Since the inception of the digital age, healthcare organizations have focused on using technology to improve patient care. For over 30 years, nursing informatics has been recognized as a specialty. Nurses can enter the field by completing a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree program at a college or university with an accredited nursing school. If you are a working nurse, you may want to enroll in an online RN to BSN program like the one available at Mississippi College (MC).
What Is Health Informatics?
Health informatics is a discipline that combines the practice of nursing with computer science. Health informatics is also known as nursing informatics. Nurses use information technology to improve the quality of patient care. The following examples illustrate the role of nursing informatics in healthcare:
Share information faster and more easily.
Process patient documentation more efficiently.
Organize patient care.
Obtain clinical data and evidence-based research.
Validate decisions made by nurses and other healthcare professionals.
Manage healthcare costs.
What Is the Role of an Informatics Nurse?
The role of an informatics nurse is to collect, analyze, manage and communicate data for use in the delivery of patient care. Here are a few other job titles for an informatics nurse:
Clinical analyst.
Clinical informatics coordinator.
Director of clinical informatics.
Informatics nurse specialist.
How Do You Become an Informatics Nurse?
Informatics nurses have completed a BSN degree program and passed the National Council of Licensure Examination (NCLEX) to become a registered nurse (RN). After gaining clinical experience as an RN, you can continue your preparation by taking nursing informatics courses. Then you can apply for informatics nurse certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC).
Where Do Informatics Nurses Work?
Generally, informatics nurses work in a healthcare organization’s information systems department. They can be found in a variety of healthcare settings:
Academic institutions.
Healthcare consulting firms.
Hospitals.
Government.
Military.
Pharmaceutical companies.
Research facilities.
Are You Thinking About an Informatics Degree Program?
Mississippi College (MC) offers a 100-percent-online RN to BSN bridge program for working nurses. The program has flexible class scheduling so you can study at your own pace. You may complete the degree program in as few as 12 months. The pay-by-course tuition makes the program affordable for nurses with other financial obligations. Financial aid may also be available to qualified students.
The curricula in the MC online RN to BSN degree program include a Healthcare Informatics course. In this class, students learn about the application of informatics systems in the following areas:
Nursing.
Administration.
Education.
Healthcare.
Research.
Students will develop the information literacy skills needed for competency in the workforce. They will receive instruction on how nurses and other healthcare professionals can work efficiently, allocate resources effectively and enhance patient outcomes by incorporating nursing informatics into their working environment.
Nursing informatics allows for fast access to patient information and clinical data. With the introduction of health informatics courses in BSN programs, nurses acquire the preparation that enables them to apply technology to their nursing practice. As the healthcare system becomes more complex and challenging, the use of information technology can facilitate communication, reduce the chance of errors and produce positive patient outcomes.
