What Is a Nurse Informaticist?
In 1992, the American Nurses Association (ANA) officially recognized informatics as a new specialty, and the scope of this role has expanded and evolved since then. Nursing informatics combines data science with nursing expertise. These specialists use innovations to improve patient care and support nursing practice. But, what is a nurse informaticist?
Medical informatics is a broad data science field that combines pharmacy, biomedical science, and public health. Nursing informatics applies data specifically to the field of nursing and the ways that nurses can improve patient outcomes through ongoing systems-level innovations.
The role of nurse informaticists includes these three competencies:
- Computer skills: Conducting searches for information, retrieving patient data, and using information technologies to improve care.
- Informatics knowledge: Understanding the value of nursing data, ethical considerations in computer systems, and clinician involvement in healthcare systems design.
- Informatics skills: Interpreting information flow, developing standards, and conducting research and data analysis.
If you’re interested in data analytics and you’re looking for a non-bedside role, this might be a great path for you. Informaticists work for health tech companies, hospitals, public health groups, and more, using their expertise to guide systems improvements. Let’s explore what else a nurse informaticist is responsible for, and what you might expect from this career.
What Does a Nurse Informaticist Do?
You’re probably wondering, What is a nurse informaticist actually responsible for? For starters, they don’t generally work with patients. Instead, they gather and analyze data to understand clinical problems from the system level.
They also act as resources when staff need education and support, and are constantly aiming to improve the safety and quality of healthcare. Here are three main types of tasks that a nurse informaticist might do, as well as examples for each one:
1. Projects: These involve several members of the healthcare team, as informaticists help implement new changes to technology systems.
- Improving documentation systems in the electronic medical record (EMR) at a large hospital
- Introducing new remote monitoring tools within a home health agency
- Developing a new patient portal or MyChart system for patients to access system-wide
2. Education: Orienting and educating staff on systems changes.
- Rotating to units throughout the hospital as a new EMR system is rolled out
- Becoming a superuser, or resident expert, in a new glucose monitoring tool, so they can educate staff on troubleshooting
- Holding in-service sessions to show an improved way to document pressure ulcer screenings
3. Support: Helping patient-facing staff integrate changes into their processes.
- Helping staff make informed decisions about alerts that auto-populate on the medication administration record (MAR)
- Troubleshooting when a physician needs help navigating a new patient portal
- Supporting the patient registration team as they implement a new billing software
How Do Nurse Informaticists Interact With Other Professionals?
As a nurse informaticist, you’ll work with every member of the healthcare team to help them understand and use new technology. But what is a nurse informaticist expected to do to support the team?
You might be educating a physician on how to use a new order set one day, and then working with a division manager to pull data on patient discharges the next. Every role in healthcare uses technology, and nurse informaticists are essential for supporting team members in systems changes.
Types of Nursing Informaticists
Nurse informaticists can hold a range of roles within healthcare systems and private companies. They may go by these titles:
- Informatics nurse
- Nursing informatics specialist
- Clinical analyst
- Health informations officer
- Chief nursing informatics officer
- Chief nursing officer
What Is a Nurse Informaticist Salary?
How much does a nurse informaticist make? The average annual salary for an informaticist is around $97,600. Your salary will depend on the area you work, your experience, and certifications.
How to Become a Nurse Informaticist: 5 Steps
To become a nurse informaticist, you’ll need to first become a registered nurse, and then get additional education and specialized skills. Here are the five steps to follow:
Step 1: Go to Nursing School
The journey to becoming a nurse informaticist typically begins with earning a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degree. You might also start with an associate degree in nursing (ADN) and go back for your BSN or into an accelerated ADN-MSN program.
During nursing school, you’ll gain knowledge that’s fundamental to clinical nursing and informatics. You’ll take classes on research, public health, ethics, specific specialties, and more. These classes lay the groundwork for your future role in nursing informatics.
Step 2: Pass the NCLEX-RN
After graduation, you’ll need to take the National Council Licensure Examination for RNs (NCLEX-RN). Passing this standardized test will make you a registered nurse. This test includes questions on clinical judgment, so you’ll want to thoroughly prepare before taking it.
Step 3: Gain Clinical Experience
Most companies that hire nurse informaticists want to see clinical experience. This foundation of patient care will help you understand the ways that your work as an informaticist impacts clinicians and patients. Many new graduate nurses choose to go directly into acute care, because it’s a great place to build skills and critical thinking.
Step 4: Earn Your Master’s
A master’s in nursing (MSN) is the next step to becoming a nurse informatics specialist. Most MSN programs are flexible, and many are online, so you may choose to remain working while going back to school. In these programs, you’ll take classes like clinical data analytics, data communications, systems design, and more. If you’re not ready for the investment of an MSN program, there are also certification programs for bachelor-prepared nurses to help you enter the field of informatics.
Step 5: Get Your Nurse Informaticist Certification
Nursing informatics is constantly evolving as technology advances, and innovations like AI in medicine shift the way that care is delivered. Continuing education certifications and courses can help set you apart as an informaticist, growing your expertise and your salary. Here are three of the leading certifications currently available to nurse informaticists, and the requirements you’ll need to meet for each:
ANCC Informatics Nurse Certification (NI-BC): Must be a BSN-prepared nurse with at least two years of experience, have completed 30 hours of continuing competency in informatics in the past three years, and meet one of these practice requirements:
- Completed at least 2,000 of informatics nursing practice in the past 3 years
- Practiced at least 1,000 hours of informatics nursing in the past 3 years, and completed at least 12 hours of academic credit in informatics courses at the graduate level
- Completed a graduate program in informatics with a minimum of 200 hours of faculty-supervised practicum in informatics nursing
Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Certifications: These are not specific to nurses, but HIMSS is a leading organization in healthcare IT education. You’ll need to take a certification exam to become certified. They have several different certifications whether you’re a new or experience nurse informaticist:
- Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS)
- Certification Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS)
- Certified Professional in Digital Health Transformation Strategy (CPDHTS)
Project Management Certifications: Hiring managers love to see applicants who can build and manage plans for implementing technology. As a nurse informaticist, project management certifications can build your leadership skill set, and increase your competitive advantage in nursing informatics. For example:
- Lean project management maximizes value while keeping waste to a minimum.
- Six Sigma project management aims to improve processes, minimize waste, and increase customer satisfaction.
Check Out Fresh Opportunities Across Nursing Specialties
Now that you can answer the question, What is a nurse informaticist, you might also be curious about other specialty nursing roles. Sign up for nursing job notifications to get updates on new opportunities in your area.