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MSN, Nursing Informatics

We're living in an increasingly data-driven world, and nowhere is this more apparent than in the healthcare field.

With federal funding tied to patient outcomes and health systems examining every facet of healthcare for ways to better facilitate care, more and more agencies are hiring Nursing Informatics specialists to sift through the data to find compelling new ways to optimize the healthcare experience and improve population outcomes.

The two-year Master of Science in Nursing program with an Informatics track from Nebraska Methodist College will prepare graduates to fill the in-demand role of the informaticist in a healthcare setting. This degree, the only one of its kind in the region, will equip nurses with the tools they need to stand at the intersection of big data and the healthcare field, developing well-crafted insights and turning those insights into actionable health system policies that optimize patient outcomes.

As electronic records proliferate, critical analysis and implementation of new procedures at a system-wide level has never been more important.

The online format caters to working nurses and allows them to balance educational goals with personal and professional responsibilities.

Salaries for nurse informaticists vary widely in the U.S. and are based upon many factors, including geography, job description, specialty and experience. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) conducted a survey in 2020 that found a median salary of $100,000 across the United States, with nursing informatics certification holders generating a higher average salary than those who don’t.

Want to learn more? Watch our most recent Virtual Information Session.

Program Perks
  • This online MSN program is a CCNE-accredited program that can be completed online in 21 months.
  • No GRE required for admission.
  • Facilitates the transition from a nursing professional to an informatics specialist
  • All students will receive a national and chapter membership to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS)
  • Become a liaison between IT professionals, nurses and healthcare system personnel
  • Courses are five or ten weeks long, with one week off before the start of the next course.
  • Students can access courses at any time of the day and from anywhere with Internet access.
  • Upon completion of the program, graduates will have completed 200 clinical hours and be eligible for informatics certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
CCNE

Accreditation & Licensure

The baccalaureate degree program in nursing/master's degree program in nursing/Doctor of Nursing Practice program at Nebraska Methodist College is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), 655 K Street NW, Suite 750, Washington, DC 20001, (202) 887-6791.

Graduates must pass programatic certification exam based on practice specialty

Admissions Information

Criteria

Applicants are evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

  • Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing (BSN) from a state approved program of nursing or a program professionally accredited by NLN CNEA, CCNE or ACEN.
  • BSN program GPA of 3.0.
  • GPA below 3.0 will be considered on an individual basis.
  • Current unencumbered licensure as a Registered Nurse.
  • Non- Nebraska Residents meet State Authorization
  • No GRE required for admission

Requirements

To be considered for admission the following items must be submitted to the Admissions Office:

Deadlines

Prospective students may apply anytime and are accepted on a rolling basis. Applications will be reviewed upon receipt and students will be notified of their acceptance by letter or phone.

Starting Term - Fall 2024

Standard Deadline - 5/2/2024

Costs & Financial Aid

NMC is committed to helping you find every avenue to finance your education. View the Tuition by Program & Degree page for a comprehensive list of all fees.

Cost Per Credit Hour

$588

NMC Scholarships

NMC Scholarships consist of funds generously provided by the Methodist Hospital Foundation to assist our students.

Student Grants or Loans

Visit our Financial Aid page to learn more about what's available and how to apply.

Employee Education Benefits

Employees of Methodist Health System can find details on the MHS Intranet.

External Scholarships

Visit our Scholarships page to learn more.

Calculate Your Net Price

Nebraska Methodist College Net Price Calculator.

Curriculum

All MSN students are required to complete specific coursework. This list should only be used as a curriculum guide. Course listings and required curriculum are subject to change.

A student must earn a minimum of 36 total credit hours to be eligible for the Master of Science in Nursing degree. All course requirements as outlined below must be met.

Required

NRS 502
LEADERSHIP IN AN ADVANCED NURSING SPECIALTY ROLE
DETAILS

In this course, students explore the transition of the nurse into the advanced nursing specialty role. This course will promote an understanding of how a nurse in an advanced nursing specialty role acclimates to new leadership responsibilities by influencing change, responding to chaos/crisis and managing conflict. The significance of team- building and interdisciplinary collaboration will be explored. Students begin to develop their professional portfolio based on program outcomes. 

NRS 504
ADVANCED HEALTH ASSESSMENT, PATHOPHYSIOLOGY & PHARMACOLOGY
DETAILS
In this course, students synthesize advanced concepts of pathophysiology, health assessment and pharmacology across the lifespan for the advanced nursing specialty role to complete an accurate health database, including history and holistic assessment, across the lifespan. Physiologic changes, clinical manifestations, and drug therapy are integrated to facilitate critical analysis to support clinical decision-making. Virtual clinical experiences allow for practical application of course theory.

