Frequently Asked Questions

• What is nursing informatics?
• Do you need clinical experience to enter the field?
• How do I get experience as a nursing informaticist?
• What can you do as an informatics nurse?
• Where can you work?
• Are there jobs in this field in the future?

What is nursing informatics?

The American Nurses Association Scope and Standards for Nursing Informatics Practice (2008) defines nursing informatics as, "a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge and wisdom in nursing practice.”

Learn more at What is Informatics?

Do you need clinical experience to enter the field?

Yes and no. While you do not necessarily have to have nursing clinical experience, it is advisable that you have at least 2 years of clinical experience. This will make you more marketable to employers. However, opportunities do exist for nurses who have not worked clinically.

To enter the Case Nursing Informatics program you are required to have a nursing degree.

How do I get experience as a nurse informaticist?

Internships are one good way to gain experience in the field. Case's Nursing Informatics program includes a course called NUNI 499 which is 500 hours of internship work. Case has relationships with local hospitals including Cleveland Clinic, University Hospitals and the VA Medical Center.

Learn more about Internships.

What can you do as an informatics nurse?

Informatics nurses can have diverse jobs including:

• consultant

• project manager

• system analyst

• educator

Learn more at Specialties.

Where can you work?

Most nursing informaticists work for hospitals. However, there are also many opportunities as freelance consultants, in universities, private practice, software vendor companies and for government agencies such as the Department of Health and Human Services.

See where some of Case's Nursing Informatics alumni are working.

Are there jobs for this in the future?

Yes. Nursing Informatics is a fast-growing field. Due to the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act, monetary incentives are being offered for hospitals and healthcare practices to have electronic health records (EHRs) by the year 2014. As a result, there has been a rapid adoption of EHRs. This push toward EHR adoption requires many nurse informaticists to help with implementation!

See job listings at HIMSS JobMine and ANIA JobBank.