News Feature | March 5, 2014

Most Nurse Informaticists 'Highly Satisfied'

Source: Health IT Outcomes
Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Nursing informatics growing, more nurses have post-graduate training according to HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey

Good news for nurse informaticists - the field is “rapidly maturing” according to Joyce Sensmeier, Vice President of Informatics for HIMSS. The 2014 HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey shows a great increase in the number of respondents with post-graduate degrees as well.

This comes as good thing for the profession explained Sensmeier in a statement. “Nearly two thirds of respondents have a post-graduate degree and 28 percent have a Master’s degree or PhD in informatics which points to the fact that the field is rapidly maturing. System optimization/utilization was a new option in the 2014 Survey and selected by 39 percent of respondents, suggesting that we may be moving beyond simply implementing systems towards leveraging their value.”

More than 70 percent of respondents said they have a job title specific to informatics; which is more than double the number from the last survey. More than half reported they were either “satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with their current positions. Eighty-one percent said they were “satisfied” or “highly satisfied” with their choice to pursue a career in informatics.

According to Fierce Health IT, some other key findings were:

  • 60 percent of respondents have a post-graduate degree
  • 43 percent of respondents have a master's degree or Ph.D. in nursing, up from 36 percent in 2011
  • two-thirds have a non-supervisory role, an increase from 61 percent in 2011 and 58 percent in 2007
  • one-fifth have one to five years of clinical bedside experience, compared to 12 percent in 2011, indicating a rise in demand
  • salaries steadily increased - the 2014 average was $100,717 compared to $98,703 in 2011 and $83,675 in 2007

“The industry demands for more robust clinical documentation and analytics – such as those associated with Meaningful Use – have increased the need for informaticists across the entire care spectrum. This year’s Survey showed a marked growth across the field of nursing informatics, as well as a deeper understanding and recognition of informatics as a nursing specialty,” said Sensmeier.

Read the survey HERE