require a master’s degree, the concentration and expertise you get in a master’s program in health informatics may broaden your abilities and knowledge in the industry. Health information systems, data management, health legislation and ethics (such as privacy regulations), and other topics may be covered in class.
3.4. Pass the American Nurses Credentialing certification exam
This grants you the RN-BC Informatics Nurse Certification, which may be required for certain employees. This certification requires 1,000-2,000 hours of informatics nursing experience, 30 hours of informatics continuing education within the past three years, two years of full-time RN experience, and a bachelor’s degree.
3.5. Maintain your continued education
To keep their licenses current, all nurses must complete a set number of hours of continuing professional education. The prerequisites for RN licensing will vary by state. Check with your state’s nursing board.
4. How much does an informatics nurse make?
With occupations for registered nurses estimated to climb 7% between 2019 and 2029, roles for informatics nurses and other RNs are expected to expand. In 2021, the median annual salary for registered nurses was $73,330.
In the 2021 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey, which HIMSS administers every three years:
- 63% of the 1,359 respondents reported their base yearly pay ranged from $61,000 to $115,000.
- 49% reported earning more than $100,000.
- More than 80% were extremely happy with their work decision.
- 10% were dissatisfied with their current situation.
- Less than 5% were dissatisfied with informatics as a professional option.
A higher degree of schooling also benefits an informatics nurse’s salary. More nurses had ADN/LPN or BSN degrees in the $61,000-$85,000 category, but at every level higher, the majority had a master’s degree or higher. In addition, 56% of nurses with informatics certification earned more than $100,000, compared to 39% who were pursuing certification and 40% who were not.
5. FAQs
5.1. Where does an informatics nurse work?
Informatics nurses can find work in hospitals and other healthcare institutions, insurance companies, universities, consulting businesses, enterprises, and state and federal governments.
5.2. What are the 3 science involved in nursing informatics?
Nursing informatics is a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, and knowledge in nursing practice.
5.3. What are nursing informatics skills?
Informatics skills were categorized as management, system requirements and selection, design and development, fiscal management, implementation, analysis and evaluation, and system maintenance.
5.4. What is the future of informatics?
Building secure data sharing platforms to protect sensitive data will be a future trend in health informatics. For data security, computer systems will be encrypted and upgraded. The exchange of electronic data interchange would be facilitated through secure gateways.
5.5. How would a nurse use health informatics in patient care?
EHRs collect and analyze healthcare data, allowing for better diagnosis through communication. The HITECH Act funded healthcare institutions and practices to use EHRs in order to decrease duplicate medical testing.
In conclusion, the information above is about Informatics nurse, what are they, what their responsibilities as well as how to become one. If you are interested in this type of nurse, start your preparation by taking our NCLEX Practice Test now!