A nurse informatics salary potential is very good as this is a growing field and is an in-demand job with many employment options. In this century, nursing and healthcare are connected to informatics and technology, so informatics nurses must stay updated on their training and education.
Nurse informaticists work in many settings, including clinics, hospitals, universities, consulting firms, large organizations, and healthcare facilities. Because nursing informatics is such a broad field, it offers many employment opportunities, each offering very good salary potential.
What is Nursing Informatics?
Nursing informatics is the connecting of nursing with information technology to provide the best possible healthcare and patient care to patients. Using computers and information technology, healthcare professionals can provide each other with important healthcare information on patients. These healthcare practitioners rarely provide direct patient care but work with the healthcare staff to ensure each patient receives the best care.
One example is electronic medical records or electronic health records. A patient sees a doctor in one department of a hospital. The patient’s medical information is entered into the hospital’s computer as an electronic record. Suppose the patient must see another doctor in another area of the same health system. In that case, this second provider is updated on the patient’s visit with the first provider by just logging into the system. Electronic medical records are just one of several methods used in nurse informatics. Computerized provider order entry is another tool used to significantly impact healthcare.
Why is a Nurse Informaticist Important?
Nurse informaticists play a crucial role in patient safety because they keep patient records complete and secure. Any piece of missing information in a patient’s records could have a potentially deadly effect.
So, nurse informaticists must have the communication skills to convey this information accurately. They must also have a strong understanding of medical policies and a variety of other information that the average person may not.
This professional also looks at the data involved in a patient’s and the organization’s records as a whole unit. Once a nurse informaticist knows what the numbers say, this professional is in a position to boost the performance of the medical teams and patient outcomes.
Informatics nurses play a key role in the medical field, and most people believe they can have a more than a notable impact on the care patients receive. They also are instrumental in implementing hospital policy, keeping workflow going, and optimizing patient safety. Nurse informaticists stand at the forefront of this care.
Job Titles for Nurse Informaticists
There are nursing informatics jobs at most healthcare organizations. Below are the job titles for some top nursing careers for nursing informaticists.
- Nursing Informatics Specialist / Nursing Informatics Specialists
- Clinical Analyst / Clinical Analysts
- Director of Clinical Informatics
- Manager of Clinical Informatics
- Chief Information Officer / Chief Information Officers
- Chief Nursing Officer / Chief Nursing Informatics Officer
- Clinical Informatics Nurse / Clinical Informatics Nurses
- Clinical Specialist / Clinical Specialists
- Health Informatics Officer / Health Informatics Officers
- Informatics Nurse / Informatics Nurses
Where Do They Work?
The most common workplaces for nurse informaticists are hospitals and other healthcare systems or facilities. Additionally, informatics nurses work in government and military settings, nursing homes, and medical facilities for ambulatory care. There are also job opportunities in academic or higher education.
Additionally, informatics nurses act as a liaison between different members of the medical staff and the IT/ information department. While many work in hospitals and health settings, other informatics nurses feel drawn to research or public health. Indeed, their educations prepare them for several specializations, leading to career rewards and higher salaries.
What Skills Do You Need for a Career in Nursing Informatics?
- Project management
- Excellent organizational skills
- Computer programming knowledge
- Critical thinking & problem-solving
- Communication
- Interpersonal skills like empathy and conflict resolution
- Knowledge of health data systems
Training for Nurse Informaticists
Nursing informatics combines several disciplines. These professionals must understand nursing science, of course, as well as communication, computer science, information science, and a slew of other disciplines. Degree programs exist for this specialty, typically BSN-to-MSN programs.
These informatics nurses have an advantage over many others in the field in that they enter the field of nursing informatics with experience under their belts. Their advanced degrees put them in a position to step into roles like nursing educators or chief information officers. These jobs put them in a place to earn a higher salary. And they enjoy the prestige of an MSN nursing informatics salary and career.
What Do You Study in a Nursing Informatics Program?
