HIMSS 2014 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey

(1)

HIMSS 2014 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey

Since 2004, HIMSS has surveyed the nursing informatics community to gain an understanding of the roles and responsibilities of the informatics nurse professional.

Nursing informatics (NI) is a specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. NI supports consumers, patients, nurses, and other providers in their decision- making in all roles and settings. This support is accomplished through the use of information structures, information processes, and information technology1.

This survey captures current professional status and practice trends while identifying changes that have occurred over the last 9 years in the nursing informatics workforce.

1. Executive Summary

The HIMSS 2014 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey, supported by the HIMSS Nursing Informatics Community, builds on previous HIMSS research from 2004, 2007 and 2011. The 2014 survey continues to suggest that nurse informaticists play a crucial role in the

development, implementation, and optimization of clinical applications including nursing clinical documentation, computerized practitioner order entry (CPOE) and electronic medical/health records (EMR/EHR). The number of respondents with a post-graduate degree in any field increased by 19 percent from the 2011 survey and the number with a post-graduate degree in nursing informatics or other informatics increased by 24 percent from 2011; suggesting that nurse informaticists have solid backgrounds and experience to bring to their positions. In addition, 43 percent of respondents planned to pursue additional informatics education and training and more than half of the nurse informaticist respondents also indicated that they would be pursuing some type of certification within the next year. While the average salary for nurse informaticists increased from the 2011 survey, the percent increase seen was only a two percent increase in the average salary compared to a 17 percent increase between 2007 and 2011. Lack of administrative support and lack of staffing resources were identified as the top barriers to success as a nurse informaticist.

Other key findings and comparisons to previous surveys include:

Respondents: Close to three-quarters (71 percent) of all survey respondents work at either a hospital (58 percent) or at the corporate offices of a healthcare system (13 percent). Of these respondents, over two-fifths (41 percent) work at a Magnet designated hospital.

Nursing Background: Nearly two-thirds (60 percent) of respondents had a post-graduate degree, which includes a Master’s degree or PhD in nursing or any other field/specialty. More specifically, 43 percent of this year’s respondents had a Master’s degree in nursing or a PhD in nursing, representing an increase from the 36 percent who indicated such in 2011. In terms of the respondents’ clinical experience at the bedside before becoming a nurse informaticist, slightly fewer respondents indicated more than 16 years of experience in 2014 (41 percent) compared to 2011 (46 percent). On the other hand, there was an increase in the number of respondents reporting one to five years of clinical bedside experience from 2011 (12 percent) to 2014 (20 percent). This may suggest that the nursing informatics field continues to grow as a specialty and that there is increasing demand for the role, drawing nurses from the bedside. Informatics Background: Training and education in informatics continues to advance. Over one-third (37 percent) of the respondents had only on the job informatics training. However, the percent of respondents who had obtained a post-graduate degree in nursing informatics or other informatics increased by 24 percent between the 2011 and 2014 surveys. In addition, 43

percent of respondents reported that they were currently enrolled in some type of informatics education or training, either a formal degree program or a non-degree program/course.

Salary: Respondents were asked to report their base salary (not including benefits or bonuses) as of December 1, 2013. Salaries among the nurse informaticist respondents continued to increase when compared to previous surveys. The average salary in 2014 was $100,717; up from $98,703 in 2011 and $83,675 in 2007.

Certification: The number of respondents with any certification increased from 45 percent in 2011 to 48 percent in 2014. More than half of the nursing informaticist respondents also

(3)

informaticists appear to be becoming certified in a number of areas. Survey respondents indicated that the perceived value of certification was personal satisfaction and enhancing their credibility and marketability.

Informatics Career: Nearly half (46 percent) of respondents had more than seven years of informatics experience. The percent with seven to ten years of experience increased from ten percent in 2011 to 21 percent in 2014 while the percent with more than ten years of experience decreased from 39 percent in 2011 to 25 percent in 2014. This could be the result of experience nurse informaticists pursuing other career paths or retiring, or an increasing number of

informatics nurses entering the specialty.

