What They Do
An informatics nurse specialist combines technology with clinical nursing practice. The basic responsibilities of an informatics nurse specialist are: selecting the technology used in a healthcare facility; educating the staff of a healthcare facility concerning how to use new and current technology; customizing the functionality of such equipment to best meet the needs of the specific healthcare facility; and researching and meeting the technology needs of the specific healthcare environments.
Informatics nurse specialists generally have a background in clinical nursing and therefore understand the workflow of the nursing environment in a variety of settings. This can include medical and surgical units, emergency care departments, intensive care units, continuing education environments, and long-term care and rehabilitation facilities.
The goal of an informatics nurse specialist is to help healthcare practitioners to provide the best patient-centered care by using communication and information technology. There are many variations of technology and equipment used in medical environments. Informatics nurse specialists must know how to use and work with: data infrastructure, workflow technology, communication and information technologies, and technology management software and tools.
Career Growth
The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that the number of professionals in the computer systems analyst occupation will rise 25 percent by 2022. Even more growth is expected in healthcare because of the increased use of electronic health records, e-prescribing and other uses of technology.
An informatics nurse specialist can be either a registered nurse or an informatics nurse who has earned a Master of Science in Nursing degree, generally with a concentration in informatics. The Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society offers certification via its Certified Professional in Healthcare Information Management Systems (CPHIMS) exam. The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) also offers a computer-based certification exam.
Salary Potential
HIMSS reports that 30 percent of organizations have some kind of nursing informatics staff. As of 2014, the average salary of an informatics nursing specialist was around $100,000, according to the same data reported by HIMSS. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that, in general, computer systems analysts make around $79,700 a year as the median salary. This is general data, however, and does not specifically target healthcare positions.
Education Required
Informatics nurse specialists are required to have licensure and professional experience as registered nurses and, generally, need a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (or the equivalent) in order to pursue further, advanced education in nursing informatics. HIMSS offers no lower-level certification in nursing informatics. However, graduate programs like the Master of Science in Nursing offer concentrations in informatics for nurses who are interested in pursuing careers in this field.
A Master of Science in Nursing program that offers a concentration track in informatics covers subjects that are directly relevant to career advancement. The programs focus on computer science, nursing research and education. Skills like analyzing data, evaluating the efficacy of medical information systems, and designing and maintaining these kinds of systems are covered as well.