Prerequisites: To be taken first semester or by permission

NRS 506
INTRODUCTION TO INFORMATICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
DETAILS
In this course, students examine nursing roles in informatics and information technology within the healthcare system. The history, theoretical models, and best practices of nursing informatics are explored. Students investigate ethical, legal, and regulatory standards and workplace policies. Exploration of digital health literacy will be performed. Students examine the consequences of using information and communication technology on the quality of care, efficiency of communications, and connections between the healthcare team, patients, and consumers.

Prerequisites: NRS 509, NRS 513, NRS 517, or by permission

NRS 507
POPULATION HEALTH IN A GLOBAL SOCIETY
DETAILS

In this course, students explore concepts of population health and social determinants of health. Students will investigate issues that contribute to understanding population health and health inequities. Emphasis is placed upon the analysis of a population health assessment in informing strategies to advance health outcomes. Students will explore population-focused interventions to address health risks and disparities across selected health care delivery settings. Critical analysis of population health concepts and implementation of management strategies in a community-based practice setting will be examined. The practicum experience allows for practical application of course theory. (For students matriculating MSN courses Fall 2024)

Prerequisites: NRS 502 or by permission

NRS 510
HEALTH POLICY & SYSTEMS-BASED PRACTICE
DETAILS
In this course, students investigate the impact of local, regional, national, and global systems and regulations on the safety and quality of care for individuals and diverse populations. The relationship between healthcare economics, health policy, and the complex health system will be explored. Students will examine legislation on current health policies and factors shaping policy development. Students will explore factors of cost containment, resource allocation, risk benefit analysis, quality, advocacy, interprofessional collaboration, and developing and implementing systems solutions in systems-based thinking.

Prerequisites: NRS 509 or by permission

NRS 513
MEASUREMENT & STATISTICAL CONCEPTS FOR DATA INTERPRETATION
DETAILS
In this course, students apply nursing knowledge with theory and statistical methods to broaden understanding of nursing concepts and nursing outcomes. Measurement principles, descriptive statistics and relationships between variables are explored to better comprehend nursing and nursing phenomena. Using the framework of disparity and risk in a specific population, students apply content on variable association. Reports using statistics to compare groups and measure patient improvement over time are analyzed for implications for patient populations.

Prerequisites: NRS 509 or by permission

NRS 517
CRITICAL APPRAISAL OF KNOWLEDGE FOR PRACTICE
DETAILS
The purpose of this course is the understanding of research processes and interpretation of statistics to make accurate critical appraisals. Students apply the process of drawing conclusions, finding implications, and making recommendations based on an appraised study. Students learn to judge relative merits of studies in answering particular research questions. Questions of the fit of evidence or theory within an identified agency or institutional setting are explored.

Prerequisites: NRS 509 & NRS 513, or by permission

NRS 562
CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATICS
DETAILS
Consumer Health Informatics (CHI) is a rapidly-expanding area of informatics practice and focuses on the consumer use of electronic information to guide healthcare outcomes. This course will cover the implementation of strategies and technologies that improve patients, families and the community access to healthcare; CHI applications, health literacy and trends, opportunities and future challenges.

Prerequisites: NRS 509, NRS 513, NRS 560, or by permission

NRS 564
REGULATORY, LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN HEALTHCARE INFORMATICS
DETAILS
The utilization of information technology in society has increased the need to ensure privacy and security of patient health information. This course will review regulatory, legal, and ethical philosophies of informatics in healthcare. Topics will include the history and standards of HIPAA; the impact on system implementation, management, and evaluation; and the role of the informaticist in the protection of the patient.

Prerequisites: NRS 509, NRS 513, NRS 560, NRS 562, or by permission

NRS 568
CLINICAL INFORMATION SYSTEMS FOR CLINICAL PRACTICE
DETAILS
The focus of this course is on the role of the nurse in the use of the electronic health record in the clinical practice setting. The selection, implementation, management, and evaluation of healthcare information systems will be explored. Regulatory standards such as HITECH, and review of competencies from ANA and TIGER will be discussed. Other topics include project management; privacy and security standards. Precepted clinical experience (84 clinical hours) allows for practical application of course theory.