Career Satisfaction: New to the 2014 survey were questions surrounding the respondents’ job satisfaction with both their current position and their career choice in informatics. Satisfaction was rated using a one to seven scale where one was not at all satisfied and seven was highly satisfied. Over half (57 percent) of respondents indicated that they were satisfied or highly satisfied with their current position (score of six or above). The majority of respondents (81 percent) were also satisfied or highly satisfied with their career choice in informatics. Respondents seemed to be quite satisfied with their choice of career in informatics but not necessarily with the current position they hold.

Job Responsibilities: Two-thirds (67 percent) of respondents indicated that they do not have a supervisory role and there are no individuals who report to them. This number increased from 58 percent in 2007 and 61 percent in 2011. The job responsibilities of the respondents continue to include systems implementation and development as well as system utilization and

optimization, which was a new selection category added to this year’s survey.

Barriers to Success: There was a significant shift in the identified barriers to success as a nurse informaticist. In the 2004 and 2007 surveys, respondents identified the lack of financial resources as the top barrier while in 2011 it was the lack of integration and interoperability. For this year’s survey, a lack of administrative support and a lack of staffing resources were the primary barriers faced.

(4)

2. Methodology

HIMSS surveyed nurse informaticists to gain a better understanding of their background,

experience, employment and the tools they use on a day-to-day basis. An email invitation with a link to the web based survey was sent to nurse informaticists in December 2013 and January 2014. A total of 1,047 valid responses were received and will be covered in the following analysis. In contrast, the 2007 survey received a total of 660 useable responses.

Invitations were also sent by organizations that sponsored and supported this research. These organizations include:

• Alliance for Nursing Informatics (ANI)

• American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) • American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) • American Nurses Association (ANA)

• American Nursing Informatics Association (ANIA)

• Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN) • National Association of School Nurses (NASN)

• New England Nursing Informatics Consortium (NENIC) • Omaha System

• Oncology Nursing Society (ONS)

• Puget Sound Nursing Informatics (PSNI)

3. About the Respondents

Workplace

Over half (58 percent) of the survey respondents reported working at a hospital with another 13 percent reporting that they work at the corporate offices of a healthcare system. In addition, seven percent of respondents worked at an academic setting (including academic medical centers and health systems). Those who work for the government, a vendor or a consulting firm each make up four percent of respondents. The remaining respondents work for a variety of other types of organizations including payer organizations/managed care, public health facilities, skilled nursing facilities and health information exchange organizations (HIOs).

The number of respondents working at a hospital increased from 48 percent in the 2011 survey and the number working at corporate offices decreased from 20 percent. The number of nurses working for vendors responding to the survey decreased for a second survey in a row. The remaining types of workplaces represented have similar compositions to the 2011 survey.

Magnet Status

In order to explore the levels of quality patient care and nursing excellence at respondents’ organizations, a question about Magnet status was added to the 2014 survey. Among those working at a hospital or the corporate offices of a healthcare system, 41 percent reported that their hospital (or one of the hospitals in their healthcare system) was a Magnet hospital. Over one-third of the respondents working at a Magnet hospital indicated that their hospital received the Magnet designation between 2006 and 2010, while another 23 percent received the Magnet designation between 2001 and 2005.

(5)

Annual Gross Revenue

Respondents were asked to identify their organization’s annual gross revenue as of 2012. Of those who reported this figure (36 percent), over one-quarter (28 percent) worked at an

organization with annual gross revenue of more than $1 billion. In the 2011 survey, 19 percent of respondents reported organization annual gross revenue of this amount. The number of respondents working at organizations with annual gross revenue between $501 million and $1 billion increased to 11 percent in 2014 from nine percent in 2011. The remaining revenue segmentations saw slight decreases or had the same number of respondents from the 2011 survey.

