Happy April! 

I went on a trip recently and the day before I left I had a thought, "what if my luggage does not make it to the destination?" I have that thought every trip but this time I started to think about how to be prepared for such an event. 

I thought of the Apple AirTags that I had seen in videos on the internet. I am an Apple user and appreciate the integration of the devices. With the 'Find My....' app, you can identify where all of your devices are (as long as they are synced with the app). 

So, while I did not purchase the AirTag in time for the trip, (thankfully my bag made it with me :) ), I did purchase one as soon as I returned home. 

I linked it up to the Find My... app and it is now part of the suite of products I have organized. 

So, how does this relate to healthcare and informatics? 

Well, in this instance I had the problem I was looking to solve where I could have more data and information about where my luggage might be in the event it did not make it on t...

Good afternoon all!

Today is March 19th and it is Certified Nurses Day! 

Certified Nurses Day is a celebratory day for all of the nurses who are seeking to advance in the profession and contribute as a specialized leader in nursing. Certified Nurses Day occurs on the 19th of March in celebration of Dr. Margretta "Gretta" Madden Styles EdD, RN, FAAN. Dr. Styles was a pioneer in advancing nursing through standards, credentials and governing bodies to support advancement through certification in nursing. 

There are 18 nursing certifications currently available on the ANCC website. Informatics Nursing is one of those certifications. The first certification exam for Informatics Nursing was offered in 1995, nearly 30 years ago!

The most recent data shows that there are 3132 board certified informatics nurses as of 2021. Perhaps you are one of those, perhaps you are on your way to become the next board certified nurse, or perhaps it is a goal of yours in the short or long term. 

I earned...

Good evening all, 

I was walking down the street this evening with my AirPods in my ear, and music playing from my phone's Music app that is connected via Bluetooth. All of these technologies supported my preference to listen to a few songs while I ran some errands. When I returned home, I took the AirPods out of my ears, put them in the case, turned the Music app off and put the phone on the counter. The technology is there to use but I opted not to do so for what I wanted to do next (get dinner ready, write this blog post, and more). 

I share this as a simple every day example of how technology is there to support our needs and preferences. Those needs and preferences come from people first in the context of workflows or processes. 

If I did not want or like to listen to music while out, the AirPods and Music app would have limited relevance for me in how I use them. 

In relation to nursing and healthcare, the same concept applies to the technologies that become available for use...

Happy Sunday!

Before writing these posts, I reflect on areas were I've had interactions related to informatics in my day to day life that catch my attention. 

You may have noticed that I titled this reflection Genetics & Informatics. This is an areas we discuss during the Nursing Informatics Certification Exam Review (NICER) Program and it typically comes with some questions. How is genetics related to informatics? 

Well, I have experienced this myself through professional informatics consulting with a large genetics company, and also personally, with my own health visits. 

The professional informatics consulting involved working with a clinical information system to support the design and testing of their product before deployed to clients. The product provided cancer screening tools for genetic counselors to use when working with referred patients to determine their cancer risk. I worked to test the software in the same way that I would for any other clinical information system. ...

Just a few weeks ago, I remember hearing of ChatGPT across several industries and thought leaders. Similar to other anticipated tech trends, ChatGPT began to bring discussions of promise and risk. As with any new technology, there will be benefits and disadvantages (e.g., often referred to as unintended consequences). 

As I heard this term used over and over again, I wanted to find out what it was and why it was gaining so much attention almost immediately after being introduced. 

ChatGPT is a new artificial intelligence (AI) technology that initially launched by OpenAI at the end of November 2022. The GPT in ChatGPT stands for, "generative pre-trained transformer". 

Yet, how exactly does it work? Well, the best way to explore this new technology is to test it out for yourself. You can sign up for an account here for free and try for yourself: https://chat.openai.com/. 

I signed up for an account and am also attending a workshop in a few weeks to better understand this AI technolog...

Here we are in February already, can you believe it?

I am writing this today on what is the coldest day of the year in Boston. It was bound to get cold up here in the Northeast. We've had a relatively mild winter but without fail, those chilly temps find their way to us. 

Well, I entitled this post, Demystifying Nursing Informatics for a reason. 

In my nearly 20 years within the speciality practice of Nursing Informatics, I continue to get asked by nurses (and non-nurses), "what exactly IS nursing informatics?

In fact one time, I was traveling to Duke University where I was teaching the Intro course to Nursing Informatics. I was trying to get to my hotel and there was a roadblock. I told the person that I was there to teach nursing informatics and his response was, "Info-what?!".

I laughed (and have never forgotten :)). 

Well, for some time now, I have wanted to develop a program to help demystify this specialty practice that has brought me so many exciting opportunities in nursi...

Happy New Year!

Well, another year is upon us... 2023 here we go!
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As you set your intentions and goals for the new year, aim high. Even if it seems like it might be a 'reach', reach for it. You may be surprised at what you can do and work toward in a year.
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If you are interested in informatics but do not know where to start, consider our newest program, How to Influence Change in the EHR and/or health IT systems.
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If you are interested in exploring new career opportunities, it may be time for a resume revamp. Highlight your achievements and areas where you may not have realized can be highlighted through our Revamp your Resume program.
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We also know many of you are interested in board certification in informatics. Our NICER program has a first time pass rate of over 90% on the first try with informatics nurses from across the country having participated.
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We have more on our end coming to you soon working to bring you more to support your educational and business needs.
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Best wishes to you...

Wishing each of you a happy holiday season! 

As 2022 nearly comes to an end, it is natural to think about the future while also reflecting on the accomplishments of the past year. 

At iCare, we saw so many of you reach your goals and share your successes with us! Those are exciting moments for us and we appreciate you sharing your accomplishments with us!

We also heard from you of areas where you'd like to see more from us in the year to come and beyond. (More to come in 2023...)

We upgraded our website and moved to a new platform for more ease of use and the opportunity to expand our offerings in a more seamless way. 

We also added on some new programs with one more coming *hopefully* before the end of 2022!

Revamp your Resume was added to support your professional  resume development. We often hear from nurses who are not in formal informatics roles but wish to do so, how they can showcase their informatics and health IT expertise. While this program was designed with this pers...

Hello all, 

I hope that everyone had a nice thanksgiving holiday. Perhaps you were able to get some rest, have some time with friends and family, and maybe even a little shopping and decorating along the way in preparation for the holidays. 

We shared an email on Wednesday with details about our sales through Wednesday November 30th this week and wanted to give another reminder. 

For the first time, we are offering our Nursing Informatics Certification Exam Review (NICER) Program at 25% off, saving approximately $100 off of the program. (We have not increased the price of the NICER Program in 6 years). The NICER Program is now virtual and on-demand with access for as long as you need until you pass the exam. Our exam pass rates are at or above 90% on the first try! The NICER Program comes with an abundance of resources, videos, and test questions along with a study guide. 

We have also recently added two new programs that are designed to help support professional development in Hea...

Good afternoon all, 

On this eve of Thanksgiving, I wanted to write and wishing you all a very Happy Thanksgiving holiday.

The last few years have been so challenging in many ways. This may be the first holiday since 2019 where you are able to see some of your family, friends, and/or colleagues. 

As nurses and healthcare professionals, caring for others is part of our nature and how we were educated. Yet, it is just as important to care for and invest in yourself. This is something I try to work on each day. 

I am looking forward to a quiet and restful day with family tomorrow. I hope that you all have a day tomorrow that you are looking forward to as well. 

Be well and Happy Thanksgiving, 

~ Tiffany