My most frequently asked question is how to get into the field of Nursing Informatics. There are several different ways nurses get into this area, but all eventually end up in the same spot: applying to get their first job. This week, I thought I would share my experience getting my first job in Nursing Informatics. What many people do not know about me is I got this job before finishing my MSN (in fact, I had not even finished the first semester of the MSN program).

My first job in Nursing Informatics was as a computer system trainer for other nurses. My responsibilities included teaching classes on how to use our health information system to new nurses as they started orientation. I also provided instruction on new features after system upgrades, and went into the field with nurses struggling with documentation.

This was more than a decade ago, so we taught all of the classes in-person. We also gave actual quizzes on paper…with pen or pencil…because it was the dark ages…

That initial experience made getting my next role just a bit easier. In that role, I became a system super user. On top of that, I learned how to communicate technical topics and understood what frustrated nurses. When applying for more advanced roles, I had an entire set of experiences and demonstrated skills to point to that my master’s program classmates did not. I could not have planned a better career starter if I tried.

For a long time I believed I just lucked into it. But looking back, I realize there are some things I did that other nurses can also do to enter this field.

Getting my first Nursing Informatics job before my master’s degree

A lot of nurses I speak with think they have to start by getting a master’s degree in Nursing Informatics. That is not true, but I understand where they are coming from. I thought the same thing before I became an Informatics Nurse. Because Nursing Informatics is not taught in undergraduate nursing school, I believed graduate school was the starting point. Few of my nursing school professors at the time had much experience working with health technology or Informatics Nurse Specialists. It was still a new field.

I decided to go into Nursing Informatics at the urging of some of the more senior nurses. I was fortunate enough to work for an agency that covered full tuition for graduate education, so there was really no financial cost to me. Being young, I did not think about the cost in terms of time. All I thought about was making sure I did not have to pile more student loans onto the already large pile.

In order to receive tuition reimbursement, I had to get my supervisor’s approval for the program. Up to that point, I did not mentioned my interest in Nursing Informatics to anyone but a few of the senior nurses. In fact, I never talked with my supervisor about my career development.

Being forced to discuss the master’s program sparked a conversation about my future career plans, and my interest in this field. Once I told my supervisor about it, she mentioned it to the Director of our unit. The Director then told the Nurse Education Manager, who reached out to me. She was looking for a nurse to provide systems training and wanted to gauge my interest.

To be completely honest, my first instinct was to turn her down. I had not even started my master’s program, and did not feel I knew enough to be an official trainer. But, I also thought it might be a good opportunity to put what I learned in school into practice. I am really glad I did not run with my first instinct because that role opened the door for my entire Nursing Informatics career. It also turned out the systems trainer role came with a $7,000 salary boost.

Key lessons other nurses can apply

Even though in many ways I lucked into my first role, there are still key lessons other nurses can use. Here are the main three:

Lesson 1: Tell people in a position to help that you want to get into this field

In my case, I had to tell my supervisor that I applied for the Nursing Informatics master’s program. If I did not need her signature on the tuition reimbursement form, I am not sure I would have told her. That would have been a mistake. She never would have told the Director, who never would have told the Nurse Education Manager I was interested in this area. My first job would have passed by me, and I never would have known it.

One of the first steps nurses can take is to tell people who can help you that you want to get into Nursing Informatics. Tell your supervisor and ask who else you should meet at your organization to explore your interest further. This can put you on the radar as positions open.

Lesson 2: Not holding back and waiting to become more qualified

As a nurse, I assumed I had to complete the degree before I could start the work. I did not understand that in Nursing Informatics, degrees are more of a career booster than a prerequisite to enter this field. I think a lot of us hold ourselves back because we assume we are unqualified and have to go through more training before we go for jobs we find interesting.

Do we actually need more training? Or is that an excuse to put off trying something new? I challenge every nurse considering next career steps to ask yourself these questions.

Instead of waiting to become more qualified, nurses can start networking, volunteering for projects, and becoming super users of the systems they work with. Those are the activities that will help you to actually be more qualified.

Lesson 3: Learning by doing…and googling.

In the systems trainer role, I started out with a curriculum to follow. That made learning the job much easier because I was not starting from scratch and could learn by watching other trainers. But eventually there were new modules added to the system, as well as changes from the system vendor each year. I was given the assignment to create classes about the new features. It was intimidating to think of designing a class on my own – shouldn’t someone more experienced do it?

My new supervisor certainly did not think so, and threw me into the deep end of building new curriculum. After all, that is why she hired me. So, I did what any creative person would do – I googled it. Anything I needed to know how to do, I looked it up and tweaked it for my class’s needs.

The lesson in this for other nurses is to not worry about knowing everything. Anything you need to know you can google.

Key Takeaways:

I accidentally stepped into Nursing Informatics before getting my master’s degree. But these are actions any nurse can take to get started. I recommend nurses interested in Nursing Informatics start by getting some experience in this field. Not only will it help to build your resume so you can move onto other Nursing Informatics roles. It also helps you confirm this is a field you want to be in.

Looking for some guidance on how to get into Nursing Informatics? I have two options for you:

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.