Region

Over one-fifth (21 percent) of respondents reported working in the South Atlantic2 region; this region was also the most reported in the 2011 survey. Another 16 percent work in the Pacific3 region. Respondents working in the East North Central4 region decreased from 18 percent in 2011 to 14 percent for the 2014 survey. The Mid-Atlantic5 region also saw a decrease from 20 percent in 2011 to 11 percent in 2014. Just one percent of survey respondents reported working outside of the United States.

Titles

The titles reported in the 2014 survey cover a wide range of positions. Nursing Informatics Specialists make up 23 percent of the 2014 survey respondents, which is similar to the number of respondents with the same title in 2011. The next most reported titles were Clinical Analyst (seven percent) and Application Analyst (six percent). The number of respondents with a Clinical Analyst title decreased slightly from ten percent in the 2011 survey, while those with an Application Analyst title increased from three percent in 2011. Director of Nursing Informatics represent five percent of survey respondents and four percent were consultants.

In 2014, 70 percent of the reported titles specifically identified an informatics position

(informatics or informaticist). This is almost double the amount of informatics positions reported in 2011 (37 percent). While the total number of respondents increased by over 58 percent between the 2011 and 2014 surveys, this increase in informatics specific positions may also indicate the expanding jobs in the nursing informatics field and the increasing understanding and recognition of informatics as a specialty.

Advanced Practice Registered Nurses

For the 2014 study, respondents were also asked if they were an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse; 12 percent indicated that they were. Among the Advanced Practice Registered Nurses, one-quarter (24 percent) were Clinical Nurse Specialists, 13 percent were Nurse Practitioners and six percent were Nurse Informaticists.

2

The South Atlantic region includes Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Washington DC and West Virginia

3

The Pacific region includes Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon and Washington

4

The East North Central region includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin

5

(6)

4. Nursing Background and Education

Formal Education

Nearly two-thirds (60 percent) of respondents indicated they have earned a post-graduate degree6. This represents an increase from the 2011 (56 percent), 2007 (52 percent) and 2004 (49 percent) surveys. In terms of the specific nursing specific post-graduate degrees

respondents have earned, 41 percent have a Master’s in Nursing and two percent have a PhD in Nursing. Each represented an increase from the 2011 survey where 35 percent of

respondents had a Master’s in Nursing and one percent had a PhD in Nursing.

While the number of respondents who indicated that they were a Registered Nurse in 2014 (18 percent) decreased from the 2011 survey (41 percent), the percent of respondents who were nurse practitioners and licensed practical nurses remained about the same (two and one percent, respectively).

Clinical Experience

Respondents were also asked to identify how many years of bedside clinical experience they had prior to becoming a nurse informaticist. Over one-quarter of respondents (28 percent) had more than 20 years of clinical experience, while another 28 percent had between 11 and 20 years of clinical experience. The number of respondents reporting these levels of experience each decreased slightly from the 2011 survey which may suggest that there is increasing demand for the role, drawing nurses from the bedside.

The number of respondents with between one and five years of clinical experience increased from 12 percent in 2011 to 20 percent in 2014. In the 2014 survey, a category for less than one year of clinical experience was added as a selection option; four percent of respondents

reported this level of experience.

When asked about their nursing background, 44 percent of respondents had general

medical/surgical experience. This is similar to the results of the 2011 survey. Another 38 percent of respondents had experience in critical care, which represents a decrease from 44 percent in 2011. One-quarter (26 percent) of the survey respondents had an administration background and 20 percent had emergency department experience, both of which are decreases from the 2011 survey. Those with ambulatory clinic experience increased from ten percent in 2011 to 13 percent in 2014 but this is still lower than the 19 percent with ambulatory clinic experience in the 2007 survey. Respondents with experience in pediatrics, perioperative, quality improvement and long-term care each increased by one percentage point from the 2011 survey.

