Informatics Functional Areas

Informatics is one of the most diverse disciplines in health care. Many nurses have been able to capitalize on their informatics knowledge and interests to carve out new roles within their own health care setting.  As you embark on your own informatics career path, it is important to be aware of the vast possibilities that await you. One of the best sources to begin your investigation is the American Nurses Association (ANA). The ANA recognizes that nursing informatics titles have little standardization across health care settings. As such, they have categorized the roles of informaticist into nine functional categories:

• Administration, Leadership, and Management
• Systems Analysis and Design
• Compliance and Integrity Management
• Consultation
• Coordination, Facilitation, and Integration
• Development of Systems, Products, and Resources
• Education and Professional Development
• Genetics and Genomics
• Information Management and Operational Architecture
• Policy Development and Advocacy
• Quality and Performance Improvement
• Research and Evaluation
• Safety, Security and Environmental Health. (ANA, 2015, pp. 18-34)In this Assignment, you first consider the various functional areas as outlined by the ANA. You then examine your personal attributes and interests as you consider your future as a nurse informaticist.To prepare:
• Review the nine functional areas for nurse informaticists as identified by the ANA.
• Select the functional area in which you are most interested. Then, conduct additional research to identify the general responsibilities and duties associated with nurses working within this area.
• Consider your current professional role. How might your personal attributes and interests help you to be successful in your selected functional area? What skills might you wish to develop to better position yourself for success?

To complete:

Submit a  4 to 5-page paper in APA format with a minimum of 6 references by Thursday 06/09/2016  17:00  that addresses the following:

• Identify the nursing informatics functional area in which you are most interested.
• Summarize the general responsibilities and duties of nurses who work within this functional area.
• Explain how your personal attributes, interests, knowledge, and nursing background will help you thrive within this area.
• ropose three overarching skills you could develop to become more effective in this functional area. Justify the importance of each skill by providing applicable examples. Cite your resources as appropriate.Reference:
  American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: American Nurses Association.

Readings

• American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.Read the following Chapter:
  • “Functional Areas for Nursing Informatics”This section details nine distinct functional areas that nurse informaticists often fulfill in their various job titles and specific positions. These functional areas include administration, analysis, integrity management, consultation, and others.
• Saba, V. K., & McCormick, K. A. (2015). Essentials of nursing informatics (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
  • Chapter 48, “Information Literacy and Computerized Information Resources”In this chapter, the authors focus on electronic sources that are easily accessible to nurses and how vital they are to professional credibility and growth. They elaborate on three main points: staying up-to-date with the published literature, developing and maintaining a list of resources, and collaborating and networking with your colleagues.
• Ericksen, A. B. (2009). Informatics: The future of nursing. RN, 72(7), 34–37.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.This article explores the use of technology in the nursing field and how the informatics specialty came into existence. The article also discusses the role of informatics in patient safety, its use in today’s technological sphere, and the future role it may play in health care.
• Huryk, L.A. (2011). Interview with an informaticist. Nursing Management, 42(11), 44–48.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.The author of this article interviews an experienced informatics nurse specialist (INS) to acquire a nurse’s perspective on electronic health records. The interviewee highlights common topics that future informatics nurses need to consider such as improved patient safety, evidence-based practices, legal/ethical implications, and health care reform.
• Murphy, J. (2011). The nursing informatics workforce: Who are they and what do they do? Nursing Economic$, 29(3), 150–153.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.The author of this article details roles within the nursing informatics workforce. The article also examines the chief nursing informatics officer position.
• Rimmerman, C., Heidenreich, D., & Appel, D. (2009). The role of a clinical operations analyst in implementing a successful electronic medical record. Physician Executive, 35(6), 34–39.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.This article describes electronic medical record (EMR) implementations and their associated benefits. The authors list goals and challenges of EMRs and also discuss how clinical operations analysts can help to increase the probability of a successful implementation.
• American Medical Informatics Association. (n.d.f). Working group: Nursing informatics. Retrieved October 17, 2012 from http://www.amia.org/programs/working-groups/nursing-informaticsThis web page lists a variety of job descriptions that are applicable to the nursing informatics spe” headings on the right-hand side of the page for more information, as well. (Note: You will use this resource for this week’s discussion, so make sure to explore these links thoroughly.)
• HIMSS Nursing Informatics Awareness Task Force. (2007). An emerging giant: Nursing informatics. Nursing Management. Retrieved from http://s3.amazonaws.com/rdcms-himss/files/production/public/HIMSSorg/handouts/An%20Emerging%20Giant%20Nursing%20Informatics.pdfThis foundational piece created by the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)Task Force examines the ever-growing need for nurse informaticists.  The authors also specify the roles that are associated with nursing informatics, as well as relevant education programs and certification processes cialty. You should review how the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) defines nursing informatics. Scroll down the page and use the left navigation bar to browse the hyperlinks under the “Informatics Core” and “Informatics Areas” for more information on this. You will also need to explore the hyperlinks under the “Related Working Groups” and “Cross-cutting Working Groups.

Media

• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012g). The role of nurse informaticists. Baltimore: Author.Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 15 minutes.In this week’s media presentation, Gail Latimer, Dr. Patricia Button, and Dr. Roy Simpson share their professional experiences in the informatics field, as well as their perceptions about the evolution of nursing informatics.  Each also outlines the varied roles that informatics professionals can play within health care settings.