Informatics Competencies

Nursing informatics is a discipline that is still evolving. Yet, there is a set of core skills and knowledge that applies to all individuals who work as nurse informaticists and many competencies that are specific to informatics roles, positions, tasks, and responsibilities. For example, a nurse informaticist who works as a consultant for a health care technology company and a nurse informaticist who works as a professor at a university will share much of the same expertise and knowledge. However, they will also have distinct competencies specific to their unique roles.

In this Discussion, you explore informatics competencies within the informatics functional area you selected for the Week 1 Assignment.

To prepare:

• Review nursing informatics competencies such as those outlined by the American Nurses Association (ANA), the Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform (TIGER), and the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN).
• Review this week’s media presentation Competencies for Nurse Informaticists, and reflect on the competencies outlined by the presenters.
• Recall the informatics functional area you identified in the Week 1 Assignment. With this in mind, what competencies would be most important for you to master? How might you go about developing these competencies?
• Create a list of competencies you would like to master.

Post on Tuesday 06/21/16 a minimum of 550 words in APA format with 3 references addressing the level one headings below:

1)  A brief description of the informatics functional area in which you are interested

2) Then, identify at least four ANA, TIGER and/or QSEN competencies that you believe to be vital for success in this functional area, and justify your choices.

3) Explain how you might successfully develop and master each of these competencies

Readings

• American Nurses Association. (2015). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Silver Spring, MD: Author.Read the following chapter:
  • “Informatics Competencies: Spanning Careers and Roles ”In this section, the authors explain the competencies necessary for nurse informaticists to be successful. The section also highlights which competencies are applicable for various informatics roles and functional areas.
• Saba, V. K., & McCormick, K. A. (2015). Essentials of nursing informatics (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
  • Chapter 2, “Computer Hardware”This chapter discusses introduces the basics of computer hardware used for nursing informatics.
  • Chapter 4, “Computer Software”
    This chapter introduces computer software, as well as the programs that are most relevant to nursing informatics.
  • Chapter 11, System Life Cycle: A Framework”In this chapter, the authors introduce the systems life cycle (SDLC) and its stages. These stages are often used by organizations for large-scale projects, such as implementing or upgrading health information technology.
  • Chapter 13, “System Life Cycle Tools”Chapter 13 focuses on the tools needed to assist with each phase of the System Life Cycle. Successful implementation projects require clinical expertise as well as technical knowledge from nurse informaticists.
  • Chapter 9, “Computer Interaction ”This chapter explains the need for nurses to be informed about human-machine interactions to prevent unintended consequences. Increased awareness of these factors can result in improved performance and outcomes in nursing informatics and other technologies.
• Preheim, G. J., Armstrong, G. E., & Barton, A. J. (2009). The new fundamentals in nursing: Introducing beginning quality and safety education for nurses’ competencies. The Journal of Nursing Education, 48(12), 694–697.
  Retrieved from the Walden Library databases.This article discusses the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) initiative and its six competencies, including informatics, that are essential for nursing practice. The authors emphasize that nursing education should shift from task-training and development to more current skills and competencies for informatics and patient-centered care.
• Quality and Safety Education for Nurses. (2012). Informatics. Retrieved from http://qsen.org/competencies/graduate-ksas/#informatics 

  Access this website to explore the knowledge, skills, and attitudes expected of informatics graduates.

• Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society. (2015). Informatics competencies for every practicing nurse: Recommendations from the TIGER Collaborative. Retrieved from http://www.thetigerinitiative.org/docs/TigerReport_InformaticsCompetencies.pdfThis comprehensive report provides you with an overview of the TIGER collaborative as well as informatics competencies.

Media

• Laureate Education, Inc. (Executive Producer). (2012a). Competencies for nurse informaticists. Baltimore: Author.Note: The approximate length of this media piece is 10 minutes.

  In this week’s media presentation, Gail Latimer, Dr. Patricia Button, and Dr. Roy Simpson overview the progress that the ANA and the TIGER initiative have made in outlining key informatics competencies. In addition, each presenter identifies competencies that he or she believes to be vital to working in the informatics field.

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