Nursing Informatics Workforce Salary And Benefits Report
Nursing informatics has become an increasingly crucial role in the field of healthcare. Nurse informaticists use clinical knowledge, nursing and informational science to develop and maintain systems that enhance clinical workflows and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes. Since 2004, HIMSS has surveyed the nursing informatics community every three years to understand the roles, responsibilities, and value of the informatics nurse professional. This survey captures the experience and background of nursing informatics professionals while also identifying changes that have occurred in the profession over the past 16 years. This document is intended to serve as a companion resource on salary and benefit information for the nursing informatics workforce.
Informatics Nurse Job Outlook
While the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not offer statistics for Informatics Nursing at this time, they have assessed overall growth for Registered Nurses throughout the next ten years. According to the BLS, employment of RNs is likely to rise 7 percent by 2029. This growth is due to the ever-increasing emphasis on preventive care in our nations healthcare system.
Great Jobs In Health Informatics
There are many subsets of the health care industry where someone with a masters in health informatics could apply their knowledge. Lets take a look at some of the jobs in this area of expertise that stand out as paying particularly well, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics . Please note, however, that some job titles in health care informatics may have additional or different qualifications on a case-by-case basis.
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Earning A Master Of Science In Nursing Can Help You Reap The Benefits Of This Rewarding Field
Theyve been called the hybrid heroes of healthcare.1 They are nurse informaticists, who use their knowledge of nursing and technology to manage and communicate health information.
If youre dedicated to nursing but also love technology, computer science, and innovation, then nursing informatics may be right career for you. Here are eight reasons why you might choose a nursing informatics career:
As information technology advances, so do the opportunities for nurse informaticists to drive innovation. A career in nursing informatics can put you on the cutting-edge of nursing, computer, and information sciences as you use your knowledge to optimize health records, streamline workflow, and help improve patient care. Nurse informaticists use their communication skills to collaborate widelywithin their organizations and with subject matter experts in the field. Job duties are multifaceted in a field thats always evolving.
In the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Societys 2020 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey, more than three in four nurse informaticists said they are highly satisfied with their career choice.2Overall, the results of the survey indicated that most professionals are burning bright with potential rather than burning out, the HIMSS reports.1 Over 1,300 nurse informaticists responded to the survey.
Nursing Informatics Salary By State

The following lists Nursing Informatics salaries in each state around the country. The figures are based on the total number of job postings by employers through Indeed.com. For example, DC had the largest quoted salary of $110,000 while Hawaii had the smallest quoted salary of $54,000.
Alaska$65,000 |
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Two Informatics Nurse Salary Factors
If you are planning a career as a nurse informaticist and are interested in optimizing your earnings potential, the most direct way of doing so is by pursuing an advanced degree in the field, or obtaining a certification.
Most of the Masters- and Doctoral-level programs offer the ability to continue to pursue your education while working, offering the dual benefit of adding to your years of experience in the field.
Earning your nursing informatics certification is another valuable way of adding to your earning power: Not only does it often result in increased compensation, but can also open the doors to career advancement and management positions that pay higher salaries. In fact, 41% of the respondents to the HIMSS survey who earned their certification report having advanced to a new role, with more than half switching roles within a year of certification.
Analytics Positions In Health Informatics
Analytics and data science play a prominent role in health informatics, and positions in this focus area include entry-level and leadership roles, including:
- Clinical informatics specialists use digital technology and data to support health care services. They analyze patient information, operations data, information generated by claims and billing, and data related to clinical care to drive organizational improvements. Some clinical informatics specialists earn about $78,000 while others earn a lot more.
- Health data scientists build systems that clean, convert and analyze data to support organizational and clinical decision-making. They may have to work with many different types of information, including clinical data, financial data, patient records, business operations data and research data. Data scientists in health care typically earn about $115,000, though early-career data scientists usually earn less.
- Health data quality managers , sometimes referred to as quality assurance managers, are responsible for data hygiene. They create data quality protocols, participate in data governance practices, data application, collection, analysis and warehousing and ensure there’s always high-quality data for analysis. Average DQM salaries are about $89,000.
