What is Nursing Informatics?

What Is Nursing Informatics?

• Answer:

  According to the University of Maryland School of Nursing, individuals learning nursing informatics become responsible for the combination of nursing science, computer science and information science. They help bring system information, nursing knowledge and data into the nursing field. A nurse working in nursing informatics is responsible for translating the needs of patients and staff into computer programs, so that the technical support can understand and enhance the productivity of nursing care. Education Prospective individuals that want to enter the field of nursing informatics are required to have at least a bachelor's degree in Nursing. In order to work in the nursing informatics field, individuals need to earn a master's degree in nursing informatics or in a related field, such as health informatics or biomedical. Skills Individuals entering the field of nursing informatics must have excellent verbal and communication skills. Anyone entering this field needs to have developed a strong knowledge and ease working with computer information systems and have a solid grasp of the English language. Environment Working in nursing informatics means that individuals will be working in an office environment while sitting for long periods of time. Conditions are well-lit and the temperature is comfortable in all weather conditions. Nurses spend most of their day translating patient care needs into easy-to-read computer applications. Duties Nursing informatics professionals will not only be responsible for logging data into computers, but will also need to implement changing procedures and policies for new programs and testing scenarios. Nurses also need to be able to process changes and teach new applications to trainees. These professionals ensure that report findings are easy to understand, they provide technical writing support to others and they document technical specifications and solutions that meet published requirements. Certification The American Nurses Credentialing Center offers a Certification in Nursing Informatics. To earn this certification, nurses are required to have a bachelor's degree and two years of RN experience. They need to have completed 2,000 hours working in nursing informatics within the past five years.