Nursing informatics is the specialty that transforms data into needed information and leverages technologies to improve health and health care equity, safety, quality, and outcomes. (ANA statement)
Why Do We Need Informatics Nurses?
Nursing informaticists improve health systems which can improve health outcomes for patients.
These nurses work to develop communications and information technology systems while also serving as educators, specialists, researchers, and software engineers.
Nursing Informatics Specialty Statistics
Nursing informatics is a rapidly growing nursing specialty that integrates technology, data, and nursing expertise to improve patient care, safety, and health equity. Recent workforce data from the HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey (2022) show key trends in the specialty’s size, roles, and education levels HIMSS.
HIMSS Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey | HIMSS
Workforce composition
- Global reach: 5% of respondents work outside the U.S.
- Employment settings: 62% work in hospitals or multifaceted health systems; others are in vendor/payer, government/military, or long-term care/skilled nursing facilities.
- Ancillary roles: 3% are ancillary healthcare nurse informaticists.
- Titles: 17% report as “nursing informatics specialist” (down from 24% in 2020), 12% as clinical informatics specialist, 9% as director of clinical informatics, and 8% as manager of clinical informatics. The role of clinical analyst fell to 8% from 13% in 2020 HIMSS.
Education and credentials
- Master’s degrees: 63% hold a master’s in nursing (19%), nursing informatics (28%), or another informatics-related field (16%). This is down from 66% in 2020.
- Doctoral degrees: 8% hold a DNP in nursing informatics (up from 6% in 2020).
- Certifications: The specialty emphasizes graduate-level preparation for advanced roles, with doctoral degrees often required for system-level leadership, innovation, and data science ANA Enterprise.
Leadership and reporting
- Leadership titles: 54% of organizations have a chief or senior nursing informatics officer.
- Reporting structure: 34% report to IT/IS, 33% to informatics, and 30% to nursing HIMSS.
Role evolution
Nursing informatics roles have expanded to include system educators, project architects, analysts, and department leaders. During the COVID-19 pandemic, nurse informaticists were critical in managing EHR updates, infection control measures, real-time dashboards, and operational command centers Lippincott NursingCenter.
Career outlook
The specialty is recognized in the Future of Nursing 2020–2030 report as essential for health innovation and equity. Demand is driven by the need for data-driven decision-making, interoperable EHRs, and quality reporting in healthcare HIMSS+1.
Summary
Nursing informatics is a high-demand specialty with a growing leadership presence, evolving education requirements, and expanding roles across healthcare settings. While master’s degrees remain common, doctoral preparation is increasingly valued for advanced and system-level positions.
