of learning materials. ANIA also connects more than 3,000 informatics professionals across the country and abroad, fostering collaboration through local and online communities. Additional benefits include access to a career center with job postings, discounts on certification courses and conferences, and opportunities to participate in committees or present at the annual conference. By offering these resources, ANIA supports informatics professionals at every stage of their careers and strengthens their impact on the future of healthcare technology( ANIA, n. d.).
Day in the Life: Voices from the Field
Nursing informatics can provide an array of opportunities. One ANIA member works as a manager of EHR analysts. Her typical day involves interfacing with her team as well as operational stakeholders. Her team consists of IT professionals and clinicians( including nurses and pharmacists). As their leader, she is helping to guide projects across all inpatient hospital leadership. She leads system decisions and partners with operations to ensure that the EHR is as up to date as possible and provides efficient workflows for clinicians.
Another ANIA member who works as a nurse informaticist describes her typical day as follows:
“ Much like bedside nursing, every day as a nurse informaticist is different. From helping to set up a new unit, to gaining a stroke certification, to deploying iPhones, to sorting out EHR dashboard rules, informaticists should be involved in projects that combine technology and nursing. I appreciate that informaticists impart change on both a micro and macro level.
“ It is very satisfying to deploy technology to clinicians and have end users indicate that the new technology makes their workflow more efficient. Recently, mobile devices were deployed to users who didn’ t consistently take photos of wounds. After doing some at-the-elbow education, a nurse told me that the process to take and link wound photos was so easy via the mobile device that she changed her practice and is now routinely taking wound photos. Nurses are very task saturated. It is wonderful when technology can decrease that burden.
In addition to helping individual staff members, informaticists get to partner with operations to make improvements on an institution-wide basis. I was very proud to work with an EHR colleague to create comprehensive visualization of violence-related documentation. Keeping staff safe and informed prior to interacting with patients is vital for healthcare workers. It is very gratifying to see Informatics impacting an entire health system.”
How To Get Started
Nurses and students who want to get into the informatics specialty can take action in many ways. The first is to get involved with your current organization when implementing any new tools workflows. If there is ever a call for“ super users,” or people who know about computers and are willing to help others, take that opportunity to volunteer! It is also great to get involved in any IT-related committees. Many hospitals have governance councils or committees that help drive changes and decision making surrounding the EHR and other emerging technologies.
Involvement in professional organizations can not only help build a network of potential employers but also provides professional development opportunities in the informatics field. ANIA offers a student membership rate( https:// www. ania. org / membership / students). Student membership provides access to six webinars per year that offer contact hours for Nursing Continued Professional Development( NCPD). Further, many ANIA chapters offer in person networking events. ANIA also offers a mentorship subsite that pairs mentors / mentees and preceptors / preceptees with each other.
The Future of Nursing Informatics
Technology is going to continue to weave its way into clinical practice. As such, it will be critical to have clinicians at the table as new technologies are not just being adopted but also developed. Generative AI provides a great opportunity moving forward. Nurses can help test new uses of generative AI ensuring the tools have been created with the nurse at the center. Nurses also have an obligation to help validate new tools ensuring they are free of bias and providing appropriate clinical guidance. All of these developments mean nurses will have a seat at the table of technology companies, healthcare providers, and in the regulatory space to ensure that nurses and patients are protected.
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