Introduction
To work effectively with information technology in the health sector, a nurse needs to have professional skills and qualities, including quick learning and adaptation to new medical trends (Warm & Thomas, 2011). To improve my level of competence, I signed up for a six-week EMR conversion assignment through an agency at North Fulton Hospital. I had a valuable opportunity to see the process of integrating the medical information technology system into the daily work of the hospital from the inside.
Main Objectives and Challenges
The main objectives of my training were to study the EHR systems for a successful change of professional role and analyze the requirements for the position for IT nurses. I needed to learn the medical system, identify interesting professional positions, and attempt to integrate there as a clinical nurse. While learning how to work with EHR, I encountered some of the particular obstacles described by Sitting et al. (2018). It included the need for constant development of methods and tools assessing the risks and difficulties associated with the use of the EHR. This system is highly complex and involves the individual information of many patients, which is rather challenging to control and should never be compromised (Yen, 2017). Since I have experience as a software developer, I resolved some problems by building a system to monitor the safety of EHR and developing a method for uniquely identifying patients. Working on this project helped me promptly understand the internal operations of the hospital and identify weaknesses that need to be addressed in the future. Potential barriers may be correlated primarily with exceedingly much data, so specific consideration must be adjusted to the accuracy of the systematization.
Conclusion
Overall, getting started with a Preceptor was highly productive, and I look forward to working ahead. I have made significant progress in researching and developing nursing support mechanisms; realized the potential for development and my place in this area. In the prospect, I want to optimize the way nurses work with electronic systems to improve the quality of patient care and reduce risks associated with remote diagnosis and counseling.
References
Sittig, D. F., Wright, A., Coiera, E., Magrabi, F., Ratwani, R., Bates, D. W., & Singh, H. (2018). Current challenges in health information technology–related patient safety. Health Informatics Journal, 26(1), 181-189. Web.
Warm, D., & Thomas, B. (2011). A review of the effectiveness of the clinical informatics role. Nursing Standard, 25(44), 35–38.
Yen, P. Y., McAlearney, A. S., Sieck, C. J., Hefner, J. L., & Huerta, T. R. (2017). Health information technology (HIT) adaptation: refocusing on the journey to successful HIT implementation. JMIR Medical Informatics, 5(3), e28.