Nursing Informatics

By Carrie Cronkite
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Updated at: September 4, 2025

Nursing Informatics is a career that is part of healthcare administration which integrates nursing science, computer and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. Informatics Nurses combine nursing knowledge and information in all areas of nursing are able to achieve the ultimate goal of improving healthcare for all patients, their families and communities around the world. This specialty helps all nursing practitioners deliver quality, cost-effective care in their practices. 

Informatics Nurses look at the entire nursing practice and break it down to appropriate areas. Then they analyze, research and study each area; and discover proven techniques to provide improved delivery of care. Nursing informatics fosters researchers, chief nursing officers and software engineers. Informatics Nurses cultivate policies developers and business owners to improve healthcare all over the globe. This career continuously works at transforming healthcare by delivering pertain information to consumers and clinicians. They also provide information to scientist and policy makers whenever they need it. Informatics Nurses study ways to change nursing for the better in the future; they find new techniques, answers to provide patient care at lower cost without compromising quality of care. Nurse Informatics also help educators to create internet programs for student taking online programs.

Education Requirements

Nurses can enter this field through on the job training or enrolling in a higher education program. Nurses who choose to enter via on-the-job training are known as informatics nurses and those who graduate from higher educational programs as known as informatics nurse specialist. Nurses on average have 16 years of clinical experience before venturing into this new career:

  • Certificate programs are available to nurses which fulfill education requirement for ANCC certification. They can become an informatics nurse if these courses are taken for academic credit. A certificate program can be completed in about a year.
  • Post-Master’s Certificate programs are available for nurses who hold a Master’s Degree in Nursing. These programs take their past educational and practicing experiences into condition. The Post-Master’s Certificate program builds upon these experiences which give students the education and tools they need to effective work in the field of Nursing Informatics. A Post-Master’s Certificate Program can be completed in about a year.
  • Masters of Science in Nursing Informatics programs are available for nurses who hold a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. A Master’s of Science programs are available online or as traditional class settings. A Master’s program can be completed in one to two years. Nurses at a Master’s level are able to teach and work effectively in research to improves all aspects of nursing as an Informatics Nurse
  • Doctorate (PhD) programs prepare nurses to become Nursing Informatics Specialist. Nursing Informatics Specialist  take on leadership roles and provide services as professors in Universities, conduct research studies and help develop policies.

Some Qualities of a Nurse Informatics Nurse should possess:

  • Self-disciplined to work on own.
  • Advanced computer savvy skills.
  • Research skills.
  • Attention to detail.
  • Knowledge of Statistics.
  • Experience in collecting data and performing surveys
  • Team work skills
  • High tech skills
  • Computer programming skills
  • Ability to work long hours

Job Description & Duties

Nurse Informatics perform a variety of functions such:

  • Provide technical support through system implantation for clinical staff, educational departments and administrative staff.
  • Creating customized computer programs for certain health care setting.
  • Nursing research.
  • Work as a liaison between information technology and nursing staff.
  • Provide consultation services for nurses and healthcare departments regarding software choices.
  • Collect, record and analyze data to help ongoing informatics research

Job Outlook and Salary

Job outlook for Informatics Nurses is excellent since institutions are switching over to Electronic Health Record systems. Developing technology in the medical field requires the services of nurse informatics more than ever to help transform and modernize their technical departments with ease. Informatics Nurses salaries are 42% higher than they were in 2004, average salary for nursing informatics is $98,702. Salaries are higher for informatics nurses that hold a Master’s degree and even higher for nurses who hold a PhD. 

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