NURSING INFORMATICS AND THE NURSE ENTREPRENEUR

Nursing Informatics
- The definition provided by the American Nurses Association (ANA) and recommended by HIMSS
has become widely referenced in response to the question, “What is nursing informatics?”
- “The specialty that integrates nursing science with multiple information and analytical sciences
to identify, define, manage and communicate data, information, knowledge and wisdom in
nursing practice.”

*As a global advisor and thought leader in healthcare information and technology, HIMSS has focused
on this professional field for decades.

Nursing Informatics Roles and Requirements:

 A bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN), at minimum
 A master’s degree and certifications, particularly for executive roles (chief nursing informatics
officer)
 Experience and/or strong understanding of working in a clinical setting
 Strong technical skills; ability to quickly adapt to emerging technologies and innovation
 Strong project management skills
 An affinity for obtaining, analyzing, and strategizing about data
 Understanding of medical economics
 Strong interpersonal skills
 Leadership experience

 The field of nursing informatics has helped drive healthcare’s application of technologies such
as EMRs and computerized provider order entry. Nursing informatics professionals work with a
diverse group of stakeholders across the care continuum, ultimately helping to bridge the gap
between clinical and technical perspectives. Their number one priority is maintaining focus on
patient safety. This role was included in the top 15 highest paying nursing professions in the U.S.

 The HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey, led by the HIMSS Nursing Informatics
Committee, unveiled a multitude of findings about the profession.

 “Nursing informatics specialists are the translators that have evolved into health tech innovators
who establish businesses, manage medical economics, create technology and amplify the voice
of end-user clinicians,” said Danielle Siarri, MSN, RN, a HIMSS member and social media
ambassador. “Healthcare and technology were separate entities that have now fused into one
language which evolves daily.”

 Nursing informatics professionals are unique, hybrid heroes of healthcare. As advocates for
impactful innovation, their work keeps patients safe and at the center. Through their contributions
and guidance, workflows are improved for healthcare staff and best practices followed in the
effective management of information structures, processes, and technology.

Career Opportunities:
According to the American Medical Informatics Association, nurse informaticians work as:
 Developers of communication and information technologies
 Educators
 Researchers
 Chief nursing officers
 Chief information officers
 Software engineers
 Implementation consultants
 Policy developers
 Healthcare business owners

New competencies related to the future role of nursing informatics specialists:

NEW COMPETENCIES NEW ROLES
Knowledge innovation and  Provide guidance and support to others
generation (nurses, patients) in the application and
use of emerging knowledge (e.g., clinical
decision support, Practice-Based
Evidence (PBE), genomics, expert, and
patient/citizen knowledge)
  Inform-teach others (clinicians, teams,
patients) about new knowledge and
knowledge innovations relevant to specific
situations
 Provide direction and support to others in
the use of international guidelines and
knowledge
 Contribute internationally to new
knowledge generation and innovations
ensuring the inclusion of relevant team
member and patient perspectives and
expertise
Monitoring the use of new technology  Monitor and maintain vigilance over
data/technologies to identify those that
add value to a given health situation.
 Recognize that nurses, other clinicians,
and patients may engage and assume
responsibility independently and or
interdependently for specific data (e.g.,
remote monitoring, self-monitoring,
wearables, appliances).
 Recognize the emergence of patient self-
service and relevance of patient expertise
in specific situations.
Value judgement & quality assessment  Provide guidance as to the value and
relevance of specific data and information
as derived from single or multiple sources
for any given set of circumstances, or
health situations.

Change management  Identify the broader scope and

considerations for change management
in the context of connected health
(e.g., virtual, and physical
participants/partners)
 Recognize the extended complexities
of technology adoption in the context of
connected health.
Communication & documentation  With increasingly complex and
personalized approaches to health care,
participate in the identification and/or
development of new:
 models of clinical documentation
 methods of communication
 data standards
 terminology standards
 data sources
 data models
 •data repositories
Data analytics  In addition to traditional quantitative and
qualitative analyses, support and
participate in the development and use of
new approaches and methods of data
analytics for:
 knowledge generation (e.g., natural
language processing, experiential
data)
 reporting outcomes
 demonstrations of value (e.g.,
patient-caregiver perspectives,
health and financial outcomes)
 predictive and retrospective
analyses

Nurse Entrepreneur
 - Nursing professionals who use their knowledge, training, medical expertise, and experience to
create and advance their own business within the healthcare industry.
- By starting successful businesses within the healthcare field, nurse entrepreneurs play a crucial
role in the development and advancement of new medical applications, information systems,
medical record tracking software, home health products, and more.
- Because nurse entrepreneurs do not operate under a specific employer, they are able to work
independently and autonomously to provide a variety of nursing services which may include
things like patient care, home health and consulting services, or nursing education.

To be successful in this career, individuals must be creative, hardworking, business-savvy, and willing
to take risks financially, professionally, and personally.

Nurse Entrepreneur Duties:

Common duties and tasks which are carried out by nurse entrepreneurs include but are not limited to:
 Utilizing nursing education and experience to start business ventures within the healthcare
industry
 Securing financing
 Taking care of accounting, payroll, and taxes
 Hiring and managing employees
 Marketing their business in order to attract new customers and retain old ones
 Supplying healthcare products
 Providing nursing services which could include nursing education or consulting services, or
direct patient care

Nurse entrepreneurs can work in a variety of healthcare sectors. They most commonly find employment
in the following areas:
 Owning and operating a business
 Working as a nurse educator
 Working as an independent nurse contractor at hospitals and other healthcare clinics
 Home healthcare
 Nursing information technology

Requirements to Become Nurse Entrepreneur:

- Similar to other careers in the nursing field, prospective nurse entrepreneurs must start out by
earning a nursing degree and becoming licensed. On top of this, nurse entrepreneurs will also
benefit greatly from learning skills like accounting, business management, psychology,
marketing, and more. This can be achieved through self-study or through formal college courses.

Step 1: Educational Requirements

 To become fully licensed RNs, prospective nurse entrepreneurs will need to have completed an
ADN or BSN degree from an accredited academic institution and because of this, in addition to
a nursing degree, some nurse entrepreneurs will also earn bachelor's or master's degree in
business.
 While an advanced degree isn't required for nurse entrepreneurs to go into business, some will
opt to attend graduate school at universities which offer students dual degree programs which
provide a Master's of Science in Nursing (MSN) and Masters of Business Administration (MBA)
alongside one another (often referred to as a Dual MSN/MBA).
 MSN degrees in Executive Nurse Leadership can also be helpful for aspiring nurse
entrepreneurs.

Nurse Entrepreneurs Need an RN Degree

- Nurse entrepreneurs will generally need an active and unencumbered RN license, but because
they own their own business, there is no minimum education level that they are required to
possess.

Step 2: Required Nurse Entrepreneur Certifications/Credentials

- Although there are not any particular credentials or certifications that one must acquire in order
to become a nurse entrepreneur, some individuals who are going into this field might find certain
nursing certifications useful based on the niche of their business.