Nursing Informatics | An Inside Look
Summary
TLDRIn this enlightening video, Lex Wilkinson, an informatics nurse specialist, shares insights into her unique role, which blends nursing with technology to improve patient care. Wilkinson discusses her educational journey, the dynamic nature of her job, and the skills required for success in the field. She also offers advice for aspiring informatics nurses and touches on the career's potential for growth and impact, providing a valuable perspective for those considering this innovative nursing specialty.
Takeaways
- π Lex Wilkinson is an informatics nurse specialist with a doctorate of Nursing Practice degree.
- π Lex initially worked as a floor nurse before pursuing a graduate degree in nursing informatics.
- π₯ Lex's informatics career began during grad school, allowing her to apply academic learnings to her job and vice versa.
- π‘ Lex was introduced to nursing informatics by a clinical professor who thought it would be a good fit for her.
- π Informatics nurses can impact patient care on a larger scale compared to direct patient care roles.
- π Lex enjoys problem-solving in informatics, which involves untangling complex healthcare processes.
- π§ The informatics nurse role involves a variety of tasks including meetings, emails, and data analysis.
- π§ Currently, Lex is involved in the implementation of a new electronic health record, which is a temporary but significant part of her job.
- πΌ A typical career path to nursing informatics often starts with practical nursing experience followed by further education.
- πΌ Lex recommends at least two years of nursing practice before pursuing informatics to gain a solid understanding of the field.
- π Informatics nurses can expect a wide salary range based on experience and education, with potential to reach over $100,000 annually for specialists.
Q & A
What is Lex Wilkinson's profession and educational background?
-Lex Wilkinson is an informatics nurse specialist with a doctorate of Nursing Practice degree. She obtained her undergraduate degree at Brigham Young University and then worked as a floor nurse on a neurosurgery unit before pursuing her graduate degree in nursing informatics.
How did Lex Wilkinson become interested in nursing informatics?
-Lex's interest in nursing informatics was sparked by a clinical professor during her undergraduate studies. She further explored the field through a class presentation and an interview with the nursing informatics manager at her workplace, which led her to pursue a graduate degree in the field.
What is the impact of being an informatics nurse according to Lex Wilkinson?
-As an informatics nurse, Lex Wilkinson believes that instead of helping a few patients each shift, she can impact every patient in the hospital by improving nursing workflows and hospital operations, thus contributing to better healthcare on a larger scale.
What does a typical day for Lex Wilkinson involve?
-A typical day for Lex Wilkinson can vary widely depending on the project she is working on. It may include meetings, answering emails, looking at spreadsheets, and providing support during system implementations. Currently, she is involved in the implementation of a new electronic health record, which involves command center support and issue resolution.
What are the most and least enjoyable aspects of Lex's job?
-The most enjoyable aspect for Lex is solving complex healthcare problems and improving workflows, while the least enjoyable is dealing with technical or governance roadblocks that prevent her from achieving the desired outcomes.
What is the typical career pathway into nursing informatics according to Lex Wilkinson?
-A typical pathway into nursing informatics often involves starting as a nurse, gaining clinical experience, and then pursuing further education in nursing informatics. Lex recommends at least two years of nursing practice before returning to school for informatics.
What skills are important for someone in nursing informatics?
-Skills important for nursing informatics include a strong foundation in nursing, proficiency with data analysis tools like Excel, and good communication skills for creating presentations and facilitating meetings. Lex also emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and the ability to analyze and improve workflows.
Are there any certifications recommended for nursing informatics?
-The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers a board certification for informatics nurses, and the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) offers a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) certification.
What is the salary range for an informatics nurse specialist?
-The salary for an informatics nurse specialist can vary widely depending on factors like education level, years of experience, and location. It can range from $80,000 to over $130,000 per year, with higher positions like Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) potentially earning more.
What advice does Lex Wilkinson have for those interested in nursing informatics?
-Lex advises having a mindset of analyzing how well things are working and how they can be improved. She emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and the ability to view problems from both detailed and broad perspectives as key skills for success in informatics.
