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TEACHING AN 'OLD NURSE NEW TRICKS'
by Jill Schaeffer, RN
We've traded in our starched white uniforms and nursing cap for scrubs, shape-ups and magnetic name tags. My son graduates next year from UNLV with a Bachelors in Computer Science and I'm barely able to navigate through Bill Pay and my E-Mail.
We heard rumors at work that hospitals in Las Vegas were converting over to computers and becoming "paperless". Surely, I thought I would be retired and not sucked down this vortex into the wave of the future. Not so!
My opthalmic job of 20 years has now merged with another "more progressive" company and they have computers with an EMR system called "AmkaiCharts" . My first exposure to the computer was terrifying- the screens seemed to all blend together. But as time marched on I began to adapt (like the Borg on Star Trek) and become assimilated.
The computers became more and more user friendly. Each pulldown tab began to make greater sense and I found that I was picking up speed without really trying. I really like how functional it is; admitting a patient becomes instantly methodical and accurate.
One day the computers went down temporarily because of an internet problem, and I found myself fumbling through papers. Begrudgingly, one nurse made me say out loud and admit that I liked the computer better than the paper trail. I guess you can teach an " Old Nurse New Tricks". Thank you for this opportunity to express myself.
Jill is an RN at a Surgery Center in Las Vegas. If you would like to know more about Jill's experience, please contact Craig Veach at craig.veach@amkai.com.
Jill, thank you very much for sharing your experience with others.
If you have a story you would like to share, please submit for review. Please send to Tina Mikkelsen at tina.mikkelsen@amkai.com.
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