Five Things to Consider to Become a Nurse Informaticist
So many nurses these days are asking about nursing informatics opportunities. These nurses come from different backgrounds and specialties. Some are bedside clinicians who may have had enough of working short-staffed shift after shift. Others are advanced practice nurses who are looking to venture into other fields. What is surprising to me is a handful of travel nurses who have expressed willingness to let go of their high-paying travel assignments in exchange for getting into the narrow door leading to nursing informatics positions.
Here are the links to the podcast of this article: https://spotifyanchor-web.app.link/e/B1iXBzXZmxb and https://open.spotify.com/episode/7hoDIA4aBFGaXJxgYMx7qY?si=14f9d67fc31a461c
Defining the Practice of Nursing Informatics
Nursing informatics, come to think of it, is not really that new in the truest sense of the word. In fact, it has been officially recognized as a nursing specialty back in 1992 by the American Nurses Association. The Nursing Informatics Scope and Standards of Practice 3rd edition defines it as:
If you are like me, you may be more familiar with the 2nd edition’s definition which in part states that:
In nutshell, a nurse informaticist (NI) is a vital part of the healthcare team. This is despite the fact that not many people truly understand the important role they play in a clinical setting. To explain that role simply, nurse informaticists serve as the bridge between clinicians and information technology (IT) folks.
Innovations in healthcare demand collaboration from various stakeholders. The upper leadership team is responsible for approving the project including the timeline, the budget, and every detail in between. IT team members are able to identify tools, devices, and applications that are relevant to practice. Vendors from innovation companies provide the technology specific to the healthcare organization’s (HCO’s) needs. Frontline clinicians serve as subject matter experts (SMEs) in defining workflows. Finally, the NIs sit in the middle of them all to help facilitate technological advancement.
NIs serve as the catalyst in that multi-disciplinary project management team. They interpret the clinicians’ needs to the IT staff because NIs understand workflows. They advocate for tools that will complement the workflows and not the other way around. The NIs educate the end-users during the implementation of the innovation so they use the technology efficiently.
With that being said, what are some things to consider to become a nurse informaticist?
Value your Expertise as a Clinician
Millennials are often known as technology natives. They are comfortable tinkering with computers, smartphones, and other innovations. It makes sense, therefore, to conclude that they will make the best NIs.
In a way, this is very true. Being at ease with technology is a plus, for sure! However, those who may be from Gen X or even the Baby Boomers shouldn’t give up hope that they can also become NIs. Why, you ask? Let me tell you.
Experienced clinicians develop their expertise through years and years of practice. They are the kind of nurses who can spit out a specific workflow even if you wake them up in the middle of their sleep. Sure, some may encounter challenges when it comes to technology. However, seasoned nurses should not use that as a convenient excuse whenever they discuss about innovations.
Understanding the workflow is paramount! One cannot advocate for the right technology if he or she doesn’t understand how that would make the workflow more efficient and beneficial for the patients and the clinicians.
Volunteer to Become a Superuser if new technological tools are introduced
The clinical skills of frontline nurses are invaluable whenever innovations are proposed. As stated above, the tools, devices, and or applications need to complement the clinicians’ workflow. Therefore, there are no better persons to tap as superusers than those who are working in that specific field.
What do I mean by that?
You will prefer to have an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) nurse as a superuser if you are introducing ventilators, for example. They understand the appropriate use, troubleshooting mechanisms, etc. Will a Medical-Surgical nurse be as effective? Maybe not so much.
Being a superuser provides one the opportunity to speak up if the innovation does not appropriately address the need of the patient population. Superusers can also suggest how to effectively carry out end-user education. In a nutshell, SUs are the local SMEs. After all, they are the experts in their own field of nursing practice.
Be Excited in Sharing Your Knowledge
Once the analysts and IT people finish procuring the devices or building the application, end-users have to learn how to use them. NIs then teach the frontline clinicians. During major technological undertakings such as moving from one electronic health record (EHR) to another, some frontline nurses also help with the education of end-users.
More than just reading the lesson plans prepared by the trainers, unit nurses cum educators have an advantage because they can cite real-life examples. If talking about bar code scanning, for instance, they can share their own relevant experience about near-misses.
Clinicians share their knowledge not only by teaching the EHR. Nurses also present some unit-specific continuing education topics. Other ways to do this include conducting evidence-based projects and disseminating the results to affected clinicians via a PowerPoint, poster, or podium presentation.
Represent Your Unit in Shared Governance Councils
Most HCOs now enjoin the active participation of frontline clinicians in Shared Governance (SG) councils. They serve as the voices of their respective units or departments in advocating for changes that will benefit both the clinicians and the patients. They affect change in terms of practice, innovation, research, and the like.
Anthony, in her article for the Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, stated:
SG models were introduced to improve nurses’ work environment, satisfaction, and retention.
SG empowers frontline nurses to speak up regarding what works and what doesn’t work in their respective settings. This presents healthcare team members with a forum where they are able to identify shared experiences and lessons learned.
Volunteer to Help When QI or EBP Projects are Implemented
Needless to say, clinical practices evolve. For this reason, clinicians strive to initiate quality improvement (QI) or evidence-based projects (EBP). Healthcare teams may need to complete several processes prior to completing the project. These processes include data gathering, implementing the intervention, and measuring the outcome after a considerable amount of time.
They usually request nurses who are willing to assist in any of the processes mentioned above. For someone interested in becoming a nurse informaticist, therefore, this is a great opportunity to grab.
Most probably, they will be tapped to complete the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) method to implement changes in the clinical areas. They will learn skills such as managing spreadsheets, completing reports, and collaborating with other team members, sometimes even with higher leadership. Aside from helping out in the project, the involvement in implementing innovations opens doors for networking.
NI Roles and Responsibilities
The Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) has an extensive list of qualifications for a prospective NI. Some of those include:
- a baccalaureate degree in nursing (minimum)
- some experience in the clinical settings
- a valuable team player
- good communication skills, etc.
The same article also mentioned some of the common job titles that may be considered under the NI or clinical informatics umbrella. The most common ones are:
- clinical informaticist
- analyst
- project manager
- chief informatics officer, among others.
So, to answer the lingering question of most interested parties, having an advanced degree and/or certification is not a prerequisite. Having said that, there are HCOs that prefer applicants with those qualifications.
As far as salary is concerned, there are some working in the field who state that they had to take a pay cut. On the other hand, there are a few who mentioned that they actually made more than their usual base pay. The caveat to this is, just like any other nursing salary, it may be dependent on the locale, and may even be organization-specific. One thing to bear in mind regarding this is:
We are at the very least proficient or even experts in our previous roles. Coming into an NI role, however, we start as novices in the field. Remember Benner’s Novice to Expert theory? Our earning may therefore be commensurate to that fact.
Conclusion
There are many avenues how to become a nurse informaticist. While others believe that an advanced degree or a certification is necessary, that is not essentially true. Maybe you have the right clinical background. Other times, the HCO may be looking for instructors for technology being introduced. If you have established yourself as a valuable part of the team, they may zero in on hiring you.
A nurse informaticist is resourceful and a go-getter. It goes without saying, therefore, that the nurses aiming to become one in the future have to also be resourceful. Ask questions, network with the right people, and step up to the plate when help is needed in the organization. In a nutshell, be an active leader who seeks opportunities to be an instrument for change. Don’t just be a passive observer who hopes that one day he or she will end up landing that dream NI job.
This is my own story about how I became a nurse informaticist. Please feel free to ask questions below if you are really curious about what is NI and how to become one.