Outlines
π Introduction to Lex Wilkinson: An Informatics Nurse Specialist
The video introduces Lex Wilkinson, an informatics nurse specialist, who shares her educational background and journey into the field of nursing informatics. Lex obtained her undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and worked as a floor nurse on a neurosurgery unit. She then pursued a doctorate of Nursing Practice degree with a focus on informatics. Lex discusses her experience working in informatics while still in school, which allowed her to apply her learnings directly to her job, enhancing her understanding and performance in both academia and her professional role.
π‘ Discovering Nursing Informatics: A Serendipitous Encounter
Lex recounts how she was introduced to nursing informatics during her clinical rounds in school. A professor suggested she explore the field, which led her to present on the topic for a class assignment. This introduction sparked her interest, and after interviewing with a nursing informatics manager, she was inspired by the broader impact she could have on patient care and hospital operations. Lex emphasizes the appeal of moving from caring for a few patients to potentially improving care for an entire hospital through informatics.
π The Varied and Engaging Life of an Informatics Nurse
Lex describes the dynamic nature of her work as an informatics nurse, highlighting the lack of a 'typical day.' Her responsibilities include attending meetings, answering emails, and examining spreadsheets, but the context and purpose of these tasks can vary widely. Currently involved in implementing a new electronic health record, Lex is part of a command center providing support and troubleshooting. However, she notes that this is a temporary phase, and her role often involves understanding workflows and integrating technical solutions to streamline processes and meet documentation requirements.
π Embracing Challenges and Overcoming Obstacles in Informatics
Lex shares what she enjoys most about her role: tackling problems and challenges by dissecting them to understand how all the pieces fit together. She likens healthcare to a complex ball of yarn that needs to be untangled to find the best solutions. Conversely, she discusses the least enjoyable aspect of her job, which is dealing with technical or governance roadblocks that prevent progress, even when the solution seems clear. Lex emphasizes the importance of navigating such challenges to ensure improvements in healthcare delivery.
π€οΈ Pathways to Nursing Informatics: Education and Experience
Discussing the pathways to a career in nursing informatics, Lex explains that there is no single route, as the field is relatively new. She suggests that individuals interested in informatics should first graduate as nurses and gain practical experience, ideally for at least two to five years, to develop a comprehensive understanding of healthcare workflows. Lex also mentions various educational options, including traditional, online, and hybrid programs, as well as the possibility of obtaining a certificate in informatics for those with an advanced degree.
π οΈ Skills and Certifications for Nursing Informatics
Lex identifies essential skills for nursing informatics, such as proficiency in Excel for data analysis, and competency in word processing and presentation software for effective communication. She notes that programming skills can be beneficial but are not a requirement. Lex also touches on certifications, mentioning the ANCC board certification and the CPHIMS certification from the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), as valuable credentials in the field.
πΌ Career Prospects and Salaries in Nursing Informatics
Lex provides insights into the salary expectations for those in nursing informatics, noting that it varies based on education level and experience. Entry-level positions may offer salaries comparable to staff nurses, with benefits. As experience and advanced degrees are obtained, salaries can range from eighty to one hundred and thirty thousand dollars per year. She also mentions higher-end positions such as Chief Nursing Information Officer (CNIO) and opportunities in industry or as consultants, which can command even higher salaries.
π Final Thoughts: Critical Thinking as the Key to Success in Informatics
In conclusion, Lex imparts valuable advice for those considering a career in informatics: cultivate a mindset of critical analysis and constant evaluation. She emphasizes the importance of understanding how interventions work and creating metrics to measure their effectiveness. Lex suggests that this analytical approach, along with the ability to see problems from both a detailed and broad perspective, is what makes a good informatics professional, regardless of the specific field within healthcare.
Mindmap
Keywords
π‘Informatics Nurse
π‘Doctorate of Nursing Practice
π‘Nursing Informatics
π‘Electronic Health Record (EHR)
π‘Clinical Decision Support
π‘Project Management
π‘Healthcare Technology
π‘Nursing Process
π‘System Development Lifecycle
π‘Certifications
π‘Salary Range
Highlights
Introduction of Lex Wilkinson, an informatics nurse specialist with a doctorate in Nursing Practice.