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One Nursing Informatics Salary
What is the average nursing informatics salary?Payscale.com reports the average salary of an informatics nurse as $79,720 or $35.49 per hour however, the 2020 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey found that 49% of nurse informaticists were earning salaries above $100,000. This is up from 45% in 2017 and 33% in 2014.
Federal Law Requires Changes In How Nurses Keep Records
With the passage of the 2009 stimulus bill by Congress, the paper records systems used by healthcare providers for more than a century and the system in which most nurses have been trained started to come to an end. Part of that bill called upon medical providers to switch their healthcare records from paper to electronic medical records in order for a facility to continue receiving Medicaid and Medicare payments.
The benefits of electronic healthcare records are many. It makes patient information more quickly accessible by medical personnel, for example, and will streamline payment systems and transactions with insurance companies and government agencies. As of 2017, nearly 9 in 10 of office-based physicians had adopted HER with nearly 4 in 5 having adopted a certified EHR. according to the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, which began tracking adoption of certified EHRs by office-based physicians in 2014.
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What Can I Do With A Masters In Health Informatics
What is nursing informatics? What is health informatics? What is healthcare informatics? These all represent terms for the same category of information engineering. When trying to figure out what is nursing informatics or what is health informatics when applied to other disciplines outside of nursing, people can find the differing terms confusing.
However, in all cases, healthcare informatics represents the integration of scientific data and information technology to improve healthcare while also sometimes serving to lower the cost of healthcare. That is essentially the health or nursing informatics definition, and from that definition, it is possible to glimpse some of the benefits of nursing informatics.
What Is Healthcare Informatics
Healthcare informatics really represents many disciplines that fall neatly under the healthcare informatics umbrella. So, when someone asks what is health informatics or what is healthcare informatics, they are really asking for the broad definition for what these terms mean.
Healthcare informatics will usually deal with health and medical information. Because of that broad definition, an applicant can start to see just how nebulous and far-reaching this particular discipline can become.
Anything from record-keeping to full IT administration can fall under the purview of healthcare informatics. Health informatics also deals with various sciences, which is important because the healthcare field includes a tremendous number of biological and physiological subcategories that intersect with even more categories, such as chemistry.
Is health informatics a good career choice? Yes, once there is an understanding of what is health informatics and why is it so important, it becomes quite clear this field is an excellent choice, especially right now. These facts also make pursuing a Masters in Healthcare Informatics worth it as well.
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Salary Range For Nursing Informatics
The salary range for nurse informaticists varies widely depending on the platform. As of Apr 12, 2021, the average annual pay for an Informatics Nurse in the United States is $102,230 a year, according to ZipRecruiter.
However, PayScale.com reports an average salary of $84,744 per year for the same profession, while Salary.com reports an average of $90,690. However, as of 2017, the HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey found that 46% of respondents earned an average base salary of more than $100,000 each year.
States That Offer Nurse Informatics The Best Salary

Location can often play a large factor in determining your salary as a nursing informaticist. Its important to note that the overall cost of living typically influences an increase in the average salary rate. However, it is also influenced by the demand for nursing, as well as the ratio of healthcare employers.
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What Is The Salary Potential In Nursing Informatics
The salary potential in informatics nurse salary is very good as this is a growing field with a lot of potential employment. In this century, nursing and healthcare are completely connected to informatics and technology, so nurses must stay up to date on their training and education. Nurse informaticists work in many different settings, including clinics, hospitals, universities, consulting firms, large organizations, and various healthcare facilities. Because nursing informatics is such a broad field, it offers an equally wide range of employment opportunities each offering very good salary potential.
How Nursing Informatics Salaries Compare To Other Nursing Jobs
Several factors contribute to a higher than average earning potential that goes well beyond the jobs role. A higher level of education, additional certification, and years of experience will make a difference when earning a higher salary.
Although not a requirement, nursing informaticists are encouraged to receive a higher level of education than a typical Registered Nurse to work in the field of nursing informatics and require a significant amount of experience to receive certification in this field.
These factors alone will contribute to a nursing informaticists salary being higher than other nursing jobs requiring as much additional education and experience.
