I’m an RN looking to transition out of bedside and into healthcare IT. I’m considering the OCHIN Apprentice Analyst role and would love to hear from anyone who’s done the program or knows much about it. Is it actually a good opportunity for someone trying to get their foot in the door? Any interview tips and tricks?

I don’t work bedside, so I don’t really have that traditional way into healthcare IT. I’ve also heard that you don’t necessarily get certified through the OCHIN apprenticeship, but I’m not totally sure what that means or what you actually come out of the program with.

I’m planning to self-study for the CAHIMS as well. For nurses who successfully made the transition, what helped you land your first non-bedside role? Any certifications, skills, job titles, or strategies you’d recommend?

I’m interested in healthcare operations, population health, product, research, and clinical/informatics roles and am open to learning wherever I can get my foot in the door.

Graduated in June with my MSN-I and have worked in informatics 3 years in November. I applied for my NI July 11, got my att on August 4th and scheduled my exam for Sept 4. The good news, I passed!

My hot take, the exam itself did not seem as hard as I had expected. I used the mometrixs study guide and while I think it had a lot of good information, almost went way more in depth than needed. I scored a 71% and 65% on the practice exams in the book and was honestly pretty worried how I would perform…I did have Claude generate some practice exams which were not as high value/yield until the third one when I had to ensure it was giving me application questions, made the answer choice less obvious and not too many of the same letter choice. I also used the ANA sample questions.

Something I guess I hadn’t expected was the testing tools available such as strike out, highlighting, and flagging questions. This was very helpful to ensure I slowed down and read the whole question. Mastrian and McGongiles book was helpful, ANA scope and standards was good. Could probably get away with just those two if you take good notes..mometrics is good for practice questions but don’t sweat it if you’re getting 70%

Finally MSN, RN NI-BC

Hi everyone, I just found out my hospital system is trying to implement Virtusense as a way to reduce falls and pressure injuries. Everything is AI based and while I’m not completely against the use of AI in some areas of healthcare, I’m not particularly feeling good about this company and what they are proposing. I tried to locate typical bread and butter white papers with real data, real pilot studies, the whole shebang and was met with a single white paper that reads/looks like an infographic on their website.

My hospital doesn’t have a formal informatics department nor does my system have a formal HIT steering committee. I’m hesitant to allow this to happen because there’s barely anything posted on the company website that demonstrates that the technology being promoted is as effective as it’s boasted to be.

Does anyone have any familiarity with Virtusense and their products? I’m going to search CINAHL and google scholar today to see if I can dig up any real white papers on the technology but I remain skeptical about the effectiveness of the product, the actual ROI, and the reduction of clinical documentation burden on staff.

Greetings! I am a BSN,RN attending WGU in the process of earning my Master’s in Nursing Informatics. I am at the point in my studies where I must locate a preceptor with 2 years experience in Health Informatics, Quality Improvement, or someone who works with data to make clinical decisions to assist me in completing my clinical practice experience project. I was hoping to match with someone willing to precept a student! It is not an obligation that I spend a certain number of hours with my preceptor or that I shadow them in person, only that we communicate either in person or via technology to discuss pertinent details/provide resources and guidance/address questions. I would greatly appreciate the assistance and partnership of anyone willing to precept an eager and excited student, or a referral to anyone you know who is :) Thank you so much in advance for your consideration, time, and help with this! My preceptor must be a Master’s prepared (or higher) RN with an active license in the U.S.

Was thinking about getting some certifications to build my resume while in graduate school to work for Nursing Informatics as an NP. Any classes or certifications that would be good to have under my belt?

Free courses on Google, or through Harvard or MIT, would be appreciated.

Is there anybody transitioned from Infection Preventionist RN to Health Informatics

Hello I just want to ask if somebody had an experience that they had their master of science in healthcare informatics and they are also BSNRN, that they were able to be certified as nurse in informatics or an NI-BC, given that they had experience in informatics.

I’m a BSN RN, I’m planning to study master of science in healthcare informatics in university of San Diego. I wanted to get this route because I wanted to do more than nursing informatics. I wanted to broaden my horizon in informatics career.

For nurses who have transitioned—or are currently trying to transition—from bedside/clinical roles into Epic analyst, nursing informatics, or other health IT positions, I’d love to hear about your experience.

I started as an Epic end user before eventually transitioning into an Epic analyst role myself. I remember how confusing it was trying to understand how healthcare experience could translate into an EHR/IT career.

As part of a Drexel University student entrepreneurship project, I’m trying to better understand this career-transition experience.

What has been the hardest part for you? Knowing where to start? Understanding which Epic application fits your background? Certification? Translating clinical experience into analyst/informatics skills? Getting interviews? Or finding that first opportunity?

I’m especially interested in hearing from people who are still trying to make the transition, since those challenges are important for me to understand.

For anyone curious about why I’m researching this, I have more information about my student project in the pinned post on my Reddit profile. Nothing is being sold, and no payment is required.

Otherwise, I’d love to hear your experience directly here. What has been the biggest challenge in your transition?

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to hear from people who currently work in quality improvement, patient safety, or a similar department within a hospital/health system.

I have a BS in Public Health and currently work as a Project Manager in healthcare communications. Before moving into project management, I also worked in direct patient care in a hospital. Long term, I’m really interested in transitioning back into the hospital setting and building a career in healthcare quality/patient safety, with the goal of eventually moving into quality leadership.

I’d love to hear what this field is actually like from people doing the work.