Wilkinson's educational background includes an undergraduate degree from Brigham Young University and a doctorate in Nursing Practice from Minnesota.
Wilkinson's initial work experience as a floor nurse on a neurosurgery unit for two and a half years before pursuing a graduate degree.
The decision to specialize in nursing informatics was influenced by a clinical professor and further exploration during grad school.
Nursing informatics offers the opportunity to impact patient care at a hospital-wide scale rather than on an individual basis.
Wilkinson's role involves a variety of tasks including meetings, emails, and spreadsheet analysis with a focus on project implementation.
The non-typical nature of a nursing informatics role, with daily tasks that can vary widely depending on the project at hand.
Current involvement in the implementation of a new electronic health record system and the dynamic nature of support required.
The importance of communication and translation between clinical work and technical aspects in nursing informatics.
Wilkinson's enjoyment in problem-solving and the challenge of integrating technical solutions into clinical workflows.
The least enjoyable aspect for Wilkinson is dealing with technical or governance roadblocks that hinder progress.
A typical pathway into nursing informatics often involves initial nursing practice followed by specialization through further education.
The recommendation for potential nursing informatics professionals to gain substantial nursing experience before pursuing further education in the field.
The skills required for nursing informatics, including proficiency in Excel, project management, and the ability to facilitate meetings.
The availability of certifications such as the ANCC board certification and the CPHIMS for nursing informatics professionals.
Salary expectations for nursing informatics roles, ranging from entry-level comparable to staff nurses to higher salaries for specialists and management.
High-level advice for those interested in nursing informatics: the importance of critical thinking, analysis, and a metrics-driven mindset.
Closing thoughts and a call to action for viewers to subscribe and engage with the content for future videos.
Transcripts
what is going on in one today have a
very exciting video for you guys because
it's not typical of my usual pharmacy
videos and I'll actually be interviewing
and informatics nurse so very excited
for that and I hope you guys enjoy
[Music]
okay we're start off with some personal
questions
sure um kind of your name your title
your background so kind of education
where you did your schooling and
training okay my name is Lex Wilkinson
I'm an informatics nurse specialist and
so that means I have a graduate degree
or higher I got my undergraduate degree
at Brigham Young University and then
started working as a floor nurse right
away worked for about two and a half
years on a neurosurgery unit my plan
leaving Gretchen our undergraduate was
to get an advanced degree in nursing and
so after about two and a half years I
felt the time was right went into grad
school I looked between family nurse
practitioner or in nursing informatics
and luckily in Minnesota where I was
working already had a nursing
informatics track and so that's where I
got my doctorate of Nursing Practice
degree and I've been working as an
informatics nurse specialist I started
working informatics while I was in
school which was awesome because what I
was doing at work helped me understand
better when I was learning at school and
what I was learning at school helps me
be better at my job and not a lot of
people get that opportunity
absolutely so I got my degree and I've
been working as an implements nurse
specialist for about a year now so
nursing informatics in pharmacy
you know we typically don't actually
care about informatics that often you
know what what sparked your interest in
from
and how did you even find out about
nursing informatics so when I was in
school in one of my clinical rounds and
I think was just med surg around and I I
don't know what what made my teacher
think about it
but my my clinical professor said hey
you should check out nursing informatics
seems like that may might be a good fit
for you and see that semester the next
semester we had to do a presentation for
another class about some aspect of
Nursing to try to you know give people
an idea of what all the opportunities in
nursing were and so I reached out to
that professor said hey you mentioned
nursing informatics can you give me a
contact and so we did I can share that
with all the other nursing students and
so that's that's how I got introduced
and what got me thinking about it and
then again I knew I want to go back to
school and I wasn't sure which track and
when I was deciding which direction to
go with school
I interviewed or I tried to interview
and there's a nurse practitioner where I
was working and that kind of fell
through I did an interview with the
school and it didn't seem like it was a
good fit for me so I interviewed the
nursing informatics manager where I was
working and it was a great interview she
explained the projects that she was
working on the kinds of things that she
did day in and day out
and I just I guess what sparked me at
that point was as a nurse I was helping
you know three to five patients each
shift get better improve get healthy as
