In 2008 I worked for a home care agency as a hospice nurse. On most days I absolutely loved that job – my patients and their families welcomed me into their home at the most critical time in their lives. I loved connecting with them. It was truly what I pictured nursing to be.

But, as much as I loved that job, I also knew I could not do it forever. For one thing, it required traveling from home to home with a heavy bag loaded with my nursing equipment. That by itself was physically exhausting.

And then the emotional toll was present, but not in the way you would think. I was not overwhelmed by sadness at every turn. Instead, I became a bit numb to seeing someone in the last phase of life. It became routine because I saw it so many times.

I knew I needed a long-term plan for my nursing career.

Why I did not become a Nurse Practitioner

Many nurses who love patient care become Nurse Practitioners. However, I knew becoming a Nurse Practitioner was not for me. If I was already becoming numb to patient experiences as a bedside nurse, my long-term plan could not involve more patient care.

I also went into nursing because it is such a flexible field. You will find nurses working in many different types of companies in all sorts of roles. There are thousands of nurses who do not provide direct patient care and have very fulfilling careers.

I considered getting a degree in Public Health, but quickly dismissed it because I believed it would require working in a Department of Health. With no interest in becoming a government employee, I kept searching.

Why I chose Nursing Informatics

I learned about Nursing Informatics from some of the senior nurses I worked with at the home care agency. Our agency offered nurses full tuition coverage for graduate school, and these nurses pushed me to continue my education. They kept saying things like:

“It will never be an easier time to go back to school.”

“Do it before you have kids.”

“If you do not go back to school, you are wasting thousands of dollars of employee benefits.”

They were right on all points. The problem was that I was not sure what I wanted to study. When I posed this question to the group, one said: “If I was younger, I would go into Informatics. It is computer technology mixed with healthcare, and it is going to be the next big thing.” Another chimed in: “I have a friend who got into Nursing Informatics a year ago. She is already making $120,000.”

That sold me enough to at least do a google search for ‘Nursing Informatics.’

At the time I found a mostly new field where nurses were helping to stand up electronic health systems everywhere from hospitals to insurance companies, home care agencies to pharmaceutical labs. They got to work with people in different departments on a variety of projects. Everyday presented new challenges, and they were asked for opinions on how to solve problems.

It sounded amazing!

How I chose an Informatics degree program

To be clear: a degree is not required to become an Informatics Nurse.

You can get into Nursing Informatics through experience on a technology project. I know many nurses who entered the field by being subject matter experts on a team putting in a new system. They became super users and helped the technology team configure the system for clinical workflows. Then they stayed onboard.

These nurses were not technology experts, but they were experts in process, quality, and metrics. They understood enough about technology to communicate with technical team members.

I did not know there were ways to get into this field without a degree. I also thought I would have to be super tech savvy, which I was not. I could turn a computer on, check email, do a google search, and put together a Word document, but that was about it.

Realizing I needed to learn more, I started my research with Nursing Informatics degree programs. As a side note, you should know there are different types of ‘Informatics’ programs. Some other programs are Health Informatics, Biomedical Informatics, and Medical Informatics.

So, what is the difference? Nursing Informatics is, as it sounds, meant for nurses. These programs do not assume students have experience with health technology. For that reason, the program was a good fit for a beginner like me.

The other Informatics programs are open to anyone and normally attract students with some technology knowledge. That does not mean a tech background is required, but you may be classmates with people who have a lot of tech knowledge.

What I got out of my Informatics degree

There are four main things I got out of my Nursing Informatics master’s program:

Benefit #1: Learned about health systems end-to-end

Starting with the first semester, the program took us through how health technology systems work. With each semester we got into more detail and learned different roles. We also learned quite a bit about project management and got hands-on practice with the tools used to manage technology projects.

Keep in mind that back then there were not many self-study resources out there on this topic. Now there are books, online courses, and YouTube videos.

Benefit #2: Had other beginner students in my program

The difference between people who had a tech background and those who did not was barely noticeable in my program. The first semester was tough for those of us learning technology for the first time. But we were also most of the class.

There were only a couple of students who had done things like build a Microsoft Access database before. The rest of us shared anything we found on Google to help each other out.

By the second semester, the difference was less noticeable, and by the second year there was really no difference at all. Even if you choose a different type of Informatics program, there will likely be some beginners in the program with you. Make friends with them so you can support each other.

Benefit #3: Built my network through internships

One of the best things about going through a program was a chance to do internships. My school called these internships ‘practicums,’ but it was the same idea of shadowing someone with experience and working on a project.

I did three internships: one at a big hospital, one at a small community hospital, and one at a home care agency. They were 10-12 weeks, which gave me a chance to meet most of the Information Technology department at these companies. By the time I finished the program, I was connected to a whole network of health technology people.

Now, you can build a network without going to school. Getting experience on a project in your current workplace, volunteering with a healthcare nonprofit, or collaborating on a data project with your organization’s reporting team are just a few ways to do this.

Benefit #4: Got my first job offer through one of the internships

Through the network of people I met in my internships, I ended up getting my first Informatics job. One of the Informatics Nurses I shadowed reached out about an open role on her team. By the time I graduated from the program, I was already working in health technology.

Should you get an Informatics degree?

There is no clear ‘yes or no’ answer to that question. It depends on where you are coming from and what you hope to do in the future. Here are some things to consider:

Do you have career goals that involve moving up the corporate ladder?

Even though a master’s degree is not required to get into Nursing Informatics, there are some roles where a degree is expected. For example, roles that are Director or Vice President level often expect candidates will have a graduate degree.

However, moving up the corporate ladder does come with its own headaches. Office politics, department budgets, and dealing with everyone’s complaints are just a few reasons plenty of Informatics Nurses choose to stay off that ladder.

Do you enjoy being in school?

If the answer is ‘yes,’ then you may want to consider a master’s program. As a massive nerd myself, I get you. Just keep in mind you will need to give up evenings and weekends for school work, on top of doing your regular job.

Not everyone loves being in school, and that is good to know about yourself. Nursing Informatics is still a field you can get into with some experience and self-study.

Do you have the resources to go back to school?

This is a big consideration, and I am not a fan of student loan debt. My degree was paid for by my employer at the time. Since that time, they changed their policy and only cover up to a certain (small) dollar amount. That is what I see with a number of healthcare employers.

If you do not have the resources, I would consider getting into this field by reading From Bedside Nurse to Informatics Nurse: A How-To Guide. It will take you step-by-step through what you need to become an Informatics Nurse without graduate school.

Then, in the future, if you are someone who wants to climb that corporate ladder you can see if your employer will sponsor you. That is sometimes easier once you already have experience in this field to point to.

Key Takeaways:

If you are thinking about a career change and Nursing Informatics seems like a good fit, a degree in Informatics may be right for you. It is not required to get into this field, but may be a fit depending on your career goals and resources to invest in a program.

There are different types of Informatics programs you may hear about. I chose Nursing Informatics because I am a nurse and wanted a program for beginners. Besides researching programs, you will need to do some soul-searching to see if this degree is right for you.

Nursing Informatics is a great field, and I wish you the best of luck!