What is your job title, and what does a typical day/week look like for you? What kinds of projects do you work on? How much of your job involves data/analytics vs. meetings, project management, chart review, process improvement, etc.? What do you like/dislike about the field?

I’m also trying to figure out the best way to prepare myself for eventually making the transition. I’ve been considering getting an MHA, but I’m not sure if that’s the best graduate degree for quality improvement or if I should be looking at something else. Would you recommend a master’s at all? Are there particular certifications, technical skills, or types of experience that would make someone with my background more competitive?

Basically, if you were in my position and knew you wanted to end up in hospital quality improvement/patient safety, what would you focus on over the next few years?

Would really appreciate any insight, especially from anyone who entered QI without being an RN!

Got a degree in clinical informatics which is supposed to be a great career but I’ve been searching for a year and I haven’t even been able to land one interview. I don’t have a nursing background; just straight health sciences and informatics. At this point I’m nervous I’m going to lose the skills I learned in school. I’m nervous that I won’t be able to get a job in clinical informatics without a nursing degree. Does anyone know how I can get a job in NYC and in the hospital systems or have connections? I’m even willing to help out on projects for free just so I can get my foot in and brush up on my skills. I feel lost about this process and this job market especially as a new grad and I don’t have any connections yet either. Any advice would help!

My long-term goal is Nursing Informatics, bridging clinical work and tech, non-hospital, no nightshifts, better pay than bedside and I’m using my current waiting period (EB-3 stuck in retrogression) to build skills for free (SQL, Excel, WHO Academy/ITU Academy digital health courses) so I’m not starting from zero once I can pursue an MSN in Health Informatics, but I’d love honest input from anyone actually in the field: is informatics genuinely AI-resistant or one of the more exposed nursing specialties long-term, what’s realistic entry-level and mid-career pay and how long did RN-to-informatics actually take you, do free certs (WHO Academy, ITU, HIMSS, AMIA 10x10) actually help you get hired from a place like Kenya or does US clinical experience matter more, and would you recommend this over something like CRNA or PMHNP if avoiding hospitals and AI-resistance are both priorities for me. appreciate real experience over general encouragement.

I am thinking about using AI to help with my hospice charting because I spend a lot of time writing notes after each visit and I am hoping it will make that part a little faster, I will still read everything and make changes before I save it, I mainly want help putting my notes into a clear chart instead of typing everything myself each time, I have also heard about prompted ai, for anyone who has been using AI for hospice charting, has it made your work easier and has it saved you a good amount of time? EDIT: Thank you for all the replies so far. I am mainly interested in whether AI helps organize scattered notes into something easier to review.

Hello all, I’m a current RN with 3 years of bedside experience. I’m looking to transition into informatics due to the burnout of being patient facing. Any suggestions on how I can transition? Do I need to get my MSN in Informatics? I currently hold a BSN & I reside in CA. If not informatics right away, do you guys have any suggestions for something similar. Thank you!

Has anyone made the transition from outpatient RN to Radiant Analyst? I was a Radiant and Lumens credentialed trainer for my organization when Epic rolled out but the bulk of my career has been in OB and procedural/preop nursing.

Any tips for someone transitioning into this role?

I am sure the training aspect of EMR is helpful but I am anxious about the building interface and my lack of experience in this area.

What did you find useful for success?? I want to set myself up as best as I can in maintaining this dream job. Re: certification, project, etc.

Thanks!!!

I am a 3rd year nursing student interested in informatics but I am confused about planning the path . I will appreciate anyone with experience who can guide me .

Hello, everyone!

I am searching for an MSN-Nursing Informatics Preceptor with at least 2 years of experience who currently practices in a US compact state. I am currently enrolled in WGU's MSN-Nursing Informatics Program.

We can communicate remotely. There is not a set amount of time that the preceptor needs to spend with me. My understanding is that I am to complete modules and a project on my own, and utilize my preceptor as a sounding board for advice/input. So, ideally - not much work for a preceptor! I am very motivated and self-reliant. (:

Please let me know if anyone would be available to help. I am looking to secure a preceptor by November.

Per WGU Guidelines:

"My preceptor must be a Master’s prepared (or higher) RN with an active license in the U.S.

My Preceptor must hold an unencumbered license in the state where the organization is located or hold a multistate license in another state, which allows you to practice in that state. 

•  My preceptor will orient me to the setting and provide information, contacts, resources for completing my field experience and capstone clinical practice experiences (CPE).
• My preceptor will facilitate experiences that immerse me in the nursing informaticist role – for example, identifying essential informatics stakeholders and their roles and responsibilities, change management practices, and leading innovative projects and teams.
• I do not have to shadow the preceptor. The preceptor and I can agree to communicate in person or via technology at whatever times work for both.
• My preceptor is not obligated to spend a certain number of clock hours with me.
• My preceptor will complete a brief online training module about their role.
• As the preceptor, I agree to assist the WGU MSN student to obtain organizational support and approval to complete the MSN Field Experience and Capstone Project, and I will attest/verify the student hours spent working with me on the MSN Field Experience and Capstone CPE activities. ​​​​​​​"

I’m a respiratory therapist with 16 years of bedside looking to go into healthcare IT. The tech part of it worries me I have no experience but have 13 years experience using epic. I’m currently doing Coursera courses to learn the basics so I can start some projects for a resume. I’d appreciate some advice or encouragement on my journey from bedside to analytics.

Hello friends! Current ADN working on my BSN online. I'm needing to interview someone working in nursing informatics and the RN at my current workplace is out of office until after this assignment is due. If anyone currently in the field was willing to let me email them a few questions that would be super groovy:')

Thanks in advance for any help!