Nursing informatics educational needs.

A survey was conducted among 497 respondents in a northeastern metropolitan area to determine the informatics educational needs of professional nurses. All subjects were asked to indicate on a four-point scale their current knowledge and their desired knowledge in 23 content areas. The population was subdivided into three subsamples based on job classification. There were differences in the informatics educational needs of nurse educators, nurse managers, and informatics nurses. There was interest in returning to school for a graduate degree or certificate in nursing informatics by a majority of the sample, although 71% of the respondents already possess a higher degree.