nurse using computer Nursing Informatics is a Thing So Let's Teach it

March 1, 2025 -- When I was in nursing school 14 years ago, the electronic health record (EHR) was starting to become part of nursing work. Were we taught about it? Not a chance!

My instructors knew nothing of it and weren't interested in teaching (or learning) about it. There was no class on the topic, not a single lecture.

Yet here we are today, with nurses using it daily. Indeed -- as study after study has shown (to our chagrin) -- we spend more time in front of the computer than in front of the patient.

It's time to face reality and teach prospective nurses what they really need to know.

Of course, nursing informatics is about much more than just the EHR. Let's teach it all! To that end, I offer a modest proposal.

The best part of nursing school is the clinical rotations -- hospitals, clinics, community health centers, etc. and working with patients -- where the real learning happens. So let's have a nursing informatics clinical rotation.

Please take a look and let me know your thoughts on this proposal.

And let's make nursing education relevant!

Cartoon by Henry McAlpine