Nursing Informatics Career Overview
Nursing Informatics Career in Brief
Nurse informaticists develop communication and information technologies and policies. These professionals also serve as educators, researchers, and software engineers to work as chief nursing officers and chief information officers. Some nurse informaticists own businesses, while others find employment in consulting roles.
Primary Responsibilities
- Supporting evidence-based education, practice, and research through concept representation and standards
- Developing data and communication standards to build a national data infrastructure
- Disseminating new knowledge into practice using research methodologies
- Defining healthcare policy
Skills Learned
- Clinical Experience
- Technical Skills
- Project Management
- Data Analysis
- Medical Economics
- Interpersonal Skills
- Leadership
Where Do Nurse Informaticists Work?
According to the 2020 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Nursing Informatics Survey, more than 68% of nurse informaticists work in hospitals or health systems. Other common work settings include higher education and ambulatory care.
Nursing informatics job sites include:
Hospitals/Health SystemsProfessionals working in these settings liaise between clinical areas and IT departments, train clinical information systems staff, and ensure compliance with practices and policies.
- Colleges and Universities
In academia, nurse informaticists write reports, conduct research on methods development, and perform statistical analysis.
- Ambulatory Care
Nurse informaticists analyze data, determine clinical application needs, and manage automated systems in these settings.
Why Become a Nurse Informaticist?
Prospective nurse informaticists should consider the advantages and disadvantages of the field. In general, healthcare and nursing careers offer job stability and growth but also present challenges. The list below includes some of the pros and cons.
Advantages to Becoming a Nurse Informaticist
Opportunities to improve healthcare- Clear and tangible results
- Collaboration with and education of nurses and healthcare professionals
- High salaries
Disadvantages to Becoming a Nurse Informaticist
Considerable education, training, and experience- Long working hours
- Licensure process
How to Become a Nurse Informaticist
The path to becoming a nurse informaticist involves education, examination, licensure, and certification.
- 1
Graduate With a Bachelor of Science in Nursing
Students can complete their bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) programs in about four years, including clinical rotation hours and coursework in the sciences, nursing procedures, and patient population concentrations.
- 2
Pass the NCLEX-RN Exam to Receive RN Licensure
Nurse informaticists must hold registered nurse (RN) licensure. State licensing boards require BSN program graduates to pass the National Council Licensure Examination.
- 3
Complete Required Nursing Experience
RNs who want to earn their registered nurse-board certified (RN-BC) certification in nursing informatics must log two years of full-time clinical RN work, along with continued informatics education and practice hours.
- 4
Apply for Your Nursing Informatics Certification
While not a requirement to practice, 49% of HIMSS survey respondents cited enhanced credibility and marketability as the top reason to obtain an RN-BC certification in nursing informatics.
- 5
Advance Your Career With a Graduate Degree
Senior nursing informatics roles may require a graduate nursing degree, such as a master of science in nursing (MSN). Advanced degrees can lead to higher salaries.
Nursing Informatics Careers
SOURCE: Payscale, November 2025How Much Do Nurse Informaticists Make?
Payscale report states that as of November 2025, informatic nurses make an average base salary of $85,487.
Experience can also lead to increased wages, informatic nurses with more than 20 years of experience can earn up to $87,000 a year. Meanwhile, informatic nurses starting their careers can expect to earn around $77,000 a year.
The bottom 10% of informatic nurses earn around $68,000 but the top earners average $114,000 a year. The HIMSS also report that more than half of those surveyed who hold nursing informatics certification earn more than $100,000 per year
Professional Organizations for Nursing Informatics
American Nursing Informatics Association
ANIA offers nursing informatics certification. The organization supports its national membership with an annual conference, continuing education resources, and journals and publications through its online library. Other benefits include a virtual connection forum, job listings, and 27 local chapters. ANIA offers discounted student memberships.The Alliance for Nursing Informatics
ANI aims to advance the practice of nursing informatics, along with education, leadership, policy, and research. The organization represents individual nurse informaticists through member groups at the local, regional, national, and international levels. Affiliates qualify if the entire group or a component of the group focuses on nursing informatics.Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc
HIMSS advises healthcare leaders, policymakers, and stakeholders on best practices. This organization offers expertise in health analytics, innovation, public policy, research, and workforce development. Members can join as individuals, corporations, or nonprofit partners to benefit from extensive digital educational resources.American Health Information Management Association
AHIMA features a digital community platform for members to access content and interact with the organization and fellow professionals. AHIMA also hosts an annual conference, posts job listings, publishes an online journal, and provides certification options. AHIMA offers membership to information professionals, and students can join at a reduced rate.
Frequently Asked Questions About Nurse Informaticists
The HIMSS report found systems implementation, such as choosing and developing new technologies and training nursing staff to use them, as the most common job duty. Other typical tasks include informatics education, project management, system development, and quality initiative planning and reporting.
