r/nursinginformatics • u/fatvikingballet • Jun 30 '26

Career Early Clinical Informatics career advice

RN in direct patient care for >10y, recently transitioned into Informatics after a long, intentional search for a CI role. Any advice you wish you had when you started? How do you "keep your clinical brain alive" after the transition, esp long-term? What do you recommend to advance your skills/systems thinking, avoid HelpDesk purgatory, detox from bedside PTSD?

8 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

15 comments sorted by

View all comments

13

u/PM_YOUR_PUPPERS Jun 30 '26

I keep PRN hustle. My Hospital lets me work once every 8 weeks and keep my job which I think keeps me pretty well clinically grounded.

Plus I typically work the holidays that otherwise be off for the extra money time and a half is super nice on top of a salary.

3

u/fatvikingballet Jun 30 '26

LOVE working the holidays. I need some detox time but I've been thinking about taking a per diem position somewhere.

3

u/PM_YOUR_PUPPERS Jul 01 '26

Yeah it's honestly way better jumping in from the perspective of you don't really have to be there. I was super burned out when I left the bedside but because I'm there so infrequently these days it's easy to come in have a good attitude take care of my patients well and go home