best they could but as an informatics
nurse you're spending your day helping
every patient at that Hospital in some
way helping on the nurses do their job
better and scale for the whole Hospital
and and that seems like a really
interesting thing to me to be able to
make an impact not just on the person
that I was working with that day or the
patients but with all the patients and
so that was something that really
appealed to me and especially the way
things are moving in general the United
States the better technology we have and
the better way to use it to help
patients
is gonna improve the healthcare of the
nation in the world and so that's been
kind of a theme for me in and why I
wanted to find traumatic Syngenta
okay okay very nice xxx let's talk a
little bit about typical job
responsibilities and your your typical
day what it's like I think a lot of
individuals who are looking to get into
this field mean I have an idea of what
it looks like you know what you all make
do so you know what are what is a
typical day like for you and then kind
of pride varies quite a bit but if you
can pick any day you know what would
that be like one thing that I really
like about informatics and it's similar
in a way to to nursing is it you you
have some things that you can expect but
in those things that you can expect
there's a wide variety of what's gonna
happen every day you can expect to have
meetings answer emails look at
spreadsheets but what you're doing and
the purpose and who you're meeting with
can vary widely also right now we're in
the middle of an implementation of a new
electronic health record and so that
means that I'm in a command center I'm
answering phone calls I'm doing support
trying to fix issues but that's not
typical you know that happens just for a
short amount of time before that we're
prepping for it
after that we're trying to make things
work even better and so a typical day is
kind of a you can't say there's a
typical day because it depends on what
you're doing before I was on the project
to implement the new electronic health
record I worked with clinical decision
support so that was a little bit more of
a constant or a very similar pattern and
it would be meeting with with nurses
with other allied health understanding
what their workflows are how they do
their job what they're trying to
accomplish and trying to see how we
could fit and a like technical solution
into that workflow to make it more
streamlined to make it better for
to meet national documentation
requirements or things like that
it's a lot of communication it's a lot
of learning to translate between what
the people who are doing clinical work
and the technical side and making sure
that they they understand each other so
that when you get to the end it's it's
they ask for a paperclip and got a piece
of paper you want the paperclip in the
paperclip yeah absolutely
so you know you described quite a few
things there you know typical day there
is no typical day there's a lot of
different things to do what are some of
the or what is the most enjoyable part
of your day and you know conversely what
is the least little thing part of your
day I think I probably various in person
to person know what's their most
enjoyable thing but for me I enjoy
taking a problem or a challenge that
that whatever group that I'm working
with has and trying to figure out to
pull all the pieces apart to see how it
all fits together because in healthcare
it's it's a big ball of yarn and you
have to pull and tug and see where
everything goes and how it's gonna fit
best together so that's what I really
enjoy is you know someone comes with a
problem and says you know this has to
work better or this isn't working what
can we do and pulling the pieces seeing
how it all fits together and then
rearranging it or fixing it or whatever
it takes to make it it worked the way
they need it to that's what I really
enjoy what I don't enjoy right now is
mountains of email but that's again it's
not every day yeah we're in the middle
of a big implementation and so that's
not something you have to deal with
every day I think that for the most part
I really like what I do because it
varies a lot and because I get to see a
difference that it makes in people and
in their work and and for patients what
I like the least is I guess you come
against roblox for whatever reason where
there's a technical roadblock or a
governance roadblock that
you can see the end and the fix right
there and for whatever reason it doesn't
get there and and that's part of the job
is is figuring out how to move the
roadblock or get around it in a way that
works for everyone
navigating politics yes yes okay
certainly a challenge in any
organization yes oh all right well you
know my profession I have my background
in pharmacy so I don't know many of the
pathways to nursing informatics so if I
was you know this someone who is in
college interested in nursing
informatics what what is a typical
pathway towards nursing informatics and
I'm sure there are many many different
ones but what is a typical pathway and
what's so in general nursing informatics
is fairly new I mean pharmacy and
nursing they go way back right and there
are some roots of informatics that are
embedded in in both I'm sure but it's
not initially perceived as informatics
it's just part of what you do
Florence Nightingale made a difference
in the Crimean War by doing statistics
