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.