MSN Bridge Pathway: Health Informatics Emphasis
Pursue a Health Informatics Bridge Pathway in Your Nursing Career
Transform your healthcare career at the intersection of two fields: healthcare and information technology. The Bridge (Master of Science in Nursing with an Emphasis in Health Informatics) pathway is for experienced RNs who do not hold a BSN and desire to gain admittance into master’s-level health informatics nursing studies.
A non-nursing bachelor’s degree is required for this healthcare informatics bridge pathway. You will have the opportunity to gain foundational knowledge in preparation to apply for the Master of Science in Nursing with an Emphasis in Health Informatics program, offered through the College of Nursing and Health Care Professions. The MSN program teaches RNs to utilize data, information and statistics to inform patient outcomes, reduce costs and optimize operational efficiency.
Benefits of the MSN Bridge Pathway
Using emerging technology, this nursing health informatics bridge pathway positions nursing leaders to apply leading edge theories and methods toward the generation, management and sharing of healthcare data.
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Nursing Health Informatics Course Topics
Through nursing health informatics focused courses, you will be taught critical foundations of healthcare informatics and nursing, including:
- Nursing management
- Health assessment
- Statistical analysis
- Research
- Community and public health models
- Pathophysiology
Complete Your Bridge Pathway From an Accredited University
GCU is an institutionally accredited university and has been so since 1968. After completing this bridge pathway from GCU, you will be eligible enter the MSN health informatics program. For more information on the accreditation of nursing programs and other university approvals, please visit our University Accreditation and Regulations page.
Bridge MSN: Health Informatics FAQs
If you’re looking for an option that offers you the opportunity to apply to master’s-level nursing studies, read through our frequently asked questions to learn more about completing the online health informatics bridge pathway.1
This bridge pathway is designed for nurses who do not have a previous Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. For more specific information on admission requirements for your program, visit our admissions page to learn more and fill out the form on this page to speak with a university counselor.
Health informatics careers typically require a master’s-level nursing degree. Many RNs can gain entry to these programs by obtaining a BSN degree. However, if you are a nurse without a BSN, this bridge pathway can help you prepare for entry into your MSN health information program by teaching you critical nursing knowledge and helping you establish a basis for advanced nursing informatics studies.
Health informatics focuses on how information technology can be used to inform patient outcomes through analyzing and gathering health records and data. Efficient access to accurate medical records is of crucial importance in the healthcare field for both patients and healthcare professionals.
Nursing informatics puts the role of the nurse into this setting, integrating nursing science with information and analytical sciences. The role of nurses in this specialty includes responsibilities such as identifying, defining, managing and communicating data, information knowledge and wisdom into their nursing practice.2
1 While all courses are completed online, you will need to attend clinical, practicum and immersion hours in person locally.
2 American Nursing Association. (2014). Nursing Informatics: Scope and Standards of Practice, 2nd Ed. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
Core Courses
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education, the role of the professional nurse, and the importance of effective nursing leadership. Standards of practice, differentiated nursing practice, professional accountability, interprofessional collaboration, and quality improvement are emphasized with importance placed on the application of leadership styles and management skills.
Course Description
This course focuses on methods of health history taking, physical examination skills, and documentation. Students integrate assessment skills and clinical judgment/reasoning in identifying actual or potential health problems and needs across the life span. Health promotion strategies are incorporated to provide for the unique needs of the individual, ensuring person-centered care. The course emphasizes the importance of providing compassionate care dealing with diversity, equity, and inclusion. Students design plans of care based on evidence-based research and practice.
Course Description
This course focuses on the community as the patient taking into account varying cultures, spiritual values, geographic norms, and economic conditions. The course examines social determinants of health, including social, legal, and political variables impacting individual, community, and population health across the life span. Students use epidemiological data, functional health pattern assessments, and nursing theories to plan and intervene in areas of health promotion and disease prevention across the life span.
Course Description
This course is designed to build upon existing knowledge of the pathophysiological processes of disease as they affect patients across the life span, recognizing the nurse's multidimensional role in health promotion and disease management and prevention, which include biological, environmental, social, psychological, and spiritual dimensions. Integration of nutritional and pharmacological concepts encourages critical thinking and application of nursing interventions. Prerequisite: NRS-420.
Course Description
This is an introductory course on concepts of statistics, emphasizing applications to health care professions. The course is designed to prepare learners to understand concepts of statistics and the appropriateness of statistical methods used in published research papers and a variety of settings. Areas of emphasis include an introduction to the statistical analysis concepts of variable/reliability factors; P values; experimental design; descriptive statistics, including mean, median, and mode; sampling methods; and power analysis.
Course Description
This writing-intensive course promotes the use of research findings as a basis for improving clinical practice. Quantitative and qualitative research methodologies are analyzed with an emphasis on the critical review of research studies and their application to clinical practice. Students develop evidence-based practice recommendations from the critical analysis of available literature guided by a PICOT question. Prerequisite: HLT-362V.
Course Description
The final course in the program is writing-intensive. It will integrate the academic and practical knowledge students have acquired throughout the program’s curriculum. Students participate in planned clinical experiences that refine professional competencies at the baccalaureate level and enable them to integrate new knowledge and enhanced skills to advance nursing practice. Clinical practice hours are dedicated to learning objectives in leadership and community health. The evidence-based project provides students an opportunity to identify a clinical nursing practice issue and propose a possible solution. Students, under the guidance of faculty and approved preceptors, identify and analyze a nurse practice issue, develop a change project, and propose an evidence-based solution that reflects synthesis and integration of course content and professional practice. The evidence-based project development is guided by the baccalaureate program learning outcomes. Clinical hours: 100. 50 hours in leadership and 50 hours in community health. Prerequisite: NRS-415, NRS-420, NRS-425, HLT-362V, NRS-445, PHI-413V, NRS-450, NRS-455, NRS-460.
- GCU cannot and will not promise job placement, a job, graduate school placement, transfer of GCU program credits to another institution, promotion, salary, or salary increase. Please see the Career Services Policy in the University Policy Handbook.
- Please note that this list may contain programs and courses not presently offered, as availability may vary depending on class size, enrollment and other contributing factors. If you are interested in a program or course listed herein please first contact your University Counselor for the most current information regarding availability.
- Please refer to the Academic Catalog for more information. Programs or courses subject to change
Pursue a next-generation education with an online degree from Grand Canyon University. Earn your degree with convenience and flexibility with online courses that let you study anytime, anywhere.