Clinical Informatics
Nurses Interested in Technology
Submitted by Deb Adams, MSN, MSHS, RN-BC, Nebraska Methodist College, Omaha, NE
In the 1800s, Florence Nightingale gathered and analyzed health data, and was known as the passionate statistician. She could be called the first informatics nurse. Data collection was conducted differently in her time than most healthcare institutions in 2017. But, like informatics nurses (IN) today, Florence Nightingale advocated for patient safety and better patient outcomes (Rehmeyer, 2013.)
When modern healthcare workers (including many nurses) think about an informatics nurse, they automatically think of electronic health records and data entry. The role of an informatics nurse in practice is much broader. The American Nurses Association (ANA) Informatics Scope and Standards of Practice define an informatics nurse as the following:
Nursing informatics (NI) is the specialty that integrates nursing science with multiple information management and analytical sciences to identify, define, manage, and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. NI supports nurses, consumers, patients, the interprofessional healthcare team, and other stakeholders in their decision-making in all roles and settings to achieve desired outcomes. This support is accomplished through the use of information structures, information processes, and information technology (ANA, 2015.)
In other words, an informatics nurse is any nurse who uses technology to improve patient outcomes.
As nurses, we are the most frequent user of electronic health records (EHRs), and understand the processes and workflows of everyday patient care. NI positions are not entry-level positions; the nurse must have several years of experience in healthcare, be tech-savvy, and, in many cases, hold a professional degree. There are two ways a nurse can become an informatics nurse. Some nurses start in informatics by showing interest in technology when a facility is preparing to implement an EHR and learn on the job (OJT) by fulfilling the role of a super-user or trainer. This path earns them the title of Nurse Informaticist. To further their careers, the NI heads back to school for a Master’s of Science in Nursing, such as the Nebraska Methodist College - MSN, Nursing Informatics degree, and/or gets certified to; becoming a Nurse Informatics Specialist.
Depending on interests and experience, Informatics Nurses (an NI) may work in a variety of settings: hospitals, clinics, educational institutions, consulting firms, insurance companies, public health organizations, research labs, and a variety of medical software vendors, such as NEHII, EPIC, and Cerner. With the implementation of the Affordable Care Act of 2009, informatics nurses are also in demand to interpret Centers for Medicare and Medicaid services (CMS) Meaningful Use guidelines by working for consulting companies. The guidelines require facilities to document patient care in a certified EHR with the goal of improved patient outcomes.
So, if you are interested in expanding your role as a nurse and have a knack for technology, many avenues will lead you to the realm of Nursing Informatics.
Sources
American Nurses Association. (2009). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice. Washington DC: Author.
MSN, Nursing Informatics. (n.d.). Retrieved April 27, 2017, from http://www.methodistcollege.edu/nursing/master-of-science-in-nursing/ms…
Rehmeyer, J. (2013). Florence Nightingale: The passionate statistician. Retrieved April 27, 2017, from https://www.sciencenews.org/article/floren