WGU D220: Information Technology in Nursing Practice

What D220 Is and Why It Sits in Your Nursing Program

D220, Information Technology in Nursing Practice, is a foundational nursing informatics course in WGU's Leavitt School of Health. It introduces the baccalaureate-prepared nurse to the technology that now runs through nearly every clinical decision: electronic health records, health information systems, clinical decision support, telehealth, and the legal and ethical rules that govern patient data. You will most often meet this course in the RN-to-BSN and prelicensure BSN tracks, and for many students it is one of their first real encounters with informatics as a discipline rather than as software they simply click through at work.

Direct answer: To pass D220, learn the core informatics vocabulary and frameworks cold, then practice applying them to short patient-care scenarios rather than memorizing definitions in isolation. Read the two assessments as one story about how nurses use data safely, complete the written Performance Assessment carefully against its rubric, and use the objective-exam study material to drill EHR, data-security, and HIPAA concepts until you can answer scenario questions quickly.

This course matters more than its "intro" label suggests. The skills it names, like protecting patient privacy, evaluating the quality of health data, and understanding how a system supports a clinical judgment, are exactly the ones you will be accountable for at the bedside and in any charge or leadership role. Treating D220 as a checkbox is the single most common reason students stumble; treating it as the language of modern nursing is what makes it click.

How D220 Is Assessed

D220 is assessed two ways, and you must clear both to complete the course:

• Objective Assessment (OA) — a proctored, multiple-choice exam covering the informatics content across the course.
• Performance Assessment (PA), coded BXN1 Task 1 — a written submission graded against a rubric, in which you analyze how data supports high-quality patient care in a chosen setting.

Because two assessment types exist, plan your time deliberately: the PA is a writing task you build and revise, while the OA is a timed recall-and-apply exam. Many students find it efficient to draft the PA first, because researching data use, barriers, and HIPAA for the paper reinforces the same concepts the OA tests. Always confirm the current assessment structure and rubric details inside your official WGU course page, since WGU updates course materials over time.

The Topic Areas You Actually Need to Know

Based on the course's stated focus and the concepts that recur in student study material, concentrate your energy here:

• Electronic health records (EHRs) — structure, benefits, limitations, and how documentation quality affects care.
• Nursing informatics fundamentals — the data-information-knowledge-wisdom idea, standardized nursing terminologies, and the nurse's role as a data user and steward.
• Health information systems and clinical decision support — how a system surfaces alerts, reminders, and evidence to inform a clinical decision.
• Data security and privacy — safeguards, common threats such as malware and breaches, and safe user behavior with protected health information.
• Legal and ethical standards — HIPAA and professional codes such as the AHIMA Code of Ethics, and the nurse's responsibility in applying them.
• Telehealth and emerging technology — how remote and connected care changes access, workflow, and patient safety.
• Data quality and barriers — what makes health data trustworthy, and what blocks informatics from improving outcomes and health literacy.

How Hard Is It, and How Long Should You Give It?

Many students describe D220 as manageable rather than brutal, especially compared with heavier science courses, but "manageable" is not the same as "skippable." The material is broad and vocabulary-heavy, so students who underestimate it tend to get caught by scenario questions that ask them to apply a concept, not recite it. Working nurses often have a head start on EHRs and privacy from real practice, which shortens their prep.

A realistic plan for most students is one to two focused weeks, with the PA and OA prep overlapping. If informatics is entirely new to you, give yourself more runway and more scenario practice. Because WGU is competency-based, your own pace and prior exposure matter more than any average, so treat time estimates as a starting point, not a promise.

A Study Plan Built for This Course

Generic "read everything twice" advice wastes time here. Use techniques matched to what D220 actually tests:

1. Active recall on vocabulary. Turn every key term (EHR, clinical decision support, HIPAA, informatics, standardized terminology, data integrity) into a question you answer from memory, then check. Do not reread definitions passively.
2. Spaced repetition. Review your term set in short sessions across several days rather than one long cram. Informatics vocabulary fades fast without spacing.
3. Scenario practice testing. For each concept, write a one-sentence patient situation and ask "what does the nurse do, and why?" This mirrors how the OA presents material and is the fastest way to move from recognition to application.
4. Build the PA to teach yourself the OA. As you research data use, barriers, legal-ethical implications, and how a system supports a clinical decision for BXN1 Task 1, capture those same points as OA study notes. The paper and the exam reinforce each other.
5. Use the WGU course of study, not just outside flashcards. Anchor your studying in the official readings and the course's learning resources so you match the current content, then supplement with your own recall drills.

If you are building broader informatics fluency, the closely related C790 Foundations in Nursing Informatics guide and the systems-focused C816 Healthcare System Applications guide cover overlapping vocabulary that can deepen your understanding here.

Mistakes Students Make in D220

• Memorizing definitions but not applications. Knowing what clinical decision support "is" won't help if you can't pick the right nursing action in a scenario.
• Treating the PA as an afterthought. The rubric expects specific elements (data's role in care, barriers, legal-ethical implications, the nurse's role, a system-and-technology analysis). Skipping one costs a resubmission.
• Ignoring the legal-ethical layer. HIPAA and professional ethics thread through the whole course and are easy points if you study them, easy losses if you don't.
• Leaning on unofficial "answer" dumps. Beyond the integrity risk, these often use outdated versions of the exam and teach you the wrong things. Study concepts, not leaked answers.
• Cramming the night before. Vocabulary-dense material rewards spacing; a single cram session produces shaky recall under proctored pressure.

D220 Readiness Checklist

• Can you explain how EHR documentation quality affects patient care and decision-making?
• Can you describe how a health information system or clinical decision support tool contributes to a specific clinical decision?
• Can you list common data-security threats and the safe behaviors that reduce them?
• Can you apply HIPAA and a professional code of ethics to a realistic patient-data situation?
• Can you name barriers that keep informatics from improving outcomes and health literacy, with an example of each?
• Can you explain the nurse's role as a steward of health data, not just a user of software?
• Have you completed a full draft of BXN1 Task 1 and checked it against every rubric element?
• Can you answer short scenario questions quickly, without rereading the definition first?

FAQ

Does D220 have an objective exam, a paper, or both?

Both. You complete an Objective Assessment (a proctored multiple-choice exam) and a Performance Assessment coded BXN1 Task 1 (a written, rubric-graded submission). You need to clear both to finish the course.

Is D220 a hard course?

Many students report it is moderate rather than difficult, especially if they already work with EHRs. The challenge is breadth and applying concepts to scenarios, not deep math or science. Underestimating it is the usual reason people have to retake the OA.

How long does it take to finish?

Plenty of students complete D220 in roughly one to two weeks of focused study, often overlapping the PA and OA prep. Because WGU is competency-based, your prior informatics exposure and study pace determine your real timeline.

What should I study first?

Start with the core informatics vocabulary and the legal-ethical standards (HIPAA, professional codes), then move into EHRs, data security, clinical decision support, and telehealth. Building the PA is an efficient way to learn many of these at once.

Can I use outside question banks to prepare?

Use official WGU learning resources as your foundation. Outside quiz material can help you self-test concepts, but avoid "verified answer" dumps: they risk academic-integrity violations and are frequently outdated. Study to understand, not to memorize leaked items.

How does D220 connect to the rest of my nursing program?

It builds the data and technology literacy you carry into later coursework and leadership. If your track includes courses like D221 Organizational Systems and Healthcare Transformation, the informatics and quality themes you learn in D220 will resurface there. You can browse related courses on the Leavitt School of Health hub or the full guide index.

For official course details and current materials, always check the WGU nursing and health programs page and your student portal, since assessment structure and resources can change between course versions.