I’ve had positions implementing and maintaining a healthcare system and a nurse informaticist wear many hats, just like a clinical nurse. My job title may be clinical systems analyst but my job varies from project manager to trainer. There is a difference maintaining a current health system to implementing a new health system. The difference is maintaining a system there are hardly any deadlines unless your project team is optimizing new features. On the other hand, implementing a system requires long hours to meet deadlines. In my particular position, I am implementing a new electronic system to replace the legacy system. Although each day varies, here is a sample of my typical day: 7:40 AM – Arrive to work 8 AM -Check calendar to see how day will look like (i.e. meetings for the day) 8: 15 AM Check and answer emails that need immediate attention 9 AM – Check deadlines to prioritize work 9:15 AM – Check to-do list 9:30 AM – Design and program system according to client needs based on upcoming deadline 9:45 AM – Check and answer emails 10 AM – Meeting 12 Noon – Eat lunch at desk while answering emails 12:30 PM – Continue with programming the system 12:45 PM – Answering questions from colleagues or answering emails 12:55 PM – Continue with programming the system 2 PM – Finished programming and now documenting what I just build on spreadsheet 4 PM – Meeting either formal or informal with individual
team members 5 PM – Eat dinner 5:30 PM – Look over next day’s schedule (if any meeting scheduled, start prepping for meeting) 5:45 PM – Design and build system for next deadline 7:45 PM – Entering in my time worked on the project for the day 8 PM – Go home This is somewhat of a typical day for me. Most of the day I am answering emails or answering questions from colleagues. I like helping out my peers in case they get stuck with a problem that needs attention. Being a systems analyst requires teamwork. Building a healthcare system cannot be accomplished by yourself. One person does not know all of the answers and consulting with my colleagues is how my problems are resolved. Each day is different for me. Some days are all meetings while some are all programming. In the end, my deadlines are met.
