Nursing is an important industry in Arizona, given that 18.3 percent of its citizens are over the age of 65. While people of all ages need healthcare, older people tend to need more healthcare and more serious healthcare interventions.
Arizona is also a rapidly growing state – the population has increased by a million people in the last 12 years. With more people in the state comes a greater need for quality healthcare for all. This, in turn, makes Arizona a prime location to work in the nursing field.
If nursing informatics is of particular interest to you, you are in luck. Arizona has excellent post-secondary institutions that can help you meet your educational and career goals.
Nursing Informatics Programs in Arizona
Below are some of the popular schools offering nursing informatics degree programs in Arizona:
- Arizona State University
- Grand Canyon University
- The University of Arizona
- Wake Forest University
- The University of Phoenix
- The College of Westchester
Arizona State University
Located in Tempe, Arizona State University is one of the largest colleges in the nation. The Tempe campus alone has almost 58,000 students. Yet, ASU also has more than 62,000 students enrolled exclusively online. In fact, more than 142,000 students are currently enrolled in bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral programs at ASU.
Given the school’s size, ASU offers many different opportunities for learning that you might not find at a smaller institution. There are more than 4,000 bachelor’s degree programs in the ASU system, as well as hundreds of graduate and doctoral programs and certificates.
No matter the program you choose, you will learn in a diverse environment – nearly half of first-year students identify as a minority.
Nursing Informatics Program Information
Arizona State’s online Master of Advanced Study in Health Informatics is a 10-course, 30-credit program that you can complete in as little as a year. Each course in the curriculum is just 7.5 weeks long. You take one course at a time, which allows you to focus on one subject and get a more thorough education.
The curriculum includes courses like:
- Current Perspectives in Health Informatics
- Health Informatics Database Modeling and Applications
- Health Economics, Policy and Payment Models
- Clinical Decision Support and Evidence-Based Medicine
- Health Information Communication
This program also requires that you complete an applied project. The project is on a topic of your choice but must demonstrate your capabilities as a health informaticist.
Though this program is not specifically designed for nurses, you can certainly use the knowledge and skills you gain during your studies to supplement your clinical expertise as a registered nurse.
Other career options include Director of Clinical Informatics, Clinical Research Scientist, or Electronic Health Records Information Systems Analyst.
You can apply to this program online. To do so, you must have at least a bachelor’s degree from a regionally-accredited college or university. It’s preferable that the degree is in nursing, medicine, pharmacy, or a related field, but not required. You must have a 3.0 GPA for the last 60 credits of your bachelor’s degree program or a 3.0 cumulative GPA in a master’s program.
When you apply, you must submit the following:
- A graduate application for admission and the accompanying fee
- Official transcripts from each college and university you’ve attended
- Two letters of recommendation
- A curriculum vitae or resume
- Two letters of recommendation
The University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a very large public university with nearly 47,000 students. While the U of A is the second-largest school in the state, it’s still one of the largest universities in the country. Most students at Arizona are pursuing a bachelor’s degree, but the school is also home to more than 10,000 students in a graduate or doctoral program.
One of the perks of studying at the U of A is that there are so many programs to choose from. Undergraduates have more than 150 options in a variety of fields, including education, business, and, of course, nursing.
In addition to a wide variety of academic options, you will find that Arizona offers plenty of extracurricular experiences. There are more than 400 organizations on campus, ranging from honor societies to clubs to sports teams.
Nursing Informatics Program Information
The Doctor of Nursing Practice at the University of Arizona is a terminal degree for nurses who want to specialize in nursing informatics. With a DNP in this field, you can pursue any number of high-ranking jobs in healthcare organizations, like Chief Nursing Information Officer or Chief Information Officer. Likewise, you can parlay your experience and expertise into a consulting career.
The 53-credit curriculum is divided between coursework, practicum experiences, and a DNP project. Courses you might take include:
- Evidence-Based Practice
- Philosophy and Theory for the DNP
- Technology for Expanding Care Capacity
- Population Health for DNPs
- Theories of Leadership and Organizational Management
The practicum is divided into three separate experiences. In all, you must complete at least 500 practicum hours to graduate. Additionally, you must complete a DNP research project that occurs in two phases.
First, you must develop a project idea and propose it to your faculty committee. Second, you must defend the final presentation, including answering questions from the committee.
