My friend John Lynn (who is the guy behind the Healthcare Scene Health IT blog network) is really excited that he can finally help those who are interested in jobs in healthcare IT and informatics.
Now HealthcareITCentral.com and HealthcareITToday.com will help connect qualified healthcare IT candidates with employers and of course healthcare IT employers with candidates.
It can be challenging to transition into healthcare IT and informatics, but one piece of advice I often give nurses and others looking to make the change is to learn about the career and what job responsibly it has. One great way to do this is to look at job listings, job requirements, and networking with recruiters and hiring managers to determine the skills and training you need to be a viable candidate.
If you’re interested in learning more about the acquisition, or what sort of information you can find on the websites, check on the article John recently posted on his EMR and HIPAA site.
To all of those interested in nursing informatics and healthcare IT I wish you the best of luck. If you’re in the process of seeking a job in this arena please comment below with any of your questions or stories. We’d love to hear them!
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donnad2008 thank you so much fr your comment! I also support Meditech, mostly the home care software.
It can be very difficult to get an employer to take a chance on a new informatics nurse. Its such a rewarding and challenging area of nursing that I’ve found to be a perfect combination of technology and nursing.
I’m still puzzled by some of the things we still keep on paper. Difficult to strip it away from the hands of some 🙂
Hi, Brittney,
I was on the ward for 25 years but always interested in getting documentation on-line. (1978 is the first time I said “why isn’t all of this information on a computer?” when I started my nursing education.) I had the opportunity to transfer into a position, even though only 1/2 way through my BScN and have been there for 7 years. First supporting and building in Meditech (Magic and Client Server) and for over a year with Civica’s PARIS product. I am grateful my employer was willing to take the chance on me (that I would complete the degree–I did) and have been enjoying the work ever since. Give it a go, you can only say “this isn’t for me” but you will never regret trying and not liking, only not trying and saying “I wish I had”…
ShannonWelton I think your advice is spot on. When I was researching nursing informatics it because apparent that an advanced degree or certification wasn’t necessary to get your foot in the door. What was more important was just a natural technical aptitude, the ability to be extremely comfortable with an EMR, and good problem-solving skills.
I hope you enjoy your new position in informatics! It’s certainly different from the bedside, but for me there couldn’t be a more perfect fit. 🙂
techguy1 wonderful! Keeping the nursing informatics jobs coming!
Thanks for mentioning this Brittney. I believe this is going to be a great synergy between the content network I’ve created and the Healthcare IT Central job board which has been running for 4 years. There are quite a few opportunities already posted for nurses. No doubt there will be many more to come in the future.
My advice–don’t wait to apply for a job or finish your informatics degree. For me, I’ve had a life long passion for and love of technology. Even as a travel nurse I picked up quickly on documentation software and often found myself teaching staff nurses tricks and troubleshooting to make their lives more efficient and user friendly. 3 times in my 9 year nursing career I have been asked to stay on full-time and join the informatics team at the local hospital I was contracted to because I was “a natural”. I am now (on the 3rd time) deciding to stay and complete my Master’s degree so that I can join the corporate level team and travel nationwide to assist with Informatics development for Meditech.
So, just start in your own unit with co-workers and particularly your manager and educator, showing them and voicing your love of technology and computer documentation skills. It will be just a matter of time before you will be asked to assist (usually at the same rate of pay as your bedside position).
[Thanks Nerdy Nurse!! I have been enjoying your posts on FB! Kindred spirit. 🙂 ]