Informatics nurses are responsible for bridging the gap between clinicians and IT. As an informatics nurse, you will evaluate a health care facility to determine what clinical IT applications will help increase efficiency. You could be responsible for training the staff on new systems and ensuring everyone is up to date on the latest technology. Informatics nurses also facilitate communication between IT, vendors, and the staff regarding clinical IT applications. In order to become an informatics nurse, you will need at least a bachelor’s degree in nursing, but some roles might require a master’s degree. There is also a certification for informatics nurses from the American Nurses Credentialing Center that, while not required, may help you get a job in health care informatics.

Health informatics specialists have a similar role to that of an informatics nurse in a health care setting. You may be responsible for training staff and creating educational documents for systems and procedures, but you will also be responsible for troubleshooting and assisting staff when problems arise. As a health informatics specialist, you will also need to be up to date on the latest compliance and regulatory standards. Education requirements for a health informatics specialist can range depending on the position. Some require a bachelor’s and experience with technology, while others may require a master’s in biomedical informatics, health informatics, computer science or a related field.

Clinical informatics specialists work with the systems used to digitize patient records. As a clinical informatics specialist, you will be responsible for creating processes and improving procedures as well as documenting them for the staff. You will also oversee the transition of any paper documents to digital systems, and oversee the process. Education requirements for a clinical informatics specialist can range depending on the position. Some require a bachelor’s and experience with technology, while others may require a master’s in biomedical informatics, health informatics, computer science or a related field.

Clinical data analysts are responsible for closely evaluating data to help improve workflow and a health care facility’s overall clinical information systems. As a clinical data analyst, a main task may include creating the database systems for a healthcare facility. Since health IT can require handling sensitive data, as a clinical data analyst, you will be responsible for striking a balance between efficiency and federal regulatory standards. To become a clinical data analyst, you will need a bachelor’s degree in life science or social science, or a related discipline, with a master’s degree preferred. You will also want to ensure you have a solid background in technology, especially with database and general IT knowledge. Experience working in the health care industry will help your chances of employment.

Clinical informatics managers are responsible for overseeing the daily operations of the clinical information systems at a health care facility. As a clinical informatics manager, you will manage and train staff, monitor budgets, direct staff, and ensure all systems are in compliance with state, federal, and professional regulatory standards. In order to become a clinical informatics manager, you will first need to work in informatics at a lower level. Once you have gained relevant experience, you will be able to move up to clinical informatics manager.