Also called:
Clinical Informatics Specialist, Digital Diabetes Research Officer, Nursing Informatics Specialist, Registered Nurse Clinical Information Systems Coordinator (RN Clinical Information Systems Coordinator)
Since the health care industry has made the move to electronic health records, a lot of tech-savvy nurses have found their niche as Informatics Nurse Specialists. This career combines their experience as nurses with technology know-how to keep up with the industry’s demand for accurate, timely data. These specialists may test new software that helps nurses make healthcare decisions, or create a better structure to store and retrieve patient records. They may develop new policies and procedures for using electronic records software, and train nurses on how to enter patient data. In all they do, they make sure that their electronic healthcare system observes patient privacy standards while meeting the needs of their facility. Informatics nurse specialists work closely with nurses, although their focus is on the needs of patient groups rather than on one-on-one care. They’re likely to have a desk, but use others’ computers for demonstrations or to set up and update new software. Typically, informatics nurse specialists have a bachelor’s degree in nursing and some work experience before entering the field, since it’s easier to train a nurse in electronic health records than to train a technology whiz on health care. As the field grows, more employers will likely seek candidates with advanced degrees in fields like healthcare management. Nurse informatics specialists make sure that medical professionals can obtain critical information at a second’s notice- when they need it the most.
What they do:
Apply knowledge of nursing and informatics to assist in the design, development, and ongoing modification of computerized health care systems. May educate staff and assist in problem solving to promote the implementation of the health care system.
On the job, you would:
Translate nursing practice information between nurses and systems engineers, analysts, or designers, using object-oriented models or other techniques.
Apply knowledge of computer science, information science, nursing, and informatics theory to nursing practice, education, administration, or research, in collaboration with other health informatics specialists.
Design, develop, select, test, implement, and evaluate new or modified informatics solutions, data structures, and decision-support mechanisms to support patients, health care professionals, and their information management and human-computer and human-technology interactions within health care contexts.
Business
customer service
management
Engineering and Technology
computers and electronics
product and service development
Education and Training
teaching and course design
Arts and Humanities
English language
Basic Skills
reading work related information
listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
Problem Solving
noticing a problem and figuring out the best way to solve it
People and Technology Systems
thinking about the pros and cons of different options and picking the best one
figuring out how a system should work and how changes in the future will affect it
Verbal
read and understand what is written
communicate by speaking
Ideas and Logic
make general rules or come up with answers from lots of detailed information
notice when problems happen
Math
choose the right type of math to solve a problem
People interested in this work like activities that include helping people, teaching, and talking.
They do well at jobs that need:
Attention to Detail
Cooperation
Analytical Thinking
Integrity
Dependability
Initiative
You might use software like this on the job:
Medical software
eClinicalWorks EHR software
Epic Systems
Presentation software
Microsoft PowerPoint
Object or component oriented development software
Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services SSRS
Perl
bachelor's degree or master's degree usually needed
Get started on your career:
New job opportunities are very likely in the future.