Technology

# 10

Coming from India, which is a developing country and where most things are done manually, I can clearly see the difference between a developed and a developing country. America is so high-tech that at times it freaks me out. Being a student in India, I hardly used technology at all, in most parts of India everything is still done manually, and there is limited use of technology. I believe technology is great, and through technology people have done things that our previous generations could never have imagined. Yet, I also feel there might come a point when technology could take over in such a way that we would not need humans to operate them. If only robots can be made to do everything why would humans be hired as robots could work much efficiently and at a faster rate.

After coming here I had to learn to use technology for everything, I had to write papers and most of my resources came from the internet. Having the opportunity to go to the hospitals for clinicals, I saw the use and importance of technology. Right from having IV pumps, electronic thermometers, electronic charting and so on, everything is technology based. On one hand it is good, because it is more accurate, it speeds up the process, it is more efficient, and there are limited chances of making mistakes. To be a good and efficient nurse, he/she does not only have to acquire knowledge from books, but also be well acquainted with all the machines and equipments used at the hospital. Due to technology we get quick lab reports, we can communicate with people instantly, and so technology is very helpful, saves a lot of our time and energy, and has increased the efficiency at work places. However, I feel that it creates a barrier between a patient and a nurse, and we lose the personal contact with our patients. Being a nurse you have to see that you work all the equipments perfectly and thus the attention shifts from the patient to the equipment in order to make sure it is working properly rather than seeing the comfort of the patient.

I would say that technology has both its positive and its negative aspects. It is good that technology has brought us thus far and helped us achieve a lot, but being a nurse I would like to keep in mind that technology should be controlled by humans and not vice versa, because mistakes could still occur and we should remember that we are taking care of humans and dealing with life and death.

Patience is a virtue!

#9

A few years back when my sister decided to become a nurse, everybody started asking me what I was going to do. Some advised me to become a nurse because they say I am very soft spoken and I have a lot of patience. At that time, I never really understood the relationship between a "nurse" and "patience." I remember thinking that patient's can not be so annoying or so demanding that you need to have a lot of patience. However, the relationship between a "nurse" and "patience” became clear to me this week at clinicals.

I had a patient on Thursday who had a right hip abscess, and suffered with a lot of pain when she moved. She could not walk, so used a bedside commode. But the problem was that she took 45 minutes just to sit up in bed. Nobody could pull her up because it would hurt her really bad. When I asked her to rate her pain while she was trying to get up at a scale of 0-10 she said 12. I knew she was having a lot of pain, yet she did not want to use attends and she was not able to use a bed pan because that hurt too. So I was there trying to help her as much as I could by holding her leg or positioning her. It took more than an hour just to get her up, and back down. She voided four times during my shift and I remember counting that 3 1/2 hours just to help her void. It was a little difficult for me and I knew how painful and frustrating it was for her too. But I understood her problem, and I wanted her to feel as independent as possible. I know it is difficult to lose all of your independence so suddenly and how emotionally and physically challenging it could be. In the end, before getting discharged she told me “thank you for being so patient with me, and I really appreciate it.”

Also, on Friday I had a patient with a left leg fracture. She could turn from side to side but could not get up. She was pretty independent and used a bedpan to void. However, I had to pull it out, and because she did not place it properly her attends as well as her sheet underneath used to get soiled. While I was there, she voided 5 times, and every time I had to change everything all over again. She felt bad for me and said that I would be happy when she was gone, but then I told her not to worry about it, and that I was there to take care of her to the best of my abilities and that is why I am there; she was so happy and appreciative.

These two incidents brought back the question I had in mind a few years back and I realized why it is so important for nurses to be patient and I am glad God has gifted me with this quality.