“I first became interested in healthcare IT through the same avenue that a lot of nurses do. I was working as an inpatient care nurse in a hospital system that was preparing to implement an EHR. I was asked to be a super-user. I saw right away that there was a distinct dichotomy of HIT workers: computer specialists with no clinical experience and health care delivery experts with no IT background.

Clinicians saw the computer as either an intrusion into their workflow, or as a magic tool that should do whatever they needed it to do. The IT folks were great at doing what they do, but didn’t always understand why clinicians couldn’t change what they were doing to suit the limitations of technology.

I thought why can’t there be people who are experts in both healthcare and IT? I went back to school and earned a masters degree in nursing, with a focus on clinical informatics. Despite the additional letters after my name, my signature line still pegged me as a nurse with plenty of clinical expertise, but left the IT side in doubt.

I worked for a few years as a Nursing Informatics Coordinator, learned a lot, studied more, and finally took the CPHIMS Exam. It was challenging, but now my signature line tells the story: I have the knowledge and experience of both worlds, clinical and IT. The CPHIMS certification has opened doors to me that I never imagined. I still care about the patient, but I impact patient care on a much larger scale.”

Carole W. Crabtree, RN-BC, MSN, CPHIMS
Senior Associate
Dearborn Advisors, LLC
Lexington, Ky.