and gathering data and that's
informatics but no one thinks of it that
way as a profession or a subset of
nursing or pharmacy it's fairly new and
so I don't know that or I haven't metal
you know people that say there's a
typical path most of what I've seen is
people have been in practice and get
involved in some sort of project like
implementing a new tool a new IV pump or
a new electronic health record and they
get involved in that process and love it
and become indispensable and they're Pro
their employer says go get it
get a degree so you can do this and so
I've seen a lot of that more so I think
people are going to school to be to get
into informatics you see people going to
school practicing for a while and going
back to school for informatics like I
did I had one fellow students who
graduated from his undergraduate and
what
into the graduate program so and that's
not fairly typical I would recommend
graduating as a nurse and working as a
nurse for a few years part of that comes
from a little bit of my own insecurities
because a lot of the informatics nurses
that I work with have 10 15 20 years of
experience as a nurse in various roles
and so they have a really well-rounded
perspective on what nursing and other
allied health and provider workflows
look like in in various settings my
experience is just in one but that
limited amount of experience gives you a
much stronger base to understand that
where informatics can fit in and how it
can make improvements and benefit
everyone involved so I would say go to
school practice for a few years and then
go back to school and there's there's a
variety of ways to go back to school
there's many masters programs whether
it's a brick and mortar school so to
speak online schools are becoming more
popular and more well accepted and
recognized and then there's also kind of
hybrids the school I went to is kind of
a hybrid I went once a semester for a
few days and then the rest is all online
and there's other schools that you just
go typical everyday the week kind of
thing
and there's also if you have an advanced
degree you can also get certificates in
informatics so that you learn the basic
fundamentals of informatics and then you
can start working there as well okay
very interesting I think we have very
similar perspectives on the pharmacy as
well yeah just just if we can add like a
concrete number two years of practice
but what would be like David range like
are we talking like one year in practice
two years five years in practice like
what would you recommend in terms of try
to practice years generally speaking
psychology says that to become an expert
you have to have 10,000 hours in a thing
somebody five years I don't have five
years but I feel like the experience I
had was good enough to understand at a
general level nursing and and the
healthcare experience from the provider
side as opposed to patient side so I
feel like that's a pretty good number
two years you start to become an expert
maybe not a master but you know an
expert and so I feel like at least two
years but I don't know where you cap it
off at the top okay okay and those are
really good examples cuz that's probably
very similar to pharmacy as well where
we would like to see practice before
certainly helps a lot for all the points
and reasons you made okay so let's say
folks are interested in getting into
nursing informatics they go down this
pathway in practice for a few years they
do their graduate training there are a
lot of different skill sets
I'm sure nursing as there are in
pharmacy that are needed and informatics
that's different than in practice so you
know you talk about meetings emails your
your in the HR so things like project
management or meeting facilitation like
what what type of skills have you found
or would you recommend that are I guess
different than Nursing Practice skills
it's an interesting question and I've
thought about that as I was going to
school and the nursing process that they
grained into us in school they had an
acronym for and I think it's changed
over time but when I was in school as ad
PI this is assess diagnose plan
intervention and evaluation and I think
that that lends itself very well to
informatics informatics we use what's
called the system development lifecycle
which is very similar see what the
problem is look for a solution implement
the solution and evaluate the solution
and potentially in the end sunset or you
know finish choose something else and
it's the similar things with project
management where you're you're finding
what the problem is and coming up with a
solution and figure out what the project
plan is and where it's going to start
what needs to have an end so the
foundation of nursing and that nursing
process is a great strong foundation for
informatics
as far as skills go I would say the
better you are with Excel you'll be able
to understand the data and look at it
and good skills with any kind of word
processor or PowerPoint or something
like that helps to create presentations
that will get your point across
when I started I did some some online
courses for leading a meeting and
general prime project management but I
don't I think you get that in school I
was starting in informatics as I was in
school so I kind of had to catch myself
up
you don't need at least in nursing
informatics in my experience you don't
need any kind of programming okay it can
