Iowa Nurse Informatics Certification - IA

By Jennifer Williams, allied health world Contributing Writer
Published: March, 7 2010

To become a nursing informaticist specialist in Iowa, you will not need a state license. However, you do need to have a state license as a registered nurse before you can begin your career in nursing informatics.

To become certified as an RN, you must pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX) administered by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN). The fee for this test is $200. After you have completed and passed this examination, you will be able to work on your Iowa nursing informatics certification.

 A nursing informatics certificate in Iowa consists of having one of the following:

• Registered Nurse – Board Certified (RN-BC) credential from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. This certification is appropriate for nursing informaticists working in a clinical setting.
• Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS) certification from the Healthcare Information Management Systems Society (HIMSS).

The initial cost for the ANCC exam is $390. In addition, this certification must be renewed every 5 years. The ANCC recommends that you stay in contact with them throughout the 5 year period because their renewal requirements are subject to change based on advances in the medical and technological communities.

The CPHIMS test costs $375. The HIMSS requires that you recertify every 3 years, during which you can either take 45 hours of continuing education or you can elect to retake the initial certification test. Retaking the test will constitute being assessed the $375 fee.