Time Spent on Clinical Activities

When asked to estimate the percentage of their time which was spent on clinical activities, over three-quarters (77 percent) reported they did not spend time on clinical activities. An additional 17 percent of respondents indicated that less than one quarter of their time was spent on clinical activities. The time spent on clinical activities by nurse informaticists was similar to the results from the 2011 survey.

6_{Includes Master’s degree in nursing, Master’s degree in other field/specialty, PhD in nursing and PhD in other} field/specialty

(7)

5. Nursing Informatics

Prior Informatics Education and Training

The majority of respondents to the 2014 study (58 percent) indicated they had received

informatics education and training on-the-job. In terms of the highest level of informatics training received, more than one-third (37 percent) of respondents reported that on-the-job training was the only informatics training they received. Only 15 percent of responses reported on-the-job training in 2011 but this may be due to difference in how the question was asked. Over one-quarter (28 percent) of respondents had a Master’s Degree or PhD in either nursing informatics or other informatics, an increase from 21 percent in the 2011 survey. An additional one-quarter (26 percent) had participated in a nursing informatics or other informatics program/course where a certificate or degree was not obtained. This selection was added for the 2014 survey and cannot be compared to the 2011 survey. Finally, 19 percent of respondents indicated they held a certificate in nursing informatics or other informatics, a slight increase from the 15 percent who reported a certificate in 2011.

Current Informatics Education and Training

With regard to current training, approximately one-quarter (23 percent) of respondents reported participating in on-the-job training; this is similar to what was reported in 2011. Another nine percent indicated that they are pursuing a Master’s Degree or PhD in nursing informatics or other informatics while five percent are pursuing certification. Both of these numbers are slightly lower than those reported in the 2011 survey. Four percent of respondents were pursuing a non-degree program/course.

Certification Held

Just under half (48 percent) of this year’s respondents held some type of certification. This represents an increase of over six percent from the 2011 survey (45 percent), showing that nursing informaticists are pursuing certifications to advance their career.

Of the respondents who hold certifications, nearly one-quarter (23 percent) reported having nursing informatics certification through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). At a slight increase from the four percent reported in 2011, six percent of the 2014 respondents are a Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) offered through HIMSS. Additionally, 17 percent of respondents indicated that they hold another type of nursing specialty certification such as Certification for Adult, Pediatric and Neonatal Critical Care Nurses (CCRN), Certified Emergency Nurse (CEN) and Certified Nurse-Operating Room

(CNOR). This may suggest that those working in nursing informatics come from a variety of backgrounds.

Value of Certification

For the first time in the 2014 survey, respondents who held certifications were asked to identify the perceived value in being certified. The most reported perceived values were personal satisfaction (41 percent) and that it enhances credibility and marketability (40 percent). Over one-third (35 percent) of certification holders also found that certification validates specialized knowledge. At least one quarter of respondents also reported that certification enhances confidence (28 percent), provides a competitive advantage (28 percent) and indicated attainment of practice/clinical standards (27 percent).

(8)

Pursuing Certification

Respondents were also asked to indicate if they anticipated obtaining any certifications within the next year. Over half (57 percent) of the respondents reported that they would be pursuing a certification, which is similar to the 56 percent that reported the same in 2011. Among these respondents, 37 percent planned to obtain a certification through ANCC. Another 18 percent plan to pursue a CPHIMS certification. This is similar to what was reported in 2011. In addition, six percent of respondents plan to purse a Project Management Professional certification, up from three percent in 2011. The Certified Associate in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CAHIMS) certification appeared as a selection option for the first time in the 2014 survey; four percent of respondents reported plans to pursue this certification in the next year.

Barriers to Certification

Understanding the top barriers nurse informaticists face in regards to obtaining certification was explored for the first time in the 2014 survey. Nearly half (45 percent) of respondents cited the lack of time as their top barrier. Eighteen (18) percent of respondents identified lack of financial sources as a barrier. Not being able to maintain continuing education requirements and already holding other certifications were the least reported barriers, each selected by five percent of respondents.