To apply, you must have a Master of Science in Nursing Informatics or a closely related field, like public health. Additionally, you must earn your MS degree from a regionally-accredited school, have a cumulative graduate GPA of 3.0 or higher, and have three or more years of experience in informatics, two or more of which must be in a healthcare setting. You must also have a current, valid RN license.
Furthermore, you must submit the following documentation:
- One reference from a professional colleague
- Official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions
- A curriculum vitae
- A NursingCAS application and a University of Arizona Graduate College application
Grand Canyon University
While Arizona State and the University of Arizona might be larger, Grand Canyon University has grown the most since its inception. The school was founded in the 1940s as a Christian university. Initially, there were just 100 students. Today, though, GCU has around 25,000 students at its physical campus in Phoenix. There are more than 85,000 additional students taking courses exclusively online.
GCU’s online component is one of the most robust in the nation, with hundreds of degrees and programs available to students around the world. GCU’s physical campus is something special, too – the university has invested more than $1.6 billion in upgrading the school’s technology, infrastructure, and buildings. As a result, GCU’s campus ranks as the best in Arizona and one of the best in the country.
Nursing Informatics Program Information
The Master of Science in Nursing at GCU emphasizes an education in nursing informatics. The program is specifically designed for nurses with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) who want to expand their skill set into the realm of data-driven care and evidence-based practices.
This 40-credit program includes a wide range of courses, most of which are eight weeks long. You will take courses like:
- Health Care Information Systems and Technology
- Health Data Analytics
- Electronic Health Records
- User Interface Design for Informatics
- Translational Research and Population Health Management
The program also requires the completion of a 16-week nursing informatics practicum, during which time you will gain real-world experience using your newfound knowledge and skills.
As a graduate of this program, you can pursue employment as a nurse informaticist, a computer systems analyst, or a data scientist, among others. You can also use your experience in this program to continue your studies at the doctoral level.
You can apply to this program as an online or evening student. Either way, you must have an undergraduate degree from an accredited school. Alternatively, you must have a degree from an approved GCU program with a minimum 2.8 GPA. If you don’t meet this GPA requirement, you might be admitted if you have satisfactory scores on the GRE (300 combined verbal and quantitative score).
The University of Phoenix
The University of Phoenix was established in 1976 as a school specifically for working adults. This focus on adult learning means that the school’s programs are highly contextual, offer insights into professional practice, and integrate lifelong learning with academic theory. You can study at the bachelor’s, master’s, or doctoral levels or pursue any number of professional certificates.
The University of Phoenix is mostly known as an online school. However, the university has locations around the country, including its flagship campus in the Phoenix area.
Although the school is a private, for-profit institution, it is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission. This is the gold standard of accreditation and ensures that the programs offered by the school meet relevant standards of rigor.
Nursing Informatics Program Information
The University of Phoenix offers an online Master of Science in Nursing with a concentration in nursing informatics. This 34-credit program lasts just 16 months, meaning you can quickly get the credentials you need to advance your career.
You advance through the program one course at a time. Each course is six weeks long, and you complete eight courses each year. Some of the topics you will study include:
- Integrating nursing theory with organizational practice and systems leadership
- Evaluating organizational processes and systems
- Using evidence-based research to improve nursing practice
- Improve client-centered healthcare outcomes using evidence-based guidelines
- Advocating for positive changes within the healthcare industry
Upon graduating from this program, you can pursue employment in nursing as an informaticist. Alternatively, you can explore careers in data science, health informatics, or medical informatics.
Though this is an online program, it is only available to students in some states. Check with the University of Phoenix to determine your eligibility to enroll in this program.
You can start the application process online anytime. To qualify, you must have an undergraduate degree in nursing from an accredited institution and an unrestricted RN license.
Nursing Informatics Work Opportunities in Arizona
With a background in nursing and informatics, the scope of careers you can pursue in Arizona is quite wide. If you want to stay in a clinical position, you might work in a hospital or health clinic where you can apply both your clinical nursing skills and your nursing informatics skills to affect positive outcomes for your patients.
Alternatively, you can choose to focus more on nursing informatics and seek out a position that doesn’t have a clinical component. For example, you might apply for a nursing administration position in a large hospital in the Phoenix area, where you might focus your attention on collecting and analyzing patient data to inform the development of new patient services.
Another option is to use your nursing informatics education to start a career as a consultant. Many smaller healthcare organizations might need the services of a nursing informaticist but not need those services full-time.
As a consultant, you could travel throughout Arizona and provide consultative services to various healthcare entities. As with most jobs in this field, there are many opportunities awaiting you if you have the proper education and experience.
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