The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of the film 'The Island' on 2nd year nursing students' nursing informatics (NI) competency. The participants were sixty-eight students in a baccalaureate nursing program of a private university, taking the course, 'Nursing & Informatics' in the 2012 fall semester. Over the 15 weeks, the film was used for five weeks as introduction to NI, peer-to-group discussions, and self-reflection on lessons learned regarding NI. A qualitative content analysis was used to explore the students' experiences and perceptions on their NI competency. As a result, students signified the NI concept as the assessment of biometrics data, promotion of optimal health with the support of various technologies, and integration of patient-centered care into routine practice. They also highlighted the importance of security and safety measures as well as high quality health technology including the ubiquitous health monitoring system. Overall, the lesson outcomes of the course were met. As a supportive, instructional strategy, the use of the movie, 'The Island', was effective for nursing students in achieving NI competencies. Further study is warranted to determine if movies can be used as a means of continuing education to improve informatics competences in healthcare professionals.