Informatics Career

With respect to the duration of their informatics career, respondents were most likely (24 percent) to indicate that they have been a nurse informaticist for two years or less and 17 percent have three to four years of experience. Another 13 percent have been a nurse informaticist for five to six years. This is consistent with the results of the 2011 survey. The number of respondents with seven to ten years of experience increased to 21 percent in 2014 from ten percent in 2011. One-quarter of respondents had more than ten years of experience. This was a decrease from previous surveys.

Nearly half (47 percent) of survey respondents reported that they had been in their current position for two years or less. Another third (32 percent) have been in their position for one to two years. Just under one-third (29 percent) had been in their position for three to five years and one-quarter (24 percent) were in their position for more than five years. These findings are consistent with the 2011 survey.

One-third of respondents reported having gotten a promotion in the past two years. This is consistent to what has been reported in the past.

Job Responsibilities

Systems implementation, which includes preparing users, training and support, was the most frequently selected job responsibility as 43 percent of respondents selected this option. In the 2011 survey, systems implementation (57 percent) and systems development (53 percent) were the most frequently selected job responsibilities for the responding nurse informaticists. System optimization/utilization was a new option in the 2014 survey and selected by 39 percent of respondents, suggesting that we may be moving beyond simply implementing systems towards leveraging their value. Systems development moved down one spot to the third most selected job responsibility at 38 percent. The least frequent job responsibilities include professional billing and coding (less than one percent) and sales/marketing (one percent).

(9)

Reporting Structure

As found in previous surveys, nurse informaticists tend to report to the information systems (IS)/information technology (IT) department. In 2014, over half (53 percent) of respondents reported that they reported to IS/IT. The number reporting to the nursing department decreased from 32 percent in 2011 to 30 percent in 2014. Similar to the 2011 survey results, just over one-fifth (21 percent) of this year’s respondents reported to administration. A new corporate

headquarters option was added to the 2014 survey and was selected by ten percent of respondents.

Two-thirds (67 percent) of respondents indicated that there are no individuals who report to them, up from 61 percent in 2011. Of the respondents who had others reporting to them (both direct and in-direct reports), seven percent had between ten and 20 total reports and another seven percent had more than 20 total reports. The distribution on the number of total reports was consistent with the 2011 survey.

Governance

For the first time in the 2014 study, respondents were asked about the presence of a senior nursing informatics executive, such as a Chief Nursing Informatics Officer (CNIO), in their organization. Nearly one-third (30 percent) of respondents reported that their organization has a senior nursing informatics executive. As staffing in clinical informatics was rated in the top three IT staffing needs from the 24th Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey7, this is an area that may get more senior executive attention in the coming years.

Respondents who did have a senior nursing informatics executive were also asked to whom this person reported. Over two-fifths (41 percent) of the senior nurse informatics executives report to a CNO/Nursing Executive while one-quarter (25 percent) report to the Chief Information Officer (CIO)/IT Executive. Other positions that this executive reports to include Chief Medical Officer (CMO)/Chief Medical Information Officer (CMIO)/physician executive (16 percent) and Chief Executive Officer (CEO)/Administrator (15 percent). However, 17 percent of the respondents did not know to whom the executive reported.

Job Satisfaction

Also new to the 2014 survey were questions surrounding the respondents’ job satisfaction with both their current position and their career choice in informatics8. Respondents rated

satisfaction with their current position with an average score of 5.4. Over half (57 percent) of respondents gave a top box9 score for satisfaction in their current position, meaning they were satisfied or highly satisfied with their position. Satisfaction with their career choice in informatics averaged at 6.2; the majority of respondents (81 percent) rated satisfaction with their choice of career at satisfied or highly satisfied. Respondents seemed to be quite satisfied with their choice of career in informatics but not necessarily with the current position they hold.

