Advancing Technology in Healthcare: Are You on Board?
January 4, 2022
Response by Michele Fogg-Martin to “Calling Nursing Informatics Leaders: Opportunities for Personal and Professional Growth” by Backonja, U., Mook, P., & Heermann Langford, L. (September 30, 2021).
Dear Editor,
I am writing in response to September 30, 2021, Volume 26, Number 3, Manuscript 6 article titled “Calling Nursing Informatics Leaders: Opportunities for Personal and Professional Growth” (Backonja, Mook, & Heermann Langford, 2021). The article discussed creative ways to foster growth opportunities in nursing informatics leadership. Nursing informatics leadership incorporates nursing leadership qualities as well as supporting the functions associated with health information technology (Backonja, 2020). In addition, the American Nurses Association (ANA) Nursing Informatics Scope and Standards of Practice (2014) includes leadership as one of the functional areas of nursing informatics. I agree with the importance of exploring different strategies to build leadership skills.
In a related article by the same authors (Backonja, Langford, & Mook, 2021), “How to Support the Nursing Informatics Leadership Pipeline,” emphasizes how crucial succession planning strategies are to developing leadership. The identification and development of emerging nurse leaders are considered essential to business strategies (Kim, 2012). Not only is the development of emerging leaders essential, but it is also an obligation of current leaders. (Dyess, Sherman, Pratt, & Chiang-Hanisko, 2016). I have witnessed issues around lack of succession planning many times throughout my career. When a leadership position becomes vacant, without proper succession planning, it leaves a void, especially in knowledge and experience. Knowledge of systems, processes, and politics are all impacted without an effective strategy supporting leadership development.
There are many different avenues to gain the appropriate training and experience to become a leader in nurse informatics. As a Master’s of Science in Nursing (MSN) student with a focus in nursing informatics, I appreciate the recommendations made by the authors on ways to network, engage with professional organizations, look for educational opportunities, and mentorships as ways to cultivate leadership skills.
Sincerely,
Michele Fogg-Martin, RN
References
American Nurses Association (ANA). (2014). Nursing informatics: Scope and standards of practice (2nd ed.). Nursesbooks.org.
Backonja, U. (2020). Understanding support for a nursing informatics leadership pipeline. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 38(11), 543-544. https://doi.org/10.1097/cin.0000000000000698
Backonja, U., Langford, L. H., Mook, P. J. (2021, September 8). How to support the nursing informatics leadership pipeline. CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 00(00), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1097/CIN.0000000000000827
Backonja, U., Mook, P., & Heermann Langford, L. (2021, September 30). Calling nursing informatics leaders: Opportunities for personal and professional growth. OJIN: The Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 26(3), 1-8. https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol26No03Man06
Dyess, S. M., Sherman, R. O., Pratt, B. A., & Chiang-Hanisko, L. (2016). Growing nurse leaders: Their perspectives on nursing leadership and today’s practice environment. OJIN: Online Journal of Issues in Nursing, 21(1), 7. https://doi.org/10.3912/OJIN.Vol21No01PPT04
Kim, T. H. (2012). Succession planning in hospitals and association with organizational performance. Nursing Economics, 30(1), 14-20. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22479959/
