RN using computer Epic
goes
to school

March 9, 2026 -- I clamor for nursing informatics (NI) training for nurses. A clinical rotation or a practicum is a good way to do this. Here is my proposal for nursing schools.

Several nursing schools offer these at a graduate level (MSN and DNP). Even more, we need it for undergraduates (BSN students). When they graduate, these new nurses will be confronted on the job by technology and most will at first be ill-equipped for it. As does every working nurse, they will find themselves spending literally hours of each shift using tech, especially the EHR. And, alas, it will be difficult and they will do it poorly, at least at first. For many, it will never be comfortable and intuitive. We can fix this.

I'm not alone in recognizing the need. Epic -- always on the leading edge -- is getting its product training in front of nursing students' faces. Here's the story: How Care New England is embedding Epic training into nursing education:

A key element of the collaboration includes integrating Epic EHR training into Rhode Island College's nursing and health sciences curricula.

Yes, Epic's products are an element of nursing informatics... after all, nurses today spend more time on the computer than with patients, and most of that time is on EHRs. But it's also true that Epic's largesse is self-serving. Let's provide training that's vendor-agnostic, and let's provide it in BSN programs.