UT Tyler Office of Marketing and Communications

UT Tyler to Offer Executive Certificate in Nursing Informatics

Follow @UTTylerTweet

May 4, 2015

Media Contact:  Hannah Buchanan
Editor/Writer–Strategic Communications & Media Relations
Marketing and Communications
The University of Texas at Tyler
903.539.7196 (cell)

May 4, 2015

The University of Texas at Tyler Center for Executive Education will offer a new executive graduate certificate in nursing informatics for nursing students this fall, Dr. Gordon Whyte, executive director, announced.

According to UT Tyler associate professor of nursing Dr. Melinda Hermanns, the field of nursing informatics integrates nursing science, computer science and information technology in order to communicate data and knowledge in nursing practice.

“Although a nurse informaticist is a specialty in nursing, the individual identifies him or herself first and foremost as a nurse. It is through the nursing lens that the nurse informaticist works closely with IT [Information Technology] and provides a unique perspective to utilize technology to improve patient outcomes,” Hermanns said.

The executive certificate in nursing informatics will consist of 15 credit hours completed in the span of three semesters. The program is open to nursing students who have received a bachelor of science in nursing or higher. A majority of the coursework will be completed online, as the student must only maintain a presence on campus for a short intensive period each semester. The remainder of the coursework is then delivered online.

“UT Tyler has always been innovative and visionary, and I think this program represents administration’s forward-thinking in recognizing the need for certified nurse informaticists in the community,” Hermanns said.

Within 12 months, these graduate students will complete the required work for their certificate, along with some of the eligibility requirements to become certified by the American Nurses Credentialing Center in Nursing Informatics.

According to the Health Information and Management Systems Society, the median salary for a nurse informaticist is $88,000. Preparation for the role also provides new career opportunities.

“In nursing, you are mostly working with patients one-on-one, but with nursing informatics, you have the opportunity to impact potentially hundreds of lives,” Hermanns said.

For more information, call 903.566.7201 or visit uttyler.edu/cfee/enif/[BROKEN LINK].

One of the 15 campuses of the UT System, UT Tyler features excellence in teaching, research, artistic performance and community service. More than 80 undergraduate and graduate degrees are available at UT Tyler, which has an enrollment of more than 8,000 high-ability students. UT Tyler offers courses at its campuses in Tyler, Longview and Palestine as well as a location in Houston.