In this section, questions sent in by readers and visitors to the main Nursing Informatics web site are featured. I encourage you to ask
questions that you would like to see printed in subsequent issues of this ezine. Go to the Contact Page to submit yours!
Q: I am interested in your courses offered. Are there time frames for people to register? Please send me more information
about the courses, time frame of offerings, and besides paying the $199, what else is required?
The courses in the NI Learning Center are completely student-focused, meaning people can register at any time, and progress through the 13 "weeks" of content at their own pace. Each course has a fundamental course syllabus, but is tailored to accommodate each student's unique learning needs and preferred focus. Since the courses are done online, it is important to have a reliable computer and internet access, and somewhere quiet where you can work on your lessons. Other than that, each course can "fit" any student's level of informatics knowledge and computer literacy and competency.
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Q. When I look at what Nursing informatics entails, I feel overwhelmed. How can I ever catch up with what is current?
First off, I would suggest joining your National Nursing Informatics Association. Of course, not every country has one, but if yours does, this is a great start. The Canadian one is located at cnia.ca, the US one at ania.org. There is a UK group at bcnsg.org.uk, a Spanish group at seei.es and an International group at imia.org/ni/index.html.
I know, as President Elect, that the CNIA is working hard to develop ways and means for Canadian nurses to feel comfortable learning and using technology in all avenues of practice and education.
Secondly, I would look into available courses and programs in Nursing Informatics. There are several sprouting up around the globe, though we still have a long way to go to make usable curriculum available to any nurse who wishes to access it. We need more online courses, as well as more weekend and flexible courses all across the globe to meet the needs of today's nursing workforce. |
