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Monday, September 27, 2010

Module 2: What Can I Do?

What can I do to help develop an information system in my workplace? I work for the State of Utah, so nothing changes with technology without the consent of bureaucrats. My department has a specific person in charge of software management and trouble shooting, but she can't change anything in the software without wsriting a proposal to the department head. The only thing I have found so far is to keep a log of software malfunctions and issues. I call and email my issues to the software management person, and usually my issues are easily resolved.

Recently, I had an issue with a form in our software program. The form is a patient specific auto-filled form. I choose the patient, and choose a link to create the form for the patient. The form is supposed to generate with the patient information on top and my contact information on the bottom. I actually have many forms that are generated patient specific, but I only have a problem with this particular form. The form does not auto-fill my contact information, and does not let me manually enter my contact information. I emailed our software management person, and she did not respond. Two weeks later, I called her about it. I again explained the problem, and she said she would look into it. That was a month ago, and I still have not heard any resolution. The form still does not print my information.

I know it is hard to grasp the situation without seeing the program or the form, sorry. I am not really a good story teller. My plan is to continue to document and report computer issues, both to the software manager and my department manager. I hope my information helps improve the State of Utah software system. Unfortunately, I imagine by the time any repair is approved by department heads, the issue will be a moot point. Fatalistic, I know, but if you have worked in government before, you may understand.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Module 1: Hello!

My gorgeous son
Hello! I am Erin. I am starting my 3rd semester of the distance BS-DNP/FNP program. I live in Santa Clara, right outside St. George. Currently, I do case management for children in foster care. I have also worked in a pediatrician's office and county jail. I have a beautiful son who will be 2 this month.

My program uses a computer system to enter all health data. Medical and dental providers print or type information on a health visit report form when a child is seen. That form is forwarded to me via mail, email or fax. I manually enter the information into our computer system. The system allows me to track visits, referrals, immunizations, allergies, and medical history. It is in the works for us to get access to CHI and CHARM. I'm not exactly sure what that means to me, but I believe CHARM is Children's Healthcare Access Records Management. I could be wrong. CHI also has something to do with electronic medical records.

I enjoy working with computers. I hope to learn ways computers can enhance my nurse practice.