Master of Science in Nursing
Informatics Track
Informatics is changing the nurse-patient relationship, and by understanding the opportunities for beneficial care that information flow can create from admission to discharge, nurses can drastically improve point of care decisions and ultimately patient outcomes.
In the Informatics MSN track at Chatham, students will learn to integrate and utilize technology for the purpose of improved patient care. The curriculum prepares nurses to leverage technology to promote healthier patient lifestyles, manage information for more accurate patient assessment across the entire treatment process, and employ information technology throughout the healthcare environment. Graduates of the MSN program with a Informatics focus will be able to confidently apply technology to their care delivery while also leading adoption and implementation of these practices for their organizations.
Informatics Track Courses (credits)
Course Descriptions
NUR 631: Integrating Technology into a Health Care Environment
This course will introduce graduate students to key factors that must be considered when integrating new technology within a health care environment. Understanding how to successfully create change, define current processes, design future processes and complete a gap analysis will be critical when using the four stages of a systems life cycle to successfully integrate or change technology at point of care. |
NUR 641: Promoting Healthier Lifestyles in the Community using Innovative Technology
This course is designed to assist health professionals in understanding the impact technology has on patients/consumers living within the community. Students will be encouraged to develop creative strategies to understand how technology can be used to further extend health care services within the surrounding community through the internet and web-based platforms to promote a healthier lifestyle. |
NUR 651: Database Management for Evidence-based Decision making
This course is designed to assist the graduate student in understanding the various database systems used within a healthcare setting. Key to this course is understanding how health care professionals can collect and extract data form database systems to assess the organizations performance and impact on patient outcomes. Understanding the various database systems and how information is interfaced for viewing purposes is critical to how data can be collected for analysis. |
NUR 661: Health Care Informatics Practicum
The practicum focuses on the role of the health care informatics professional within a health care environment. Students will work closely with health care professionals who are directly involved in improving quality of care, organizational processes, or safety, engaging in a learning experience that further integrates program content. Practicum experience includes a formal preceptorship which is individualized to align with the student’s field of interest. Practicum settings vary according to student interest, goals and overall career objectives. This course includes 125 clinical hours. |
NUR 671: Health Care Informatics Capstone
This course focuses on the expanded role of the health care informatics professional in the health care environment. The student will facilitate the implementation of their practice change project developed in the practicum course. The student will work in a collaborative relationship with their preceptor and other identified health care professionals who are directly or indirectly involved with their project. The course provides the student with the experience needed to transition into the role of a health care informatics professional with a Master’s degree. This course includes 125 clinical hours. |
