What is Nursing Informatics and How Do I Become an Informatics Nurse?

What is informatics? 

Informatics is a broad field, but in simple terms, it’s the study of information. It encompasses the study, design and development of information technology, focusing specifically on how people interact with and use data. The goal of informatics is to transform data into knowledge that can be used in various fields like business, science, and healthcare. 

What is an informatics nurse? 

An informatics nurse is an RN who specializes in combining nursing science, information science, and computer science by overseeing data collection and analysis and sharing knowledge of nursing practice that can make the data more meaningful in real-world healthcare settings. The primary goal of nursing informatics is improving the health of specific populations by optimizing helpful health information and disseminating it through proper communication processes to ensure that healthcare organizations can take action related to findings. 

What does an informatics nurse do? 

Known as nurse informaticists or clinical informatics specialists, professionals in this field play a pivotal role in selecting, launching and managing healthcare information systems such as electronic health records (EHRs) systems and clinical decision support systems (CDSS). 

An informatics nurse is responsible for analyzing healthcare data that is collected to find trends, ways to improve patient outcomes, and inform clinical decision-making practices. Nurse informaticists are also responsible for training healthcare staff in effectively using new technologies. They aim to increase efficiency and reduce healthcare errors by enhancing processes and workflows using technology. 

As a nurse informaticist, your primary role will include: 

Selecting, implementing and maintaining EHR systems

Informatics nurses work hand-in-hand with IT professionals to develop and implement EHR systems and other related healthcare technologies. This could involve customizing EHR systems to meet the specific needs of your healthcare facility’s providers and patients. 

Managing and analyzing data

Nurse informaticists collect, manage, analyze and protect clinical data. They use this data to find ways to improve patient care and increase efficiency in healthcare operations.

Training healthcare staff

As a nurse informaticist, you will be responsible for implementing new technologies and this involves training healthcare staff to ensure they properly adopt and use new initiatives. 

Improving quality

In an informatics nurse role, you will be a part of, and perhaps even lead, quality improvement processes that use information gleaned from data to impact clinical practice, patient outcomes, and efficiency of your organization. 

Security and compliance 

In a nursing informatics role, you’ll be responsible for ensuring that healthcare information systems are in compliance with industry standards and federal regulations. This includes protecting data privacy and security of patient information. 

How to become an informatics nurse

The first thing you should do when trying to determine if you’d like to enter the field of nursing informatics is to assess your own skills and interests. Do you like working with data and have an interest in technology? If you answered no, nursing informatics probably isn’t the best job for you. Identify your own strengths and determine if they fit well with a nursing informatics role. 

Additional things you can do to better prepare yourself for a role in informatics nursing: 

Get the right education

In order to become a nurse informaticist, you will need to have an RN license at minimum. This may mean going back to school in an LPN to RN Bridge program or LPN to BSN Bridge program before you will be considered for an informatics job. There are a lot of great options for LPNs that will allow you to study and earn your degree while you continue working. 

Earn additional certifications

If you want to put yourself a step ahead of other applicants for nursing informatics roles, it might be a good idea to earn specialized certifications related to the field. Obtain a Certified Informatics Nurse (RN-BC), Healthcare Information Security and Privacy Practitioner (HCISPP),  Registered Health Information Technician (RHIT), or Certified Healthcare Data Analyst (CHDA) for example. 

Gain practical experience

Keep your eyes out for opportunities within your current role that will give you experience working on informatics projects. This might mean participating as part of an implementation team for a new EHR system or other healthcare technology implementation. This will give you some hands-on experience and provide you an opportunity to see how a technology roll out happens in a real work environment. 

Start networking with other nursing informaticists

Join organizations like HIMSS (Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society) or the ANIA (American Nursing Informatics Association). These organizations will allow you to get to know others in the field, and may even provide job opportunities in nursing informatics in the future. They also provide great opportunities for additional education in the field through webinars, speakers, and other means, and they allow you to stay up-to-date on the latest trends in the field. 

Update your resume and apply for jobs

Ensure that your resume is tailored to nurse informaticist roles. Highlight skills, education, certifications, and any relevant experience. Apply for jobs using your professional network and job boards, and make sure you update your cover letter for each opportunity — highlighting both our nursing experience and informatics skills. 

Find a mentor

Seek out an informatics nurse mentor who can help guide you as you work to transition from a floor nurse or nurse manager into a career as a nurse informaticist. 

Importance of Nurse Informaticists

Informatics nurses play an important role in helping to bridge the gap between healthcare and information technology. As a nurse informaticist, your unique blend of clinical experience and technical skills can use data to drastically impact healthcare efficiency and quality of care. 

Jobs for in healthcare informatics are expected to grow around 16% per year for the next 10 years according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, and professionals in this field command a high salary. According to a recent HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey, 60% of informatics nurses earn more than $100,000 annually. 

Informatics nurses will become increasingly important as healthcare continues to evolve. Emerging technology such as AI, machine learning, and telehealth will offer new opportunities and challenges that will require nurse informatics expertise. Nurse informaticists ensure that we are able to use technology to its fullest potential and impact healthcare for all.