Learn More About Nurse Informaticists
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West Texas A& m University
West Texas A& M University offers a Master of Science in Nursing degree program online from the College of Nursing & Health Sciences. This comprehensive MSN degree program prepares nursing students to operate at advanced nursing levels. Degree graduates find rewarding careers in various healthcare environments, which include outpatient clinics, educational facilities, or nursing administrative leadership roles.
West Texas A& M University is a public institution of higher learning that opened in 1910 as a teachers college funded by the state of Texas. The schools 342-acre campus is in the greater Amarillo area and is home to more than 10,000 students. West Texas State became a member school of The Texas A& M University System in 1990.
Degree: Comprehensive MSN
Ten Nursing Informatics And The Future
Nursing informatics incorporates knowledge of multiple disciplines. It offers the opportunity to have an impact on patients, the public, and healthcare professionals. Candidates who have a mix of nursing, information technology, communication, and organizational skills are in high demand for jobs in this field.
Theres no doubt informatics is here to stay. Nurses who love computers, information systems, and data management would be smart to plug into this specialty and leverage those skills and experiences for an exciting and well-paying nursing career path.
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Six What Is The Career Outlook For Nursing Informaticists
According to the BLS, in 2021, there were 3,080,100 registered nurses in the United States. By 2030, there will be a need for additional 276,800 nurses, which is an expected growth of 9%. With the aging population, nurse burnout, and the increasing number of nurses leaving the bedside, this number is expected to be even higher.
A 2014 report by Burning Glass projected that demand for health informatics professionals will grow at twice the rate of the overall workforce, creating more opportunities for professionals who want to work in this facet of health care.
Since the implementation of the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act in 2009 and the Patient Protection and Accountable Care Act in 2008, there has been an increased need for technology-based nurses.
The American Medical Informatics Association estimated an increased need for 70,000 nursing informatics positions due to the ongoing technological advancements and requirements regarding healthcare.
Chief Nursing Informatics Officer
This executive position provides leadership to the entire nursing informatics team, as well as collaborates with both nurses and administrative leaders in a medical facility to guide the overall direction of nursing technologies.
Key job duties:
- Identifying informatics strategies to support clinical nurses and improve patient safety
- Understanding the latest evidence-based research on nursing practices to incorporate with technology
- Creating a strong, IT-based communication process between nurses and other healthcare workers
- Serving as a liaison among healthcare administrators, health IT workers and clinical healthcare workers
- Evaluating new technologies and staying informed about health and technology regulations
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Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist
A certified registered nurse anesthetist is an advanced practice registered nurse who specializes in anesthesia. Certified registered nurse anesthetists can determine which anesthesia to give a patient based on their medical records, administer anesthesia to patients before surgical procedures and monitor patients after they receive anesthesia to ensure their safety. They can also communicate with other members of the medical staff to make sure each patient receives the attention and care they need. Nurse anesthetists can work in any medical facility that provides surgical procedures or other procedures that require anesthesia, but many work in hospitals or private practices.
The national average base salary for certified registered nurse anesthetists in the United States is currently
Training For Nurse Informaticists
Nursing informatics combines a number of disciplines. These professionals must understand nursing science, of course, as well as communication, computer science, information science, and a slew of other disciplines. Degree programs exist for this specialty, typically BSN-to-MSN programs.
These nurses have an advantage over many others in the field in that they enter the field of nursing informatics with experience under their belts. Their advanced degrees put them into a position to step into roles, like nursing educators or chief information officers. These jobs put them into a position to earn a higher salary, as well as enjoy the prestige that comes along with such a career.
Sample curricula in this degree track include:
- Foundations in Nursing Informatics
- Essentials of Advanced Nursing Practice Field Experience
- Advanced Information Management.
These nurses must also be prepared to fulfill any prerequisites that their masters program requires. Their graduate program may require them to have taken coursework in project management, leadership, statistics, research, clinical information systems, and database management to name but a few.
Additionally, many of these degree programs are online, which offers busy professionals the flexibility they need to pursue their career goals and to continue working at the same time.
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Exposure To The Real World Of Informatics
Engage with informatics leaders in the community through:
- Faculty have informatics leadership roles at Intermountain and/or extensive experience in the NI role
- Seminars
- Special events
Practicum experiences and placements:
- We help students find practicum placements that meet their goals
- We have a strong partnership with the University of Utah Healthcare, Intermountain, Utah Department of Health, and the VA, all of which are potential sites for practicum experiences.
- Students have opportunities for practical experiences if they take optional credits.
Is A Job As A Nurse Informaticist For Me
Nursing informatics is a great career for nurses who also have an interest in technology and the data crunching that usually comes along with it.
