Nurses can pursue career opportunities in a variety of fields. Tech-savvy nurses interested in numbers may want to consider a career in nursing informatics. A registered nurse (RN) can become a nurse informatics professional by completing a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN). An MSN is the preferred level of education for most nursing informatics jobs.
What Is Nursing Informatics?
Nursing informatics integrates health data, clinical knowledge and technology to help nurses provide quality patient care. To reduce the number of medical errors, make informed decisions, promote efficient communication and improve patient outcomes, nurses rely on informatics. Two types of nursing informatics technology used in healthcare are:
- Computerized provider order entry (CPOE)
- Electronic medical records (EMRs)
Why Is Nursing Informatics Important?
Nurses need accurate patient information to deliver safe care. Nursing informatics allows nurses quick access to pertinent information so they can determine how to proceed with treating patients. Documentation from nursing informatics may include the following:
- Patient histories and health statuses
- Allergies
- Imaging results
- Lab tests
- List of medications
- Notes from physicians and interdisciplinary team members
What Are Four Nursing Informatics Jobs With Salaries?
The titles for nursing informatics jobs vary. All salary information is from PayScale.com, as of March 2019. Here are four nursing informatics jobs with average yearly salaries:
- Informatics nurse – $77,410
- Clinical analyst – $67,705
- Nursing informatics specialist – $85,191
- Nursing informatics analyst – $80,305
What Is an Informatics Nurse?
Informatics nurses apply their clinical nursing experience to ensure the optimization and proper function of electronic medical records and software. They also are a liaison between the clinical and information technology (IT) staff and vendors who sell computers and software. These nurses work at hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, research facilities and healthcare consulting firms. Their duties include:
- Implementing hardware and software
- Training nurses how to use technology
- Customizing software for user preferences
- Troubleshooting problems that occur with information systems
- Updating systems
- Gathering data
- Developing reports
What Is the Job of a Clinical Analyst?
Through the application of information systems, clinical analysts create a process for efficient workflow and regulate nursing standards in healthcare organizations. They must follow organizational guidelines and comply with federal, state and local laws. Clinical analysts work in hospitals, clinics and other healthcare-related organizations. A clinical analyst performs these tasks:
- Records data
- Interprets data
- Creates programs and databases
- Solves issues
- Stays current on relevant laws and regulations
What Is the Role of a Nurse Informatics Specialist?
Nurse informatics specialists are well-versed in nursing science and information technology. They work with the IT department to build information systems. The medical data documented in information systems is used to help nurses, physicians and other healthcare professionals make clinical decisions. Work settings for nurse informatics specialists include hospitals, colleges and universities, medical vendors and consulting firms. A nurse informatics specialist’s job consists of:
- Configuring and managing software
- Designing the components of information systems
- Identifying and correcting clinical information system problems
What Do Nursing Informatics Analysts Do?
Nursing informatics analysts are responsible for examining information used to support patient care plans. They must be comfortable working independently and have the ability to multitask, prioritize projects and meet deadlines. Hospitals are the common workplace for nursing informatics analysts. The job of a nursing informatics analyst entails:
- Communicating with healthcare personnel
- Formulating research methods
- Analyzing statistical data
The main goal of nursing informatics is to elevate the quality of healthcare and increase the chances of patient recovery. Tech-savvy RNs with strong analytical skills are good candidates for nursing informatics. If you are an RN with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN), you can enroll in an online MSN in Nursing Informatics program to prepare for a career in this specialty.
Learn more about NSU’s online MSN in Nursing Informatics program.
Sources:
PayScale: Clinical Analyst Salary
Discover Nursing: Informatics Nurse
PayScale: Average Informatics Nurse Salary
All Nursing Schools: Nursing Informatics Specialist Job Description & Career Outlook
ExploreHealthCareers.org: Nursing Informaticist
RegisteredNursing.org: Nursing Informatics
PayScale: Average Nursing Informatics Analyst Salary
Nurse Journal: Nursing Informatics Career & Salary
Nurse Journal: Average Nursing Informatics Specialist Salary