Sample curricula in this degree track include:
- Foundations in Nursing Informatics
- Nursing Informatics Field Experience
- Data Science and Analytics
- Translational Research for Practice and Populations
- Professional Presence and Influence
- Essentials of Advanced Nursing Practice Field Experience
- Advanced Information Management.
These informatics nurses must also be prepared to fulfill their master’s program’s prerequisites. Their graduate program may require them to have taken coursework in project management, leadership, statistics, research, clinical information systems, and also database management.
Additionally, many of these degree programs are online. For example, online MSN programs offer busy professionals the flexibility to pursue their career goals and continue working simultaneously.
Related Careers That These Educational Programs Prepare People For
Because nurse informaticists develop a broad range of skills, they qualify for several positions within the medical field. These positions require them to possess informatics skills and allow them to broaden their horizons. But, there are similar jobs or roles for your career choice.
Some people who work in this field specialize further by going into research. These specialists typically work for universities, private organizations, and sometimes, corporations. Their medical background and analytics training put them in a position to analyze the data created by the organization.
Others become informatics nurses who are involved with public health. Because they have skills in informatics, they’re in a position to analyze what the data says about epidemics and other public health concerns.
For example, these nurse informaticists may determine if a virus is likely to become an epidemic. They may also recognize patterns in some geographic regions, like suicide or cancer rates, because of their training. This puts them in a position to affect public policy and provide important information to healthcare professionals.
What are Common Work Tasks an Informatics Nurse Does?
While every day is different for the nurse informaticist, these professionals perform some everyday tasks. Their days may start with troubleshooting new technology or training staff on using new programs. By mid-morning, they could be designing and testing systems before they take their coffee break.
Hospital administrators may assign them project management duties. These duties may require them to spearhead new programs and keep the administration apprised of the progress of a project. They may also become the nursing staff’s liaison with the hospital’s or doctor’s office information technology experts.
Finally, they could be tasked with developing new organizational standards and policies. In keeping with this, their job may also require them to evaluate each new program or system to work out any possible bugs.
Being responsible for many tasks is just one of the reasons the informatics nurse’s average salary is so high. In fact, among nursing specialties, a master’s in nursing informatics salary is one of the highest.
Nurse Informaticist Licensing Requirements
The medical field is heavily-regulated. In light of this, informatics nurses, including nurse informaticists, must undergo licensing procedures to become an informatics nurse. Board certification to become an informatics nurse includes several factors.
- Nursing degrees, including a bachelor’s degree or BSN degree
- Whether the nurse has an active RN license (Registered Nurse) and has worked as one for at least two years in the healthcare industry
- Continuing education requirements
- Practical hours of work
To earn their certifications, nurse informaticists must take an exam. Once they pass the exam, their credentials are good for five years.
Salaries for Nursing Informatics Professionals
How Much Does an Informatics Nurse Make? According to a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society survey, informatics nurses are among the highest-paying nursing jobs in the United States. About 63 percent earned wages ranging from $61,000 to $115,000, while 25 percent earned from $86,000 to $100,000, and 46 percent earned a informatics nurse average salary of more than $100,000.
The Mid-Atlantic and Pacific areas of the United States are where the highest number of nurse informatics earn more than $100,000 annually. Another interesting fact was that RNs working for third-party vendors and consulting firms made higher wages than those working in hospitals. The ones working for third-party vendors saw wages from $101,000 to $115,000 or more.
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that Registered Nurses (RNs) earn an average median salary of $77,600 as of May 2021, but wages range from $59,450 to $120,250, with the average wage being $37.31 per hour. Registered nurses with additional training and nursing education, such as what’s needed for informatics jobs, typically have a higher wage potential. So, informatics nurse salaries are higher than the median salary of most RNs.
Furthermore, an informatics nurse salary (annual salary and per hour) varies depending on where you find the information.
