One criticism I often receive on social media is that Nursing Informatics is not a flawless field. Some people are quick to point out that there are those in Nursing Informatics who also experience stress, dislike their co-workers, and fight through red tape. I never claimed that Nursing Informatics is the golden unicorn of nursing specialties where nothing frustrating ever happens. Every field has its downside, even Nursing Informatics.

To me, Nursing Informatics is like moving from Philadelphia (I used to live there) to Miami. It is not like Miami is free from big city issues – you can have your car broken into there too (happened to me). But even with that downside, if you are looking for warm weather and beaches, Miami is going to win.

In this post, I thought I would give some insight into the downside of Nursing Informatics. Again, this is based on my experience (I have been in this field for over a decade). Every nurse’s experience is a little different, so the best way to get a full picture is to reach out to Informatics Nurses in your network.

First of all, what is Nursing Informatics?

If you are new to this blog, I wrote a whole article about what Nursing Informatics is that you can read here. It explains the details of what Informatics Nurses do, where we work, and what skills are needed to become an Informatics Nurse.

To keep it brief here, you can think of Nursing Informatics as a combination of Nursing, Computer Science, and Data Science. Nursing Informatics takes advantage of the technology and data available to solve clinical problems and improve health outcomes for people.

Informatics Nurses have a critical role in the ongoing development and improvement of health technology. We translate clinical and technical needs into something everyone on the team can understand. We are responsible for making sure technology is user-friendly and helpful for healthcare workers.

Because we sit between clinical and technical, Informatics Nurses drive how technology is applied in healthcare. This is especially important because health technology is one of the main reasons for clinician burnout. Even before the pandemic, studies found 40% of clinician stress came from the electronic health systems they used.

There are so many things Informatics Nurses can do, that it is hard to group our roles into one job description. The one common theme is we work with different stakeholders in healthcare and bridge the gap between clinical and technical.

What qualifications are needed to become an Informatics Nurse?

It is a common misconception that the MSN in Nursing Informatics is required to enter this field. It is not, and neither is the Certification in Nursing Informatics. There are also plenty of Informatics Nurses who do not have a BSN, and there are Informatics Nurses who are LPNs. If you do a search for Nursing Informatics job postings, you will like see a number of them list BSN, MSN, and certification as ‘preferred’ (i.e. optional) qualifications if these are mentioned at all.

Recruiters and hiring managers are primarily looking for relevant experience. In the business world, experience beats education the majority of the time. If you put yourself in the hiring manager’s shoes, this makes sense.

The hiring manager likely has several major computer systems to keep running, and/or a big technology project underway. They do not want to waste their time hiring people who have all the degrees but little of the experience needed to jump in. They want candidates who can hit the ground running. This is no different from new nurses getting their first job – despite the nursing shortage it can take a while to get hired if you have not been a nurse before.

What is the upside of Nursing Informatics?

I promise I will get into the downside of Nursing Informatics in a moment. But if you are new here I at least want to give you reasons why someone might choose this specialty. Here are some that appealed to me as I chose this field:

Upside #1: New challenges and opportunities

It is hard to argue that health technology is not a popping field, especially right now. Since the pandemic started, the growth of telehealth and other virtual care technologies has been exponential. In fact, I started this business, Writing the Future of Health, because I had so many nurses reaching out asking me how to get into this field.

Even if you are not seeing the uptick in digital health where you work, you can still look at where the dollars are flowing. According to Fierce Healthcare, global venture capital funding for digital health grew to $15 billion just in the first half of 2021. This is 138% more than was invested in the first half of 2020. All of that investment means there will be growing companies, new technology, and more jobs.

Upside #2: Personal growth

One thing I love about working in the technology space is I have met and worked with some incredibly smart people. I get a chance to learn from consultants who advise leaders at the top of the industry. Being able to bounce ideas off of super smart people helped me develop my skills and thinking.

On top of that, I have had the opportunity to attend technology conferences, user experience design courses, and project management workshops. Bedside care is not the only place where nurses can learn new things. My learning continues to this day with each new development.

Upside #3: Salary and benefits

I get asked often how much Informatics Nurses make. Nursing Informatics is such a niche area that there are few salaries reported. Answering this question is actually harder than it seems for a few reasons.

First, because Nursing Informatics overlaps with technology and business, the salary structure is different from clinical nursing roles. Informatics Nurses usually have a salary and bonus, and the bonus can range from 15% to 50%. Bonuses are not typically reported on salary websites. Second, Informatics Nurses may receive payment in the form of equity, or company stock, which fluctuates in value. Third, Informatics Nurses can (and are expected to) negotiate salary and other forms of compensation. This means what one nurse is paid can be vastly different from what another nurse is paid.

With those caveats in mind, according to Ziprecruiter, the national average Informatics Nurse salary is $102,230. In my state, the average salary is listed as a bit higher at around $108,000. However, the cities that have the highest salaries for Informatics Nurses are San Jose, CA ($126,268), Oakland, CA ($124,815), and Tanaina, AK ($124,248).