7_{24th Annual HIMSS Leadership Survey, sponsored by Infor}

8_{On a scale of one (1) to seven (7), where one is not at all satisfied and seven is highly satisfied} 9_{Respondents who rated the satisfaction at six or seven}

(10)

6. Applications

Applications Currently Developing, Implementing or Optimizing

Respondents were asked to identify the types of applications they currently participate in developing, implementing and/or optimizing. Nursing clinical documentation (80 percent) was the most frequently selected, followed by electronic medical record/electronic health record (EMR/EHR) (69 percent) and computerized practitioner order entry (CPOE) (62 percent). These were also the top three applications with which nurse informaticists were most involved in the 2011 survey.

While over half (55 percent) of respondents reported that they are developing, implementing and/or optimizing clinical information systems, the number of respondents involved with this application decreased for the second survey in a row – from 77 percent in 2007 and 58 percent in 2011. Nurse informaticists were least likely to be involved in the development and

implementation of voice communications and enterprise master person index (five percent each).

Application Experience

In addition to the systems that survey respondents were currently developing, implementing and/or optimizing, they were asked to indicate the application areas in which they had

experience. Almost all (94 percent) of the respondents reported that they had experience with nursing clinical documentation. This is was also the application with the most reported

experience in the 2011 survey. The other areas that nurse informaticists reported the most experience with include EMR/EHR (84 percent), CPOE (81 percent), non-nursing clinical documentation (74 percent) and eMAR (73 percent). These applications were also among the top six areas in 2011. Respondents were least likely to have experience in practice

management, remote monitoring (16 percent each) and voice communication (14 percent).

Replaced or Removed Applications

Half (51 percent) of the respondents did not have experience replacing or removing applications. The amount of nurse informaticists that had not replaced or removed an

application was 47 percent in 2011. Among those who had replaced or removed an application, non-nursing clinical documentation was the most reported (28 percent), which is an increase from 18 percent in both the 2007 and 2011 surveys. Clinical information systems and eMAR were the next two most reported applications that had been removed or replaced. In 2011, nursing clinical documentation was the top application (29 percent) that respondents identified as having removed or replaced. Only 19 percent of respondents reported they had removed this type of application in the 2014 study. Respondents were least likely to have experience removing or replacing remote monitoring applications (one percent).

(11)

7. Barriers to Success as a Nurse Informaticist

To better understand some of the struggles nurse informaticists face, respondents were asked to identify the top two barriers to their success as a nurse informaticist. Lack of administrative support and lack of staffing resources (28 percent each) were identified as top barriers (ranked the first or second top barrier by respondents). These options were the third and fourth most reported barriers, respectively, from the 2011 survey. Interestingly, the top barrier identified in 2011, lack of integration/interoperability (30 percent), and was only reported by 12 percent of 2014 respondents. Because of changes in how this question was asked in 2007 and 2004, a direct comparison to this year’s results is not possible. Availability of financial resources was identified as a key barrier in 2007 (65 percent) and 2004 (18 percent).

The least identified barrier was lack of technology (three percent). These data suggest that nurse informaticists may need to overcome operational and organizational shortcomings rather than technological ones.

8. Sources of Information

Day-to-Day

When asked to identify sources of information that nurse informaticists turn to in order to carry out their day-to-day job activities, respondents were most likely to report networking with peers and websites. Nearly three-quarters of respondents (70 percent) selected each of these options and they were similarly represented in the 2011 survey. Rounding out the top three for sources of information was electronic journals (50 percent), which were first asked about in the 2014 survey.

Survey respondents were also asked to identify the most valuable source of information for their day-to-day activities. Over one-fifth (41 percent) of respondents found networking with peers to be the most valuable followed by information found on websites (22 percent). RSS feeds and eBooks were the least valuable information sources for day-to-day activities; each was reported by less than one percent of survey respondents.

