@karl makes an important point about the profession of clinical informatics (although I think it should be broadened to health information specialists). A recognised profession means that representatives are included at all stages of future progress and on all levels as described by @Yeok.
We, in CiLN, are already clinical informaticians but what we represent remains invisible, i.e., we are part of the HIDDIN workforce (Health Informatics, Digital, Data, Informatics and kNowledge) in more ways than one. It’s hard to recognise one another, and it’s even harder to be recognised (see “The Health Information Workforce, current and future developments” by Butler-Henderson, Day and Gray).
Important steps for us to take in order to become visible include
- Accredited and easily recognised training and CPD, e.g., a degree and short course recognised by a registration body
- A registration body (this could be HiNZ or any regulatory organisation that HiNZ recognises) and associated responsibilities for the body/bodies relating to appropriate scopes of practice. We need to make a decision about this soon.
- Use of standardised job titles and job descriptions that clearly outline roles and comply with regulatory requirements, e.g., we know what a doctor does but it’s unclear in job titles what the HIDDIN workforce members do
- There are other hallmarks of a profession but these are a good start.
Keen advocates with a good reputation as experts in our field are a good start but who do they represent and, if they represent us (and others, who are those others) what are the boundaries of what they can do and how do we as a community hold them accountable for their leadership?
We have definitions for our profession, and we know what its scope is, so the sooner we claim the profession the easier and more successful the future will become.