Module 1 continuation Stepping into the world of Nursing Informatics

Coming from a 3rd world country over 30 years ago but actually working in Hawaii right after graduation in 1979, I wouldn't have imagined that nursing will grow in leaps and bounds in terms of utilizing information technology. As I contemplate the voluminous materials out there rich with information that can be utilized for providing patient care, I am just fazed. I didn't know about Nursing Informatics until a college classmate of mine specialized in it for his PhD. Our Nursing Dept. director has been pushing for electronic charting to manage the care of our over 150 students and I hope that this gets realized soon. I understand the reason behind Curran's push for informatics competency levels among nurses and the need to manage information skillfully. Just  to be able to track a patient's status based on his vital signs or labwork and utilizing such data to determine his nursing management is a way of optimizing his health care. As 'knowledge workers' we have the leverage to process information and utilize it to make logical decisions. The interfacing of IT with nursing practice is definitely a wave that we need to ride on-it will never subside but will strike stronger well into the future.