Continuing Education

In regards to the sources respondents use for continuing education, audio conferences/ webinars were the most reported (69 percent), which is consistent with the 2011 survey

findings. Over half (52 percent) of the survey respondents in 2014 identified online course work as a source they presently turn to for continuing education. National conferences rounded out the top three at 47 percent (a decrease from 58 percent in 2011).

Respondents were much less likely to identify journals as a top source for information. In 2011, 61 percent of respondents indicated this as an area of importance, compared to 39 percent of 2014 respondents.

A new follow-up question about the most valuable source for continuing education was asked in 2014. Nearly one-third (30 percent) of respondents identified audio conferences/webinars as the source they find most valuable, followed by international conferences (22 percent). Less than one percent of all respondents reported that journals were the most valuable continuing education source.

(12)

This year’s results may demonstrate that nurse informaticists are changing the approach they take to completing continuing education from traditional sources such as national conferences and journals to digital outlets like audio conferences, webinars and online course work.

Topics of Interest

Respondents were asked to identify topics that they are interested in learning more about. As in the 2011 survey, respondents were most likely to identify topics specifically focused on

informatics. Clinical informatics (56 percent) and nursing informatics as a professional discipline (42 percent) were the most frequent selections in both the 2011 and 2014 surveys. Nearly one-third of respondents (31 percent) also identified evidence-based practice as an area of interest. The topics in which respondents reported the least interest include practice and mentoring (seven percent each).

9. Salary and Compensation

Salary

Respondents were asked to report their base salary (not including benefits or bonuses) as of December 1, 2013. A total of 970 respondents (93 percent) provided valid data in this area. Salaries among the nurse informaticist respondents continued to increase when compared to previous surveys. The average salary in 2014 was $100,717; up from $98,703 in 2011, $83,675 in 2007 and $69,500 in 2004. The median salary from this sample was $93,000. Another

comparison can be made to the HIMSS 2013 Compensation Survey10. Of the 170 informaticists who participated in the HIMSS 2013 Compensation Survey, their average salary was $110,639. When looking at average salary based on the region in which the respondent works, those in the Pacific region reported the highest salary ($117,629) followed by New England11 ($109,154) and the Mountain12 region ($105,463).

Respondents working at consulting firms have the highest average salary ($141,432) by

workplace. This is followed by those who identified their workplace as a PPO/HMO organization; their average salary was $122,567. The average salary for those working for vendors was the third highest in 2014 ($115,845).

Respondents who have supervisory responsibilities (having at least one person reporting to them) reported higher average salaries ($142,733) than those who do not ($92,174). These findings are consistent with the 2011 survey results.

In addition, respondents who held a certification in nursing informatics had higher average salaries ($121,830) than the respondents who do not have a nursing informatics certification ($106,537). The average salary among respondents with CPHIMS certification increased from $110,291 in 2011 to $132,652 in 2014 and remained higher than the average salary for

respondents who did not have CPHIMS ($102,555).

10_{http://apps.himss.org/himssorg/compensation/ASP/Index.asp}

11_{The New England region includes Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and} Vermont

(13)

The average salary for respondents who held a post-graduate degree was $107,215, compared to an average salary of $90,801 for those without a post-graduate degree. Placing an emphasis on education and training appears to have an impact on the salary of nursing informaticists.

Benefits

Nurse informaticists provided information surrounding the benefits offered through their employers. Consistent with the 2011 survey, almost all respondents (98 percent) identified receiving at least one benefit. A 401(k) or 403(b) was the most identified benefit, reported by 89 percent of respondents followed by medical/dental insurance (86 percent). Life insurance is provided to 80 percent of respondents and nearly two-thirds (65 percent) receive long-term disability insurance. In 2014, 29 percent of respondents reported that they received a bonus.

10. Conclusion

Between the 2011 and 2014 survey, reported salaries for nurse informaticists increased by two percent compared to a 17 percent increase between 2007 and 2011 and 42 percent between 2004 and 2007. A number of factors could contribute to these findings but it is worthy to note that the average base salary for nurse informaticists surpassed $100,000 in this survey. This suggests that the value of nurse informaticists is still recognized by their employers.

