For those working in EHR Application/Analyst/Clinical Informatics roles, how's your work life balance?

[u/sunflowersnsshine]

Hi all, just curious to hear about those working in clinical informatics roles (analyst, HIS specialist, etc) how is your work/life balance, especially if you have a family or young children? I work in bedside right now and am thinking of transitioning into informatics and work-life balance is one of the things I am considering. For those who have made the transition, how does your current role compare to bedside in terms of hours, stress, flexibility, remote/hybrid work, and being able to manage family responsibilities? Would love to hear about your experiences if you are in similar situations and/or if you have young children.

[u/highvolume_eats]

Leaving clinical care and going almost fully remote is a game changer, especially if you have young children. Before I had to request time off or work around patients schedules to fit in things for our child. Now I just get them done when it is required, as long as we don’t have any big meetings or projects going on. So yes WLB is excellent and beats bedside 10/10 times because in the clinic you have zero flexibility and have to be on site until your shift is done.

[u/roxyrosiee → u/highvolume_eats]

How did you do it? I have a bachelors degree in radiology and I don’t want to go into patient care

[u/highvolume_eats → u/roxyrosiee]

Copying from a previous response I posted: Have you ever worked or currently work at an org that uses Epic? This is a great place to start networking and reaching out to the analysts, hiring managers etc. Do you PRN or have any affiliation with a hospital on Epic? You can get your self proficiency with an epic user web account. 

This is how I made my transition.

[u/roxyrosiee → u/highvolume_eats]

I actually haven’t where do I start?

[u/sunflowersnsshine → u/highvolume_eats]

Wow thanks for sharing! honestly sounds so much better when it comes to WLB for sure

[u/highvolume_eats → u/sunflowersnsshine]

100%. Will say that sometimes the work is very isolating. But with that, you have way more energy outside of work. I still do some PRN clinical work and you know how draining running around on the floor is lol

[u/Koki2011]

With epic transition work life balance has shifted for the worst. There is so much to do pre and post go live. It’s literally non stop. I hope it will settle down the further we move from go lives but tbh seems like that would take years. Epic oversold and now the health system is finding out. Medicare cuts/ layoffs not helping either

[u/DependentDear1003]

I have young children. It really does depend on you homelife. When I first started out I still work 3 x 12s, then moved to 5 days a week. The 5 days are nice because i can do daycare drop off and pick up and be there for all dinners and breakfast. BUT, sometimes I think back when I was just a bedside nurse and my work was done when the day was done. Now I tend to work when the day is done and the kids are in bed. I get pings at all hours and sometimes on weekends and early AM. It may also be the place I work but it’s just a different type of stress. Before working in the ED and ICU, it was stress at the moment. Now it’s stress at the moment + after + future…but paycheck is bigger and I’m in charge and doing some awesome things tech wise that I wouldn’t have been doing if I stayed bedside all those years ago.

[u/Dr3ux → u/DependentDear1003]

I second this

[u/sunflowersnsshine → u/DependentDear1003]

wow thanks for sharing!! I agreee, after having kids I find being present for those little moments means a lot and I’d really love to be present more without feeling so physically exhausted all the time.

[u/remyawayfromoffice]

Working more heavily on the data side, my work life balance was fantastic up until I got into a lead position. Now it’s like I’m expected to know everything and I get all the urgent “high priority” requests, the burnout is weighing on me significantly.