To be a good fit for a nurse informaticist role, strong communication and analytic skills are a must, says Sullivan. Its also important to have the ability to solve problems and adapt to clinical challenges. A huge advantage is knowledge in the field of computer programming.
So, if youre someone who enjoys coming up with innovative solutions to problems using data and technology, a nurse informaticist role might be ideal for you. You might really enjoy career informatics if you thrive on the challenge of finding solutions.
Other traits and skills that can come in handy include:
Leadership
Empathy
Adaptability
Its a demanding and sometimes challenging career, but it gives you a lot of space to grow, Sullivan says.
If that sounds ideal to you, right now is a great time to join this exciting field. Youll be joining a growing field, and youll have the opportunity to make lasting change in the hospital or health system where you work.
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Where In The Us Is A Nurse Informatics Degree Worth The Most
Several areas all over the United States offer higher-than-average pay for nursing informaticists, including the Midwest, New England, and the Southeast. Lets take a look at the average pay for nursing informaticists in some of the top-paying areas of the United States, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2019:
- New York: $92,770
Its important to note that these statistics have a focus on the high-paying metro areas. You can find high wages in several other metropolitan areas all across the country, including on the West Coast. While California is not on the above list, its important to note that California has the highest wages for RNs overall.
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University Of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
The MSN Informatics program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus allows nurses to combine their clinical expertise and interest in clinical informatics. Students will refine their nursing skills while learning a considerable amount of computer and information science skills and organizational theory. The MSN program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is an entirely online program that involves the completion of an MS in core graduate nursing, core Informatics, and 6 credits of specialty informatics courses. Whats especially great about this program is that it can be completed in as short a time as 2 years. This enables graduates to reach new heights in their current workplace or start a new job with plenty of specialized training.
The MSN program at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus is fully accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education . This program has been issuing degrees through online programs for over 20 years. Whats unique about the MSN program is that students are given learning guides that outline all the content for each course so students can achieve the intended outcomes. Each learning guide is carefully crafted according to each students experience in the field of Nursing Informatics.
Degree: MSN Informatics
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How Much Does An Informatics Nurse Make
This guide explores everything you need to know about nursing informatics salaries.
Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?
Nurse informaticists, sometimes called informatics nurses, work in the interdisciplinary area of information technology in healthcare organizations. They organize patient care software and electronic medical records, using their clinical nursing knowledge to optimize these systems.
This page explores nurse informaticist salaries using data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and other sources. Individuals wondering “How much do nurse informaticists make?” can learn about general pay expectations and factors affecting nurse informaticist salaries below.
Additionally, NurseJournal features resources on hohow dow to become a nurse informaticist and an overview of the career.
Resources On The Nursing Informatics Job Outlook
- Nursing informatics specialist: about $85,000
- Clinical informatics manager: about $96,000
The following are among the U.S. cities where informatics nurses earn salaries higher than the national average, according to PayScale.com:
- Dallas: 49.5% more than the national average
- Louisville, Kentucky: 4.2% more
Cities where informatics nurses have salaries lower than the national average include the following:
- Pittsburgh: 11.2% lower than the national average
- Philadelphia: 9.9% lower
- Columbia, South Carolina: 2.1% lower
Salaries for clinical informatics managers are higher than the national average in these cities:
- Boston: 34.1% higher than the national average
- New York City: 10.9% higher
- Baltimore: 5.8% higher
The following cities report clinical informatics manager salaries lower than the national average:
- Grand Rapids, Michigan: 26.7% lower than the national average
- New Orleans: 7.3% lower
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Healthcare It Project Manager
Primary duties: Healthcare IT project managers work with healthcare facilities to implement new IT systems. They develop and propose plans, identify any required resources and oversee the completion of deliverables until the entire project is done. Their expertise enables improvements in informatics systems with minimal disruption, error or delay.
How To Become A Nurse Informaticist
The path to becoming a nurse informaticist involves education, examination, licensure, and certification.
Graduate With a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Pass the NCLEX-RN Exam to Receive RN Licensure
Complete Required Nursing Experience
Apply for Your Nursing Informatics Certification
Advance Your Career With a Graduate Degree
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How To Increase Your Salary As An Informatics Nurse
Informatics RNs can earn a higher annual salary with increased years of experience. Based on reported salaries, the following years of service can earn,
As with all jobs in the nursing field, earning potential increases with additional education and experience. In many health systems, nurses get raises during annual employee performance reviews.
The nursing informatics certification can give nurses an additional bump in their paycheck after completion. In fact, some jobs will require this certification within a specific number of years of starting a position.
Career Scope And Prospects
The American Medical Informatics Association estimated that up to 70,000 health informatics specialists will be needed across the healthcare system over the next several years.