Prerequisites: All program course work except NRS 569, NRS 592 and NRS 594, or by permission

NRS 569
PRACTICUM IN NURSING INFORMATICS
DETAILS
During the Practicum in Nursing Informatics, the student will select a preceptor in the field of informatics and complete 126 hours of direct interaction. The student will synthesize clinical applications, roles and competencies of the nurse informaticist and the interface with technology in healthcare. The student must identify a topic for discussion and share the findings and outcomes of the project.

Prerequisites: All program course work except NRS 592 and NRS 594, or by permission

NRS 592
CAPSTONE I
DETAILS
In this first course of the capstone sequence, students will synthesize concepts related to research, practice, education and leadership content as well as experiences learned throughout the master's programs of study. Groups of students will collaboratively begin a group-selected evidence-based project. Emphasis is placed on the process of identifying a nursing problem (PICO [T]), searching and critically appraising the literature with development of a summary matrix table.

Prerequisites: Typically taken in the second-to-last semester, or by permission

NRS 594
CAPSTONE II
DETAILS
In this second course of the capstone sequence, students will synthesize concepts related to research, practice, education and leadership content and experiences learned throughout the master's program of study. Groups of students will collaboratively complete the group-selected evidence-based project begun in NRS 592. Emphasis will be on the process of completing an evidence-based manuscript suitable for publication in a peer-reviewed journal, a poster presentation suitable for delivery at a local, national or regional conference or a webinar presentation.

Prerequisites: Typically taken in the last semester, or by permission

Meet the Faculty

Our nursing faculty are highly experienced and credentialed in their own fields, giving you constant real-world insight you can use. While any instructor can recite from a textbook, ours go a step further and draw from vast personal and professional experiences. Instructors here care as deeply about their students as they do the subject matter and it shows.

Meet the Faculty

Additional Information

MSN Program Outcomes

Graduates of MSN program will be able to

  1. Integrate scholarly inquiry into nursing practice to improve outcomes in healthcare.
  2. Demonstrate attributes of a professional, transformative, and visionary nurse leader in an advanced specialty role.
  3. Embrace life-long learning to advance personal growth, the nursing profession, and health outcomes.
  4. Foster interprofessional collaboration through mutual respect, effective communication, problem solving, and conflict resolution.
  5. Address the impact of social, political, legal, and ethical influences on diverse populations, health policies, and nursing practice.
  6. Demonstrate competence in an advanced specialty role using knowledge, skills, and professional judgment to promote evidence-based nursing practice.
  7. Advocate for compassionate person-centered care in the planning, coordination, and evaluation of care for individuals, families, groups, and populations.
  8. Engage in emerging technologies and information systems to optimize the multifaceted healthcare environment and nursing practice.
  9. Navigate complex systems to improve cost-effectiveness, quality, and safety initiatives that support health care outcomes and systemic equality.

Online Technology Requirements

Testimonial

"The online program was extremely accommodating and easy to navigate. It was designed to accommodate a work/life balance as the classes were staggered throughout the length of the program. For example, one class would be in progress for 10 weeks, and the second class would start approximately at week 8 of the first class. There were maybe a few weeks when I took two classes simultaneously, which was challenging; however, most of the program operated in a staircase-like fashion. Brightspace, the online site utilized by NMC to access classes, is extremely easy to navigate and straightforward."

- Dana E., 2021 NMC Graduate

Program Handbook

MSN Written Statement

Our goal is for NMC graduate students to articulate and demonstrate growth through written communication, collaboration, and synthesis of knowledge. 

Your statement should be substantial and professionally written including the appropriate formatting and grammar. Each response should be two to three paragraphs. When drafting your written statement, please cite any sources using APA format if applicable. Also, know that instances of plagiarism within an applicant's written statement will disqualify them for acceptance to Nebraska Methodist College due to the College's commitment to academic integrity and stringent plagiarism policies. 

Written Statements should be submitted to: admissions@methodistcollege.edu for review. Should a statement not be to our standards you will be asked to review your work.

The focus for your statement is to address the following questions:

  1. Please describe your future goals as it pertains to your acceptance into the Master of Science in Nursing Program with your specific track in mind (Executive, Educator, Informatics or Care Coordinator). What do you hope to achieve with your new degree?
  2. Here at Nebraska Methodist College, we pride ourselves on teaching "The Meaning of Care," and challenge our students to become educated citizens who create positive and sustainable change in our community and beyond. Describe what you believe will be the change you contribute as a result of earning a Master of Nursing degree from Nebraska Methodist College.
  3. How will you prepare yourself to be successful in an online graduate program?