Informatics Competencies

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) describes the need to develop
informatics competencies for nurses (2008).

1. Propose a list of information and technology competencies that graduating nursing
   students or nurse new to practice should have.
2. Include two types of competencies and patient care technologies competencies

Informatics Competencies

Nursing informatics is a new specialty in nursing aimed at helping nurses fully embrace
information technology to improve delivery of health care. The American Association of
Colleges of Nursing (AACN) agitates the need for development of informatics competencies and
defines them as integration of nursing science, computer and information science and cognitive
science to manage communication; expand information, data, wisdom, and knowledge of nursing
practice (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform, 2009). This paper delineates on
the information and technology competencies that graduating nursing students or nurse new to
practice should have and patient care technologies competencies.
These competencies that graduating nursing students need to have include skills to
analyze, design and implement information systems that can support health care. They also are
required to have competencies in using technologies in variety of healthcare settings. This calls
for understanding of how the technologies work to suit different needs of audiences.
Furthermore, they too have competencies on how to translate between nurse clinicians and
information technology personnel (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform, 2009).
They also must understand how to use technology to capture critical nursing information and
how to use the information to provide appropriate medical care.

INFORMATICS COMPETENCIES 2
The two types of competencies include basic computer competencies and information
management. Graduate nurses must have skills and knowledge on how to use computer to
conduct various transactions (Gassert, 2008). Computer skills are therefore imperative to ensure
that nurses and work with the computers to communicate and interpret information. These skills
also allow these nurses to store information and use it appropriately. Information management
competencies are also critical in ensuring that information about the patients, medicines and the
stock levels among many others are well managed to enhance delivery of healthcare. Patient care
technologies competencies include capability to use electronic gadgets to diagnose the patient
(Gassert, 2008). They also have the ability to use imaging, laboratory testing techniques, and
therapeutic devices to provide better healthcare to the patients.
In conclusion, development of informatics competencies has played a key role in
enhancing the quality of health acre provides by the nurse. Great milestone have been achieved
with this competencies. It is therefore, important that nurses equip themselves with these skills,
as this is the way to enhancing quality in medical care.

INFORMATICS COMPETENCIES 3

References

Gassert, C. (2008). Technology and informatics competencies. In: Weiner B (ed), Nursing
Clinics: Technology Use in Nursing Education
Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform. (2009). Informatics Competencies for Every
Practicing Nurse: Recommendations from the TIGER Collaborative.