This year’s results showed that the number of years of bedside clinical experience respondents had before becoming a nurse informaticist decreased; 20 percent of respondents had between one and five years of clinical experience compared to 12 percent in 2011. Those with more than 11 years of clinical experience decreased slightly from 46 percent to 41 percent. This may indicate that due to increasing demand for the specialty, nurses are pursuing careers with nursing informatics sooner after their initial education than in the past.

Based on the new job satisfaction questions which asked respondents to rate their satisfaction with their current position and their career choice in informatics on a one to seven scale,

respondents seemed to be quite satisfied with their choice of career in informatics (6.4 average rating) but not necessarily with their current position (5.4 average rating).

Lack of administrative support and lack of staffing resources (28 percent each) were identified as the top barriers nurse informaticists face. Lack of integration/interoperability (30 percent), was the most reported barrier in 2011 and was only reported by 12 percent of 2014

respondents. The least identified barrier was lack of technology (three percent). These data suggest that nurse informaticists may need to overcome operational and organizational shortcomings rather than technological ones in order to be most successful in their roles. Respondents indicated that audio conferences/webinars (69 percent) and online course work (52 percent) were the most used sources for continuing education. Using journals as a source for continuing education information decreased from 61 percent in 2011 to 39 percent in 2014. This year’s results may demonstrate that nurse informaticists are changing the approach they take to completing continuing education from traditional sources such as national conferences and journals to digital outlets like audio conferences, webinars and online course work.

The field is reporting a variety of education, training and certification that contribute to their work. The number of respondents with a post-graduate (Master’s or PhD) degree in any field increased by 19 percent from the 2011 survey. More specifically, the number with a post-graduate degree in nursing informatics or other informatics increased by 24 percent from 2011

(14)

suggesting that nurse informaticists have solid backgrounds and experience to bring to their positions. In addition, 43 percent of respondents planned to pursue additional informatics education and training.

The number of respondents who held informatics certification increased by over six percent between 2011 and 2014, showing that the importance certification among nurse informaticists is being recognized. More than half of the nurse informaticist respondents also indicated that they would be pursuing some type of certification within the next year. As the respondents reported that the perceived value of certification was personal satisfaction and enhancing their credibility and marketability, their continued efforts in progressing their knowledge base may provide increased job satisfaction and the ability to find a role where they can stand out. Those with certifications are also better compensated – respondents who held a certification in nursing informatics had higher average salaries ($121,830) than the respondents who do not have a nursing informatics certification ($106,537).

(15)

11. About HIMSS

HIMSS is a global, cause-based, not-for-profit organization focused on better health through information technology (IT). HIMSS leads efforts to optimize health engagements and care outcomes using information technology. Visit www.himss.org.

HIMSS is a part of HIMSS WorldWide, a cause-based, global enterprise producing health IT thought leadership, education, events, market research and media services around the world. Founded in 1961, HIMSS WorldWide encompasses more than 52,000 individuals, of which more than two-thirds work in healthcare provider, governmental and not-for-profit organizations across the globe, plus over 600 corporations and 250 not-for-profit partner organizations, that share this cause. HIMSS WorldWide, headquartered in Chicago, serves the global health IT community with additional offices in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

12. How to Cite This Study

Individuals are encouraged to cite this report and any accompanying graphics in printed matter, publications, or any other medium, as long as the information is attributed to the HIMSS 2014 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey.

13. For More Information

Joyce Lofstrom

Senior Director, Corporate Communications HIMSS

33 W. Monroe, Suite 1700 Chicago, IL 60603

312-915-9237 [email protected]

(16)

(17)

(18)

(19)

(20)

(21)

(22)

(23)

(24)

(25)

(26)

(27)

(28)

(29)

(30)

HIMSS 2014 Nursing Informatics Workforce Survey