Nursing and Technology

The 20th Century: The Very Recent Past
Twentieth century nurses, many of whom are still practicing today, were witness to the technological explosion in the healthcare workplace. The technology "invasion" started in a small way with digital thermometers that replaced the glass-mercury ones and then IV pumps that electronically monitored infusion rates, soon skyrocketing into more and more complicated and sophisticated monitoring and life-support machinery. The intensive care units were born and many nurses began combining their familiar high-touch skills with their new high-tech ones. Technology changed procedures like cardiac catheterization. Sonograms, CT scans, and PET scans revealed information about interior body spaces, allowing faster and more precise diagnoses and treatments. Laser surgery was born, and laporoscopic surgery began replacing traditional surgery, allowing patients to go home sooner and with fewer complications.

This may sound like ancient history to the younger generations of nurses whose familiarity with technology is like breathing, but the 25 years or so that it has taken for technology to transform healthcare is hardly long enough to qualify as ancient.

The 21st Century: The Present Hurtling into the Future
Fast-forward now to the 21st century and what seemed dazzling once pales in comparison to now. The most important technological skill the 21st century nurse needs has less to do with learning how to work the latest technological marvel and more to do with adapting quickly to the obsolescence of it, always ready for the inevitable "what's new and what's next." The 21st century nurse is technologically proficient, computer literate, and Internet savvy. This nurse may not know how to manage every piece of technology he or she comes across, but is ready, willing and able to master it quickly, without thinking twice about it.

The age of information begun in the latter 20th century has broadened its impact in this new millennium in ways that could only be called revolutionary. Accessing and using information, the currency of these times, and staying connected to others through high-speed communication devices has forever changed the way we live and work. Those among you that find this revolting rather than revolutionary may be lost in a time warp that will marginalize your experiences and limit your involvement as the 21st century marches on.

The Informatics Nurse
Those among you that find this intriguing and exhilarating may be interested in pursuing a nursing role that has emerged in the last decade as the computer and Internet become omnipresent in healthcare--the informatics nurse. In 1994, the ANA defined the scope of practice for nursing informatics as a:

Roles and responsibilities of the informatics nurse might include:

		Teach nurses how to research information on disease management.
		Evaluate online patient education materials.
		Evaluate and recommend software and hardware for providers and agencies.
		Coordinate data from multiple sources.
		Participate in research relevant to current trends in clinical information systems.
		Participate on committees making decisions about new information technologies.
		Participate in computer education for staff.

If you feel that combining an interest in and knack for technology with your nursing competency would make for a very satisfying career option, you might want to start looking into graduate nursing programs, as nursing informatics could be the best line of work for you.

This article was adapted from:

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