- Glassdoor reports a masters in nursing informatics salary for informatics RNs to be $116,091 per year, or $55.81 per hour
- Payscale reports a masters nursing informatics salary for informatics RNs to be $80,275 per year or $35.73 per hour
Factors Affecting Nursing Informatics Salaries
It’s easier to offer an informatics nurse salary potential for a specific career like nursing informatics specialists because many factors can affect wages. A nursing informaticist with more experience with health systems and different healthcare providers will have more opportunities.
- Training and Education, Additional Education
- Degrees Earned, Degree Level
- Certifications
- Experience Level
- Employer
- Location
- Specialization
Of all these factors, geographic location is probably the factor that can affect wages the most. When employees relocate to another city or state, average salary potential is often the main reason. Next in line is education. Informatics nurses make excellent salaries. But, nurse informaticist salaries are highest for nurses with a master’s degree and nurse practitioners.
The Highest-Paying States for Nurse Informaticists
Here are some examples of how different wages can be earned in different states. The five states where Nurse Informaticists, Health Information Technologists, and Medical Registrars earned the highest wages.
| STATE | AVERAGE SALARY |
|---|---|
| New York | $92,200 |
| Maryland | $87,750 |
| California | $86,830 |
| District of Columbia | $82,740 |
| Massachusetts | $74,680 |
Top Paying Metropolitan Areas for Nurse Informaticists
Below are the top five cities where Nurse Informaticists, Health Information Technologists, and Medical Registrars earned the highest wages.
| City or Metropolitan Area | AVERAGE SALARY |
|---|---|
| CA – San Jose, Santa Clara | $112,400 |
| CA – Santa Maria, Santa Barbara | $107,900 |
| CA – San Francisco, Oakland | $ 98,000 |
| CA – Sacramento, Roseville | $ 94,750 |
| CA – Vallejo, Fairfield | $ 93,290 |
What Kind of Salary Growth Can Nurse Informaticists Expect?
As they gain experience, nurse informaticists typically see salary increases. Sometimes, a nurse may see their pay potentially doubled. According to the survey report from the HIMMS, experience increases salary.
0-4 years of experience = $61,000-$85,000
5-10 years of experience = $86,000-$115,000
11 or more years of experience = $131,000 +
How Can an Informatics Nurse Earn More Money?
This emerging field did not have many degree programs fifteen years ago. However, there are many programs now. Earning a master’s or doctoral degree is the best way to boost your earning potential and career advancement options.
Many certifications for nurse informaticists can help increase your salary. For example, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers an Informatics Nursing Certification (RN-BC®)
Professional Organizations for Nursing Informaticists
Joining a professional organization can also boost your informatics nursing career. Professional organizations offer networking opportunities so members can meet others that may help them advance their careers and find new roles.
- American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA)
- Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
- American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA)
- Alliance for Nursing Informatics (AMIA)
Informatics Nurse Job Outlook
The one thing of which there is little to no doubt is that informatics is here to stay. This is a critical career specialty in nursing because these professionals ensure that patients remain safe. They keep track of patient records, ensuring that all the information about the patient, from the patient’s doctors to the pharmacist, gets into the patient’s records.
Job security is excellent for informatics healthcare occupations. The demand for healthcare services and constantly changing technology means this medical personnel will always be a part of our healthcare system.
Your Career in Nursing Informatics
Nurses or aspiring nursing who enjoy data management, information technology, and computers, in general, are advised to jump on this bandwagon known as nursing informatics and enjoy the ride. A nursing informatics salary and excellent work opportunities are benefits of pursuing a career in this field.
This career path in the nursing field is relatively new. And most of these nurses have a job title they like, report high job satisfaction, and earn a high salary. Many even have additional benefits like dental insurance! With a higher degree, you can earn a higher salary. Graduate degrees, attending conferences on digital technology, and learning about new information technologies can all have a significant impact on your career advancement. So if this is a path for you, the trick is to keep evolving with ongoing education and experience!
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