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 6 references 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.
- Propose 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.