certainly help you have it you know do
certain things like analyzing data but
yeah you don't need any kind of
programming skills there is a
certificate or not a certificate a
nationally recognized certification by
the ancc which is a informatics in our
sport certified but you don't need an
advanced degree for that either you can
be a registered nurse and get that is so
you know maybe in terms of
certifications what are the most
recognizable certifications or are there
a lot or was just that one you just
mentioned
and what what are the types of
certifications out there are there any
you would recommend for nursing
informatics there aren't really a lot
there's the a NCC board certification
which is I think really the only one
that nursing would recognize or this
specific for nursing the National
Organization hims has the certified
professional informatics CP hims and
that's one that you can get it's not
required at least not where I work but
it's a good thing to have
it helps round out your skills and
that's about it for nursing informatics
okay that's sometimes it's good to not
have too many choices yeah I think I
think that the American Medical
Informatics Association
amia their education workgroup is
looking at some some sort of non MD but
on that same level of certification
because there is an a Mia MD
certification and I think they're
looking at something like that but it's
not gonna be happening for years so okay
okay so that's something to be able to
look out for them yeah okay alright so
kind of changing topics here um you know
everyone that looks into different
career paths s I have a passion man to
also make a living right
so for those who are interested in
nursing informatics well look what can
one expect in terms of like an
entry-level salary like what would one
expected range so that depends on a
couple of things depends on your
education level and years of experience
so as I mentioned before you can get the
board certification as a registered
nurse know advanced degree necessary and
the salary for that will be basically
comparable to what a staff nurse is
making that varies very much by state
and so I would I would see that that
entry-level salary would be basically
what the nurse is making although you do
get the benefits usually if working 8:00
to 5:00 no weekends and holidays which
is very different from
inpatient hospital nursing but as you
start to get more experience and also
advanced degrees registered nurse level
informatics would be an informatics
nurse and then when you get an advanced
degree you get in the specialist
attacked on the an so informatics nurse
specialist and for that again it varies
very much by state and by the local
market but that could be from what I've
heard and seen anywhere from eighty to a
hundred and thirty thousand a year okay
if you get management up to this the
CNIL
or chief nursing for maddox officer it's
kind of the peak that you can get in a
health system and that can obviously be
more since your senior management but in
working in industry or with vendors
informatics nurses they can work as
consultants or educators a whole variety
of things there it just goes up from
there okay okay
very nice so very it's a very lucrative
if anything good paying career you can
be alright so for all of the you know
folks out there that you know prior
students or practicing nurses right now
what is one of high-level tip piece of
nugget of advice that you might have for
those I think one thing that my
professors told me in I guess it was the
Dean of our College when I was
graduating for my undergraduate degree
where I was going to school was a pretty
research heavy faculty and what they
were saying I think
it would their their perspective was
looking at research but I think it goes
very well into informatics as well and
what they were saying was basically
count to everything and the idea was you
know see how many times this
intervention works count how well it
worked you know try to create a metric
for how well it's working and I think
that that kind of mindset not
necessarily doing that thing but having
that mindset of trying to analyze how
well things are working and how things
can improve is is the skill that you
need to be in a good implementation you
don't have to have certification you'll
need to know a lot of things but be able
to critically think and understand how
to look at a problem from detailed as
well as a wide perspective is what makes
a good informatics person in general
whether it's nursing pharmacy medical
whatever it is okay that's awesome
well that's all the time we have and it
was a pretty good interview thanks Lex
for for being on here and yeah you're
welcome
okay hey guys thanks for tuning in and
watching the video if you like the
content definitely hit the impro rx
button over to your left to subscribe
and definitely check out more videos
over here to your right now as always if
you have questions comments and you know
better
for future videos definitely let me know
the comments below otherwise until next
time guys
[Music]
Browse More Related Video
Nursing Informatics: Connecting Patient Care and Technology
Nursing Informatics Overview
N-110 Nursing Informatics Lecture 2: Issues in Informatics
FUNDAMENTALS OF NURSING - PART 1
What is Perioperative Nursing?
Career In Healthcare Informatics, Nurse Informatics | Everything you need to know | Shirish Gupta
5.0 / 5 (0 votes)