Master of nursing informatics: The intersection of technology and healthcare
The healthcare industry has been undergoing a massive transformation thanks to the infusion of technology into its operational processes.
This move towards digitalisation is helping improve patient outcomes, streamline documentation, and provide a wealth of information that clinicians can use to make better decisions.
Nursing informatics is an area where technology is being embraced wholeheartedly. It combines nursing science, computer science, and information science in order to manage data and communication in clinical care settings.
Nurses who have a strong background in informatics play an especially key role in driving this transformation forward.
Why study a master of nursing informatics?
A Master of Nursing Informatics degree helps merge two separate but complementary disciplines – nursing and technology – through innovative theoretical planning as well as practical applications. A student interested in gaining expertise around new technologies like electronic health records (EHR), telehealth services, wearables, or mHealth solutions should consider this field.
This program usually involves students learning how computers store medical data, how software systems impact overall operations within healthcare organisations, and how to supervise database development and maintenance processes inside hospitals or clinics.
An inclusive set-up helps students understand not only the technical aspect but also the wider application areas where they could use their skillset after completing their graduation, such as in policy creation.
What does it involve?
Master’s programs offering courses on nursing informatics leverage both traditional classroom-based lectures and hands-on training opportunities. They typically take place at an affiliated hospital or clinic site where students get to observe real-world scenarios before they are tasked with tending to such situations.
Students can sit for various types of coursework, covering business analysis and leadership seminars, personal development skills such as ‘Ethics Of Social Media Privacy’, and life-cycle methodology and management, which involves creating cover letters and written materials or conducting interviews. Some of the more specialised subjects include:
- Measurement/recommendations analysis
- Designing creative technology solutions
- Project management
Students in the program demonstrate validation and upgradation of technical proficiency via a capstone project that requires them to work on a problem or opportunity statement provided in their syllabus.
Career outlook
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, nursing informatics job positions such as Medical Health Services Managers (MHSM), which mainly involve managing patient records, have grown over 18% since 2014, projected to grow another 32% between 2019 and 2029. This shows how critical health IT has become to large-scale organisations (i.e., Best Practice Guidelines).
Medical record keepers help providers make informed decisions regarding treatment options while also integrating ongoing research developments into their processes. This helps keep patient data distinct yet unified in a central position, giving multidisciplinary team members access when required, which is essential to identify emerging trends and disease codes through proper analytics. When it comes to healthcare, it all starts with well-structured input and information.
A degree in nursing informatics demonstrates that you possess the informational technology skills necessary for healthcare sector jobs in the market tomorrow. It can help with your with tasks like perfecting revenue cycle management healthcare (RCM).
However, it also provides significant exposure towards both traditional (direct caregiver roles leading to managerial roles) and alternative practice pathways, i.e. consulting firms and private-sector companies. Additionally, the salaries of certified nurses are extremely promising and quite similar, if not more, than what others within fellow administrative roles earn.
Nursing informaticists will hold leadership positions
With computers playing an ever-increasing role in modern medicine, especially given the current pandemic, nursing informaticists look poised to hold upcoming leadership positions across multifaceted areas, including policy creation.
Whether they work inside hospitals or clinics or help design autonomous care services equipped with real-time monitoring capabilities, skilled professionals like these are critical to the present need for socially distant contactless efficacy.
Technologies like Electronic Medical Records (EHRs), Electronic Report Management Systems (ERMS), and Personal Health Records (PHRs), along with HL7 standards supporting communication among financial and clinical systems, Data Analytics and Biometric Metrics, and action-driven implementation approaches, are all critical aspects to succeed professionally in the healthcare IT services domain.
