LESSONS LEARNED

     Here am I at the end of my third semester of my first year as a nursing student, though this has been a short session the value of learning has been a great one and it has made me realize how far behind I am when it comes to technology. Due to the Covid-19 pandemic all schools were suspended and when they did resume it was online and oh my what a great mess was I in.  

     So I bought a laptop and with some difficulties I started my learning process. Doing this Nursing Informatics course I've learned how to navigate through home pages to posting forums and creating my very own blog it's been quite a bit and I know there's lots more to learn about doing graphics and so on. Apart from being frustrated and always on a time frame I enjoyed the learning experience very much and it's not as hard as it looks. 

    In keeping with my goal of being a registered nurse I've learnt the importance of the following:

- the role of an Informatics specialist, they work for hospitals, providing technical support to the staff , monitoring the security of the hospitals computer network and databases, providing analysis and helping to develop policies and procedures.

- critical thinking, the intellectually disciplined process of actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing,synthesizing and /or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning or communication as a guide to belief and action.

- Telehealth, the distribution of health related services and information via electronic information and telecommunication technologies.

- Computer network and systems, the running and creating of  files, storage, databases and communication.

- The HIPAA Act,the act that was developed in 1996 and was made to improve portability of health insurance, improve efficiency and protect the privacy of patients and health plan members. 

- Electronic Health Records, online information about a patients' history that healthcare workers use to formulate care plans and should be available to patients on request. 

   For my future this has impacted on me greatly because I'm never going to take things for granted and I'm going to be the best at whatever I am and with all this knowledge, I know that I definitely chose the right profession to enroll into. With the help of technology saving lives will be my passion.

References:

Defining Critical Thinking retrieved from https://www.criticalthinking.org

What is a Health Informatics Specialist retrieved from https://www.healthcare-administration-degree.net

What is the purpose of HIPAA, retrieved from https://www.hipaajournal.com