According to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society , nearly half of nurse informaticists indicated having a salary of over $100,000 in 2017, which is a 13% increase from the salaries reported in 2014. Additionally, 53% of nurse informaticists with a post-graduate degree earned over $100,000 compared to the 37% of nurses who only held a bachelors degree.
Graduates of the MS in Nursing Informatics program are prepared for a number of employment opportunities such as Clinical Informatics Nurse, Informatics Nurse Specialist, Director of Clinical Informatics, and RN Clinical Applications Coordinator, as well as the American Nurses Credentialing Center Informatics Nursing Certification Examination.
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One What Is Nursing Informatics
Informatics nurses are registered nurses who work at the intersection of technology and nursing. Nursing informatics is a specialty of nursing that combines knowledge of nursing, communications, computer science, and information science. Nurses who hold nursing informatics jobs use their clinical backgrounds as well as their computer and organizational skills. They analyze and develop the health systems that nurses in the clinical setting use.
Nursing informaticists typically need at least a BSN degree, but a masters degree is preferred, and some go on to earn their doctorate.
The International Medical Informatics Association, a special interest group on nursing informatics, says nursing informaticists integrate the practice of nursing into health systems to promote the health of people, families, and communities worldwide.
According to the 2020 HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey, a few interesting statistics about nursing informatics include,
What Is An Informatics Nurse
Nursing informatics combines nursing, IT, and information sciences to develop medical data systems to help nurses carry out their responsibilities in the safest and most efficient way.
All healthcare practitioners share the common goal of improving patient care outcomes. Informatics Nurses, however, focus on nothing else by constantly improving patient care systems through data and technology.
Three foundational pillars underscore Informatics Nursing. Those pillars are data, information, and knowledge. Their primary function is to develop or implement various information technologies within their facilities to improve communications between nurses, patients, and other healthcare administrators.
Informatics Nurses must also wear multiple hats as educators, researchers, software engineers, and nurses. Finally, by combining data analysis with their healthcare knowledge and expertise, they can help develop evidence-based policies and procedures for various types of medical facilities and healthcare organizations.
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What Are Some Specific Duties Of Nurse Informaticists
The HIMSS report found systems implementation, such as choosing and developing new technologies and training nursing staff to use them, as the most common job duty. Other typical tasks include informatics education, project management, system development, and quality initiative planning and reporting.
How Much Can I Make As A Nursing Informatics Specialist
The average salary for a registered nurse is $70,000 per year, or $33.65 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The average salary of a registered nurse with a BSN will rank on the upper end of that estimate compared to a nurse with an associates degree only. Earning a masters degree helps qualify you for advanced roles in healthcare administration, leadership and management. The BLS reports Medical Health Services Managers make $113,730 per year on average, and estimates workers employed in General Medical and Surgical Hospitals specifically earn an average of $122,460 yearly.
How much you make depends on the state you work in, your place of employment, and the relative demand for nursing informatics specialists in your area.
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What Can I Make In This Field
The salary of a nurse informaticist depends greatly on your level of education and the type of job you do. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics doesnt track salary data for nurse informaticists specifically. However, it does classify them under the larger category of all other health information technologists, medical registrars, surgical assistants, and healthcare practitioners and technical workers.
The BLS reports that the average salary in this category is $58,60. It also reports that the top 10% of earners in the category make an average of $103,430. While there isnt data tracked for nursing informaticists specifically, data from the HIMSS survey suggests that nurse informaticists salaries are among the top salaries in the broad category.
Fast Facts About Nurse Informaticists
- The 2020 average annual nursing informatics salary is $79,790 or $35.11 an hour.
- Nearly half of nurse informaticists report an annual salary of more than $100,000.
- Nurse informaticists who earned their certification or received graduate degrees reported higher earnings than those who did not.
Sources: Payscale, April 2022 | HIMSS 2020 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey
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University Of Illinois Chicago
One of the Midwests best online nursing informatics programs is at the University of Illinois, Chicago Nursing School. An MSN Informatics degree from the University of Illinois Chicago can open doors for many excellent positions in the Nursing Informatics field Director of Nursing Informatics, Nursing Informatics Analyst/Specialist, Clinical Informatics Coordinator, and more in health care provider offices, insurance agencies, medical software firms, and more. Lead the future of American healthcare IT with a degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago Nursing School in MSN Informatics. This school is accredited by the CCNE, so a degree from the University of Illinois, Chicago is recognized and respected at schools and other institutions everywhere.
Graduates from the University of Illinois, Chicago can make a difference in the modern American healthcare system and perhaps even the entire world. Those with MSN Informatics degrees from one of the best online nursing informatics MSN programs, like the one from the University of Illinois, Chicago, go on to assist organizations with developing and applying wise healthcare informatics strategies and achieve optimized patient care.
Degree: MSN Informatics