INS - Informatics Nurse Specialist

Nursing informatics specialists, also known as nurse informaticists, bring medical knowledge into the IT realm. It’s a type of nurse skilled in both the delivery of healthcare and the development and utilization of healthcare technology.

Nurses, with their medical training and hands-on patient experience, are uniquely suited to work with IT professionals to ensure Electronic Health Records (EHRs) and other healthcare technology work well in the real world.

With the increasing amount of healthcare technology and the increasing complexity of EHRs, nursing informatics specialists can play a number of important roles, including:

• Managing the transition from paper to digital records

• Developing information systems based on current evidence-based standards of care and ensuring systems remain updated

• Developing EHR interfaces that are conducive to good care while remaining efficient to use

• Analyzing EHR data to identify areas where care can be improved and/or costs better managed

• Working with policymakers and government agencies to ensure laws and regulations support healthcare technology and are compatible with the provider and patient technology needs

• Developing and/or implementing healthcare technologies outside of EHRs, including patient health monitoring systems, quality tracking initiatives, and home care management systems

Cost to certify

• American NursesInformatics Association members: $340

• American Nurses Association members: $295

• Non-members: $395

1. Earn a bachelor’s degree in nursing from a nationally accredited program

2. Take your licensing exam

3. Consider pursuing a master’s degree in health informatics 

4. Pass the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification exam

This gives you the NI-BC Informatics Nurse Certification that may be required in some positions.  Requirements for this certification include 1,000-2,000 hours of informatics nursing experience, 30 hours of continued education in informatics within the last three years, two years of full-time RN experience, and a bachelor’s degree.

• Active nursing license at an RN level at minimum

• Bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing or a related field

• Minimum of two years full-time practice as a registered nurse

• Completion of 30 hours of informatics nursing continuing education in the past three years

• 2,000 hours of informatics nursing practice in the last three years, or 1,000 hours of informatics nursing practice in the last three years, and completion of at least 12 semester credit hours in a graduate informatics nursing program, or completion of a graduate program in informatics nursing with at least 200 faculty-supervised hours in informatics nursing

Renewal is due every five years.

Renewal Fees

• American Nurses Association members: $250

• American Nursing Informatics Association members: $295

• Non-members: $350

Certification Review offered by American Nursing Informatics Association (ANIA). The cost is $340 for members and $399 for non-members.

The ANCC also offers the following certifications:

• Medical-Surgical Nursing Certification (MEDSURG-BC)

• Cardiac Vascular Nursing Certification (CV-BC)

• Ambulatory Care Nursing Certification (AMB-BC)

• Gerontological Nursing Certification (GERO-BC)

• Commission for Case Manager Certification (CMGT-BC)