Learn more about the informatics nurse specialist field by visiting the education section of the American Nursing Informatics Association Web site, https://www.ania.org/education. Look for recent and upcoming conferences and events, webinars, presentations, and online resources. Attend a conference or event for informatics professionals to meet others working in the field and gain insights into the developments in the profession and potential employment opportunities. For example, the American Medical Informatics Association offers several conferences each year that pertain to informatics specialties, such as clinical informatics and informatics educators. Find information, including profiles of medical informatics professionals, at https://www.amia.org/why-informatics. Other ways to explore the field include participating in a work-study program while in school, working and training in an informatics division of a hospital, clinic, or other related facility. Ask your schools career services office for help with placement in an informatics department.

Informatics nurse specialists develop and maintain computing data systems for nurses. They may also be involved in educating, training, and providing support to other users of these systems. The job responsibilities for informatics specialists who work in hospitals, medical clinics, or nursing homes may include project management, policy writing, evaluating and choosing computing systems, optimizing and maintaining these systems, and training others in how to use these systems. Informatics nurse specialists work in other medical fields as well, such as in primary care, intensive care, public health, and pharmacology.

Informatics nurse specialists design and implement the data structures and informatics systems that support data sharing and communication for patients, nurses and other health care professionals. They collaborate with other health informatics specialists in developing strategies, policies, and procedures for introducing and modifying information technology used in nursing practice, education, research, or administration. They gather information from nurses and translate this information between nurses and systems engineers, analysts, and designers. 

The job entails strong knowledge of computer science, information science, informatics, and nursing. Informatics nurse specialists mush be technologically savvy to work in this field. They use a variety of software programs to accomplish their work, including computer-based training software, such as learning management system software; database reporting software, such as SAP Crystal Reports; database user interface and query software, like Microsoft Access and SQL (structured query language); medical software, like Epic Systems software (various programs), GE Healthcare Centricity Electronic Medical Record, Seimens Healthineers, Phillips eICU; and Microsoft Excel for spreadsheets.