The contemporary healthcare industry relies heavily on data and related processing technologies. The practice is driven by research data, and studies depend on the availability and accuracy of health-related information (Honey et al., 2017). The article by Marc et al. (2019) explores what skills are expected to be mandatory in healthcare informatics. According to the researchers, the majority of jobs fall into three categories – project management, health leadership, and information technology in healthcare (Marc et al., 2019). Among the core skills which are required to be able to apply for these jobs are data analytics, auditing, and information governance (Marc et al., 2019). As a future health informatics professional, the student needs to focus on these digital skills to stay competitive and meet the demands of the market. Adequate training is necessary, which means Health Informatics and Information Management education providers need to update their curriculum continuously to stay relevant.
Barriers to EHR Employment
Electronic health records (EHRs) are at the core of health informatics. EHRs foster the collaboration between various health institutions and improve the communication between patients and providers. They are used ubiquitously today, but there may be specific barriers to working as a nursing informaticist or an EHR specialist successfully. The article by Anderson et al. (2020) discusses the challenges and opportunities in the current nursing informatics workforce. There has been an increase in the number of professionals with a master’s degree in nursing or nursing informatics (Anderson et al., 2020). Despite this growth, challenges continue to persist in the workplace (Anderson et al., 2020). While previous barriers to EHR employment were a lack of financial resources or a lack of adequate support, the latest survey identified information technology priorities and organizational structure as the top hindrance (Anderson et al., 2020). In contemporary settings, health providers often have to establish preferences between competing information systems, which means that nursing informatics specialists need to continuously grow their professional capacities in order to respond to these changes.
References
Anderson, C., Sensmeier, J., & Kwiatkoski, T. (2020). Results of the 2020 HIMSS nursing informatics workforce survey – Growth in education and leadership. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 38(9), 431-432. Web.
Honey, M. L., Skiba, D. J., Procter, P., Foster, J., Kouri, P., & Nagle, L. M. (2017). Nursing informatics competencies for entry to practice: The perspective of six countries. Stud Health Technol Inform, 232, 51-61. Web.
Marc, D., Butler-Henderson, K., Dua, P., Lalani, K., & Fenton, S. H. (2019). Global workforce trends in health informatics & information management. Studies in Health Technology and Informatics, 264, 1273-1277. Web.