Nursing 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 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

Today’s fast-paced health care environment demands nurses to be skilled not only in their clinical practice or specialty area but in the use of technology tools that improve practice and lead to better patient care. Basic and advanced technology competencies are required and expected as technology increasingly touches and changes the job of every nurse. Numerous organizations, including the American Nurses Association (ANA), the American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA), and Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), have developed nurse-specific technology competencies. The challenge for nurses is to identify both needs and training opportunities.

In this Discussion, you identify the role informatics plays in your professional responsibilities. You pinpoint personal gaps in skills and knowledge and then develop a plan for self-improvement.

To prepare:

Review Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice in this week’s Learning Resources, focusing on the different functional areas it describes. Consider which areas relate to your current nursing responsibilities or to a position you held in the past. For this Discussion, identify one or two of the most relevant functional areas.

Review the list of competencies recommended by the TIGER Initiative. Identify at least one skill in each of the main areas (basic computer competencies, information literacy competencies, and information management competencies) that is pertinent to your functional area(s) and in which you need to strengthen your abilities. Consider how you could improve your skills in these areas and the resources within your organization that might provide training and support.

Please Provide References