Healthcare data is everywhere. From one-on-one, personalized care to population health of the masses, there is no single nursing role today that does not revolve around datasets. Data collection, tracking and analysis within nursing started with Florence Nightingale during the Crimean War. Since then, data management in the healthcare industry has grown exponentially to help improve care for others. However, data analysis for decision-making is only as good as the data available. Nurses are key to planning, identifying, understanding and applying that data to improve patient care.
Nurses seeking career advancement or options outside direct patient care should consider the online Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) – Nursing Informatics program from Millersville University. As the Information Age propels forward and the artificial intelligence boom continues, nurses can gain a job market edge by building their data management skills. At every level, nurses can use data for best practice and evidence-based care.
What Is the Role of a Nurse Informaticist?
Nursing informatics is a partnership between nursing and information. The American Nurses Association (ANA) defines nursing informatics as “the integration of nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice.”
Nursing informaticists are at the front of the technology revolution, combining ideas and disciplines to create new systems and approaches that benefit all. Participants in the Health Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) 2023 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey reported their top five responsibilities as systems implementation, system optimization and utilization, project management, systems development, and quality initiatives and reporting.
How Do Data Management Skills Give Nurses an Edge in the Job Market?
According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), the job category of the medical and health services manager is growing “much faster than average” at 29% through 2033. Although the data is not specific for nurse informaticists, the demand for data skills will continue to escalate with the aging population and rising healthcare costs.
Nursing informaticists commonly start in their roles at higher pay rates than patient-side nurses, emerging into manager paygrades as their combined patient care experiences and graduate degrees synergistically help patients, payers, the healthcare team and organizations, per the HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce 2023 Salary and Benefits Report. In addition, average salaries for these professionals continue to grow due to increasing education and expertise in today’s data-driven healthcare environment.
Currently, 27% of nursing informaticists report earning more than $101,000 annually. Nurses with advanced degrees make more than those with associate or baccalaureate degrees. Per the HIMSS Salary and Benefits Report, nurses with master’s degrees are more likely to earn over $101,000 than those with bachelor’s degrees.
Why Do Nurses Need an MSN in Nursing Informatics From Millersville University?
An MSN in nursing informatics helps nurses earn a degree that puts them in a higher pay bracket and expands their practice into systems thinking. For example, the Nursing Informatics and Healthcare Technology course offered in Millersville University’s online MSN Nursing Informatics program equips nurses with resume-boosting, practical skills to impact healthcare transformation for today and the future.
The authors of The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 state that data collection and analysis is essential for identifying, assessing and prioritizing opportunities for advancing health equity, and applying this mindset in nursing improves nursing practice and patient health. Nurse leaders use these data to develop innovative solutions. Therefore, data management roles contribute to the healthcare quadruple aim: improving patient experience, caring for populations, reducing healthcare costs, and contributing to clinicians’ overall health and wellness.
Healthcare systems are rapidly evolving as governments, organizations and employers push for novel methods of work and care. While nursing informaticists help others navigate these complex spaces, they also earn excellent wages. Knowledge about data can help professionals with a specialty career in nurse informatics or grow their nursing education or nursing leadership knowledge.
Learn more about Millersville University’s online Master of Science in Nursing – Nursing Informatics program.
