North Dakota Nurse Informatics Certification - ND

By allied health world contributing writer
Published: March, 1 2010

In North Dakota, there is no licensure for those who work in nurse informatics, but there is certification for the field.  The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) offers the RN-BC, which is the only certification for nurse informatics.  Another credential, the Certified Professional in Healthcare Information and Management Systems (CPHIMS), is for those wanting to pursue management in healthcare informatics and/or those wanting to work more with the technology, like maintain and repairing it. There is not a specific North Dakota nursing informatics certification; rather it is all done through the previously mentioned organizations.

The ANCC requires that those pursuing the certification must be a registered nurse (RN) and have worked as an RN full time for at least two years.  Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in nursing or a related field, complete practice hours in nurse informatics, and complete 30 hours of continuing education within the last three years.  There are three options for fulfilling the practice hour requirements: 2000 hours, 1000 hours with 12 graduate level credits in nurse informatics, or 200 hours with a graduate degree in nurse informatics.  After the ANCC receives the candidate’s application, fee, and documentation (to prove the eligibility requirements for the exam), they will then approve the candidate and they may take the certification exam.  If the exam is successfully completed, the RN-BC credential is granted.

If looking to pursue the CPHIMS credential instead of or in addition to the ANCC credential, those interested should go to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society website which will give all the necessary information about obtaining the CPHIMS credential.