Module 4

What sort of teaching is done in your professional role?

 Teaching is a focal part of my job as a neonatal intensive care nurse.   There is a lot of teaching done with the parents and the families of the neonate; things as simple as changing a diaper for the first time.  Teaching the parents how to take temperatures and move the oxygen saturation probe on their baby’s foot helps them to feel involved.  Another part of our job in the NICU is to assist the mother and teach her about breast feeding.

We also teach the parents about disease processes and procedures that affect their baby.

Aside from teaching the parents and families, as a unit charge nurse I am also responsible for continually educating and mentoring staff.  I am also responsible to educate expectant parents of what to expect when their premature infant is born. I am always amazed at how comforting information can be to new parents and family members of the neonate. Most people relax a little and feel empowered when they understand the why’s and what’s of what is being done to their baby.

  

 Is there any nursing/health care provider role that does not involve teaching in some manner?

I feel that every nurse/healthcare provider is a teacher. However, I feel that most people assume that any education provided by a nurse/healthcare provider is clinical in nature. While this may be true in the majority of cases, I would like to mention some examples of non-clinical education.

Nurses and healthcare providers in administrative/managerial roles are often faced with  challenges that don’t always include patient care. While a good portion of the education they provide includes keeping staff updated on clinical methods, they must also be skilled in educating their staff in regards to company rules/policies. A manager quickly realizes that a happy employee becomes a more productive and well- rounded employee. Happy employees require constant education in areas of interpersonal relationships with peers, patients and families. I cannot think of one person in healthcare/nursing that does not teach.

Module 3

You used an electronic index, a guideline index, and a web search engine to retrieve information relevant to your clinical problem. Compare and contrast your results. Which resources were useful/ not useful for your information retrieval task, and why?

The clinical problem that I decided to research was maternal use of SSRI’s and the effect on the neonate.  To begin, I did a google search which yielded no results.  I reworded my search to maternal use of antidepressants, this time I got only a handful of useful results but mostly it just brought up ads for different kinds of antidepressants. 

Next I searched the national guideline clearing house.  I found this method of retrieval difficult to use and never could find any results specifically aimed at my clinical problem. I was able to find information on the use of antidepressants but nothing in regards to their effect on the neonate when taken during pregnancy.

Lastly, I conducted a search on Endnote x4.  Using the World of Science and the Pubmed search data bases, I found over 200 publications that were relevant to my clinical problem. Needless to say, I found Endnote to be the most helpful way for me to search and obtain relevant information.  In Endnote, I am also able to organize my information by author or date.  It also allows me to make a file specifically for this particular search. 

I can see that each of these retrieval methods have their own strengths but for up to date professional research, I found Endnote to be the most helpful. 

Module 2

What is one way you could become involved in designing, selecting, evaluating or implementing an information system in your workplace?

Honestly, I have never been involved with the above processes in regards to an information system in my workplace. However, there are systems that could be improved upon and also new ideas that could be implemented. About one year ago, our unit implemented the use of a new program used to view radiological films. It was introduced rapidly into the unit without adequate introduction or staff training. After working with it some over the past year, I can only perform basic functions within the program. There are other nurses in the unit that have experimented with it on their own and have found that it contains a number of useful tools that are not utilized by everyone. I feel that this program still needs to be properly introduced to staff and they need to be oriented to it sufficiently. If everyone in the unit were able to utilize it completely, things like communication with physicians about x-rays in the middle of the night would be more effective. New staff members would also be able to view the films and orient themselves to common and unique findings.

Just like any other newly implemented program, staff needs to be trained adequately to be competent and efficient in use of such. In-services, super-trainers and follow up training would ensure that the bulk of the staff felt informed and empowered to use the program. If this training does not occur, the staff is unable to utilize it to its full potential.

Module One

Hi everyone-
This is Adrianna, most people call me Annie. I am in the NNP program. I live in Logan and have worked in the NICU for 8 years. Prior to that I worked on Peds for a couple years. I think that I have really found my niche' in the NICU, and I am excited to become a NNP.
Why is it important for a graduate level nurse to know about information management?
As a graduate level nurse I think it is important to be knowledgeable about vast variety of information available. The information could help manage a budget, organize a supply list, present new or pertinent information to staff, produce a staff schedule, and organize and present personal information. The list could go on and on. I believe that a graduate level nurse should have a general idea about the technologies out there not be afraid to venture out and learn new programs.
Information Technology in my unit:
The most recent advancement in technology in my unit is the installment of web cams in each of the individual rooms in the NICU. With these camera's the family members of the babies are allowed to call and we can turn on the web cam and they can view their baby. This includes siblings , grandparents and others who may live far away. The families really seem to love this, because while in the NICU the parents are only able to list 4 people that may visit the baby. Children under the age of 14 are not allowed in the unit. We do this in hopes to minimize the exposure to infections from the "outside".
Other technologies we use include: vocera's to communicate with each other and other departments. We still do paper charting, but we chart and scan our medications on the computer. We also view our x-rays on a computer. Many of our pediatricians are able to view the x rays at home or in thier offices. This is especially convenient in the middle of the night.

I am looking forward to learning more about information technology in this class!