MODULE 5 - THE END

Okay, I saved this module for the last, but I enjoyed the readings - I think we all have biases and the more we practice, the more biases' we have, but not only the amount of time in practice, but also the settings that we practice in. The articles highlighted this fact for me, I do tend to have biases' but I also believe that they are of value as long as the patient is being treated with quality clinical care. Nursing quality data needs to support decisions made in the clinical setting. Decision support systems is the ability to support these good quality decisions and the input of quality nursing data is essential. We must as nurse practitioners continue to ensure this. Sorry, this is weak but...it's done.

MODULE 7 - Question 4

The content of infomatics has been interesting to me, I was very excited at the beginning of the course, but then again, it seemed that it was difficult to remain intent on learning as time went on with the big lag in time of the modules. I do think that at some time I would like to do more with infomatics. I have learned more about EMS and EHR and how the systems work and what works with ours and what does not. Overall, it has been a good course and will influence my professional life. Thanks.

MODULE 7 - Question 3

So this question just got deleted, but the short answer is learning theories, I will not use them daily in practice and hope someday I will be able to review their value.

MODULE 7 - Question 2

On question one, I also wanted to say that I found infomatics in general a very interesting topic, though it seems that the modules would have been better if they would have been evenly spaced and now it's just a matter of trying to finish them up.
Again, I plan on looking more closely on what areas I can use in clinical support systems to enhance what I do in the clinical setting. I was looking forward to have more information on the use of PDA's but will have to research this for myself. The ethical issues that I might be confronted with are how updated the information is and not relying on this information solely for my clinical practice. Updating the information regularly will help with this as well as searching other sites for the information.

MODULE 7

The content/area that I found most interesting was the clinical support decision systems, though I have a new Vista computer and they were not compatible with my PDA. And I did not learn this until I went through the entire process of downloading the PDA installation. Nevertheless, I found the many different uses of these clinical support systems to be valuable, thank goodness my old laptop is still up and running. I have a few systems on my PDA such Epocrates, ABX Guide and Peds Omni, but look forward to using the other systems as wel.

Module 4 - Technologies

The three technologies I chose to analyze were PDA's because I have been using one for approximately one year and I need to know how to use it more effectively. Online learning because this is the way I enjoy learning and I have learned how to enjoy teaching. And blogging, my children use this method of communication to their friends spread far and abroad and I did not know how to make comments and sometimes could not find their blog, but I know how to now. I think right now I would personally learn best from online learning, BUT I want to learn best from PDA's since I have that technology in the clinical setting and am using it more. For adult learners, online learning would be the most applicable for learning in a short amount of time. Their is easier access to computers and PDA's cost money, but again I may change my mind as I learn more about the other two.

MODULE 4 - Value of learning theories

I am not convinced that learning theories are valuable, I would have to say that this module has been the most difficult for me. Though I understand that all theories are written for a purpose, I believe that we teach intuitively for the most part. Having said that, I also know that the theories must be presented and this would be used in powerpoints or online learning such as we have done in this module. It would be beneficial to apply the theories in a manner that directly applies to what the student is trying to learn. Specifically when doing online learning, Knowles states that "people learn best when treated as adults", so making students responsible for their learning is one way to apply a theory.