Pros and Cons of a Career as a Nursing Informatics Coordinator
Nursing informatics coordinator might be a good career choice for you if you want little direct contact with patients. Consider the following pros and cons to determine if this career is for you.
| PROS of Becoming a Nursing Informatics Coordinator |
|---|
| Above-average job growth projected (19% job growth for registered nurses from 2012-2022)**** |
| High earning potential (most nursing informatics coordinators made from $49,000-$89,000 as of July 2015)***** |
| Allows you to work to improve healthcare services*** |
| Job involves a variety of duties (researching, presenting information, managing communications, etc.)*** |
| CONS of Becoming a Nursing Informatics Coordinator |
|---|
| Must have a nursing license* |
| Requires experience as a nurse* |
| Requires knowledge of computer systems* |
| May require specialty certification** |
Sources: *Monster.com, **CareerBuilder.com, ***American Medical Informatics Association, ****U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, *****PayScale.com.
Career Information
Job Description
A career as a nursing informatics coordinator involves a combination of nursing, information technology and management. In this position, you'll manage and organize medical data. You'll also provide support services to nurses, patients and other medical personnel by giving them the information they need. Job duties may involve creating systems to keep information organized in the most efficient manner, designing new information systems to allow for more productive patient care, implementing the use of technology to allow for a smoother flow of information among staff and providing support systems for nursing research.
Nursing informatics is an advanced area of nursing, so you'll be expected to have expert knowledge in the field of nursing in addition to being knowledgeable about technical and computer-related subject matter. In the role of a coordinator, you might conduct research that will improve the field and presenting new information to be integrated into current practice to improve patient care at the facility at which you work.
What Are the Requirements?
Employers of nursing informatics coordinators expect candidates to be state-licensed registered nurses with a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing and training in nursing informatics, computer science or a related area of technical study. You also need to have past experience working as a nurse and experience with computers and computer applications, including medical records systems. Typically, employers like to see proof that you have worked with managing medical information and have experience in leadership or management.
Job Postings from Real Employers
April 2012 job postings from employers showed education and experience were top qualifications for this job. Employers also seemed to prefer candidates who were able to work well as part of a team. The job postings included the following:
- A hospital in Maryland wanted someone to manage, organize and implement information technology and other clinical software for nurses.
- A Massachusetts hospital was seeking someone with knowledge of Microsoft office products, an understanding of integrated clinical systems and skills in medical-specific applications.
- A health and rehabilitation center in Maryland wanted to hire an individual to implement a new web-based nursing system at the facility.
- A health center in Connecticut was looking for someone with experience with nurse practice groups or performance improvement teams.
How to Make Your Skills Stand Out
Some employers prefer to hire individuals with professional certification in nursing informatics, which is available through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). To qualify for this certification, you must have a current nursing license and hold at least a bachelor's degree in nursing or informatics (www.nursecredentialing.org). In addition, you need to have at least two years of nursing experience and 30 hours of informatics continuing education in the last three years and meet requirements for work experience in nursing informatics.
Other Careers to Consider
Medical Records and Health Information Technician
If you want a position that requires less postsecondary education, consider a career as a medical records and health information technician. These technicians manage and organize medical records systems. In this career, you'll work with computerized systems and/or paper systems. You'll be expected to know and understand coding systems used in medical record keeping. To start a career as a technician, you'll need a certificate or associate degree. You also might be required to hold professional certification. According to the BLS, the mean annual salary for these workers as of May 2011 was $36,000, which was significantly less than a nursing informatics coordinator earned.
Medical and Health Services Manager
If you're interested in a managerial career that doesn't require a background in nursing, a career as a medical and health services manager might be right for you. Managers in medical settings are often called administrators or executives. The role of a manager is to direct, organize and coordinate medical services, while also overseeing employees at a facility. In this position, you might manage one unit of a healthcare system or a whole facility. To enter this career, you'll need a minimum of a bachelor's degree, but many managers have master's degrees.
The BLS predicted 22% job growth for this field in the 2010-2020 decade. These professionals earned a mean annual salary of $96,000 as of May 2011, per the BLS.