Upside #4: Flexible work location and hours

Nursing Informatics is one of the few areas that allows nurses to work from home. Even with the rise of telehealth and virtual care, Nursing Informatics is still one of the highest compensated fields that supports remote work.

On top of allowing nurses to work from home (or anywhere you have an internet connection), most Nursing Informatics roles let you create your own hours. You work on projects, so instead of having shifts that start and end a certain times, you decide how long you need to complete project tasks.

If you are looking for flexibility, Nursing Informatics takes the win.

Okay, so what is the downside of Nursing Informatics?

We have finally reached what you came for – the downside of Nursing Informatics. Here are the negatives I have experienced:

Downside #1: If you get an MSN in Nursing Informatics, it may not open doors for you.

As I mentioned before, hiring managers are really looking for relevant work experience instead of degrees and certifications. I was fortunate to get some work experience at the same time I was in the Nursing Informatics MSN program. But, if I did not have that experience, I am not sure if I would have been hired into my first Information Technology job after graduation.

A lot of nurses are disappointed by this, and I consider it a major failing of Nursing Informatics programs that they do not address this part. Many nurses think they need the MSN or certificate to get into this field. But this is not like other clinical specialties where you need training before you can begin. Nursing Informatics is the opposite – get experience first and only get the degree to boost your career once you are in this field.

In my case, the MSN in Nursing Informatics introduced me to people who later hired me because I had experience. That was a plus.

However, once I started working full-time on a technology team, the degree did not help me advance. I was passed over for promotion on several occasions. That is when I noticed many of the people in leadership roles had MBAs (Master’s in Business Administration) or many years of experience in technology. I had neither, which is why I went back to school for the MBA.

Downside #2: You don’t have to watch ‘Housewives’ to get some drama…

There are people working in technology who have…shall we say…a different take on social skills. I have worked with plenty of fun and friendly people. But I have also worked with some who act like their work is life or death. When you have been a nurse working in actual life or death situations, this can be at best kind of cute. At worst, it is majorly annoying and more than a little sad. You want to tell people like this to get a life.

However, you may also find people who are challenging to work with on the business side as well. Some healthcare leaders think they are being heroes to their staff by giving the technology teams a hard time. They believe that by saying negative things about the clinical system (even when it involves a change they requested), their nurses will think they are really fighting for them (even though the nurses would rather see adequate staffing than another system change).

There are also healthcare leaders who simply do not understand technology and refuse to accept that every system has limitations. I was actually asked once, ‘Why would you build a system with bugs in it?’ As if a technology team intentionally puts bugs in a system!! Technology is made by humans, which means it can contain errors. Think of how many software updates your phone gets in a year – even Apple and Google recognize they have errors to fix in their technology.

Downside #3: Not all teams are high functioning.

A major part of Nursing Informatics is being on a team. As discussed in our interview with Nursing Informatics Role Model Amy Qureshi, this is a big change from bedside nursing where each person has their role and tasks. When I was a bedside nurse, I could get through my whole shift regardless of what the physician or physical therapist was doing.

In Nursing Informatics, your role is very much dependent on your team members. You cannot complete a technology project without the developers and testers doing their jobs too. When you are on a good team, it is an amazing experience. You make life-long friends, learn from each other, and cheer each other on when you deliver an important project.

But, when you are on a poorly functioning team, the process can be pretty miserable. I have seen teams where everyone seems to hate each other, no one cares about the quality of their work, and each team member is interviewing for jobs during lunch breaks. That may not sound unique to Nursing Informatics, and that is because it is not. I have worked on clinical teams where the morale was on the floor. But I mention it because it does exist in Nursing Informatics as well.

Downside #4: You have to be self-motivated.

This is a bigger factor than many nurses realize. Nursing Informatics is not a field with a clearly marked career path. There is no progression that says, ‘start here’ and ‘finish here.’ Nursing Informatics is a specialty where you have to define your own progression. You have to figure out what you like doing and where you want to go with your career.

This can lead to situations where nurses feel stuck in their careers. I get comments from Informatics Nurses who feel like they have been doing the same thing for a long time and are tired of it. My advice to them is to start talking to other Informatics Nurses outside of their organization. I recommend they network, and explore what else is out there.

But exploring and networking takes individual effort. Not everyone wants to put in that work.

Key Takeaway:

If there is one key takeaway, it is that Nursing Informatics is not a perfect specialty. Like any job, there are frustrations and stresses. However, depending on what you are looking for in your career, the downside of Nursing Informatics may be something you are willing to deal with.

My recommendation is to talk with Informatics Nurses. Find Informatics Nurses at your organization, online, through your friends and family, and ask them what they like and what they dislike about their careers. Remember to ask them what, if anything, they might do differently. In my case, I have no regrets about choosing this field, all things considered.

Like this topic? You may have what it takes to be a great Informatics Nurse! Here are two ways to get started:

Option 1: Sign up for Career Coaching! If you would like hands-on help planning your Nursing Informatics career, apply for one of my career coaching packages or book a Coaching Call. Check out my Services page for more information.

Option 2: Check out From Bedside Nurse to Informatics Nurse: A How-To Guide available in our online store.