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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
About The Nursing Informatics Workforce Salary And Benefits Report
Respondents identified their current base salary as of December 2019 within a salary range. Nearly half of respondents reported an annual salary over $100,000, which is a small increase from 2017, when 46% indicated a salary over $100,000, and an even larger increase from 2014 when only 33% of respondents had a salary over $100,000. More than a fifth of nurse informaticists reported making between $86,000 and $100,000, while the largest portion23%made between $61,000 and $85,000. The largest increase was in the $116,000 to $130,000 range, with 11% indicating their salary fell in this range as compared with 8% in the 2017 survey and just 4% in the 2014 survey.
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How Much Do Informatics Nurses Make
Payscale data in April 2022 indicates that nurse informaticists earn an average salary of $79,790, with salaries ranging from $61,000-$98,000. However, survey data from a 2020 HIMSS report found that 49% of informatics nurses earned over $100,000. This figure has risen from 33% in 2014, demonstrating that wages continue to increase.
Nursing Informatics: Salary Qualifications And Job Duties
Nursing informatics is a relatively new field that can command a more substantial salary than other registered nurse subspecialties. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, which categorizes nursing informaticists with other health information technologists, the . While Indeed Salaries doesnt yet have salary data for nursing informaticists, a clinical informaticist earns an average salary of $78,104, but since March 2020, these professionals have earned an average salary of $140,357per year.
With credentials in informatics, your job opportunities may expand as well, because nursing informatics can employ more technical skills than nursing skills, allowing you to explore technical jobs outside of hospitals and private practices. In this article, we explain what nursing informatics is and how much nursing informaticists can earn compared to other technical nursing salaries.
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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.
Duties Responsibilities Requirements Certifications Job Outlook And Salary

Although many people may not be familiar with their role and responsibilities, Informatics Nurses fill a vital role in the healthcare industry. Thanks to their service, a number of healthcare technologies have advanced quite rapidly, including computerized provider order entry , electronic medical records , test results, progress or nursing notes, medication records, and more.
Weve created this career guide to help you develop a better understanding of the Informatics Nurse profession. One of the most notable aspects of choosing this career is the potential to complete your duties from the comfort of your own home. In fact, this nursing specialty is featured among our list of the top work from home nursing jobs.
Continue reading to learn more about the requirements, responsibilities, training, salary, and job outlook of Informatics Nurses.
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What Are The Types Of Careers Available In Health Informatics
Healthcare informatics jobs and nursing informatics jobs exist in abundance. The careers available span the entirety of the healthcare field, which is a large one. Since healthcare informatics jobs are both healthcare and information technology jobs, the healthcare informatics job description is not one that is always the same. Some healthcare informatics jobs can include:
- Health information technologist
- Chief medical information officer
- Electronic medical record keeper
Depending on experience and degree level, every informatics or informatics-related job can also come with increasing job titles. A health information technologist can lead to a health information director. Nursing informatics jobs offer just as much versatility and growth as any other informatics occupation.
Because of the nature of the informatics industry, it is also possible to go in non-traditional routes with the degree or certification. For example, nursing informatics jobs work from home opportunities. However, this can only work if the nursing informatics jobs work from home job descriptions indicate that an applicant will only handle data and entering that data into health information systems.
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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Examination Licensure And Certification
Certification in informatics can be completed concurrently within the MSN/DNP program or obtained via independent study from the American Nurses Credentialing Center or other learning institutes. Eligibility for certifications obtained outside of an MSN/DNP program can differ, and students are encouraged to research requirements when choosing an educational institution.
The ANCC offers board certification for nursing informatics. Eligibility for certification include:
- Hold a bachelor’s degree or higher
- Have practiced as a registered nurse full time for two years
- Have completed 30 hours of continuing education in nursing informatics within three years before certification
- Have met one of the following practice hour requirements:
- Have practiced a minimum of 2,000 hours in informatics nursing within the prior three years
- Have practiced a minimum of 1,000 hours in informatics nursing in the last three years and have completed a minimum of 12 semester hours of credit in informatics courses that are part of a graduate-level nursing informatics program
- Have completed a graduate program in nursing informatics that includes a minimum of 200 hours of supervised practicum
Certification is by exam, and the credential is valid for five years.