Healthcare Technology Featured Article

May 12, 2021

How Technology Has Made it Easier to Advance Your Nursing Career




Technology seems to make the world go round, with the general public and businesses becoming dependant on the latest technological advancements and software discoveries. This can be a massive benefit for us, as technology speeds up a number of tasks, provides greater accuracy, but also streamlines processes, and provides greater communication. It is with thanks to technology that we can speak to and communicate to individuals or businesses across the world, but also use technology to help with scientific and medical breakthroughs.

Technology has helped shape but also streamline the healthcare industry. There is a wealth of benefits to technology in the healthcare industry, some of which are generic like improved communication and more learning resources. However, technology within the healthcare industry has also allowed for the discovery and development of greater treatment options, improved disease control, and better efficiency so that patients can experience a better diagnosis and streamlined appointments.

If you work in the healthcare industry and are a nurse, or if you are a student currently studying to become a registered nurse, technology could be your best friend when it comes to obtaining your degree, advancing your career, and also providing treatments to your patients. Here are a few ways technology can make it easier for you, as a nurse, to develop your career and progress to new heights.

More Options for Study

Technology has provided people with more options when it comes to studying, allowing students to study abroad but also remotely and online. The latter has provided a lot of opportunities for those who may not be able to study in a traditional environment for a multitude of reasons. For instance, they may be older and have a family or full-time job that they need to balance while changing their careers; they may also wish to study at a university that is in a different country but cannot physically enroll at the university.

These greater options for study have made it easier for nurses and other healthcare professionals to keep on top of their education, especially while balancing their current role in healthcare. One of the greatest challenges of being a nurse, for example, is caring for your patients while also studying to progress your career. For instance, are you a registered nurse wanting to train to become a family nurse practitioner? If you are a registered nurse wondering how to become an FNP in Oklahoma, read the Texas Woman’s University guide that details the exact steps needed.

Through online study, you can continue working as a nurse while also studying and specializing your skills and talents. The benefit of specializing your talents is that you will typically be paid more but also be known as an expert in a specific area. This can make your job much more enjoyable if you specialize in an area that truly resonates and interests you.

Greater Pool of Learning Resources

Technology has opened the world up to online study. This typically involves students logging onto an online portal and watching lectures on their desktop or electronic device, completing coursework and assignments, and uploading them online so that they can be marked. This has made the world of education much more accessible for everyone.

However, technology has also brought along a greater volume of learning resources. Of course, the greatest learning resource is the internet, but consider all the other ways of learning. You will now have access to online platforms such as YouTube, but also portals for students to upload their work and access educational materials. Apps are also created in the hopes of helping students but also professionals to improve their knowledge, as they can be easily installed on your smartphone and accessed anywhere and everywhere that has an internet connection.

Nurses can gain access to a variety of useful apps such as:

  • PEDPID (A Drug and Clinical Resource)
  • Epocrates (Clinical Care Assistant)
  • Medscape (Informational/Resource for Medical Directory)
  • NurseGrid (Scheduling)

The ability to access apps wherever you go can help nurses and healthcare professionals remain organized and have access to resources that can allow them to perform their job with more accuracy.

Can Study Subjects More In-Depth

Before the internet, people would rely on books and lectures when it came to finding out and learning about specific subjects. However, while books and listening to experts in your field is still a great way to learn, the internet has allowed us to gain greater access to knowledge and learning resources that would have been difficult to gain access to before.

The internet can pull together a variety of relevant papers, books, and learning resources such as videos and podcasts that can help nurses and healthcare professionals to learn and become more knowledgeable. For instance, a nurse who is studying to become a family nurse practitioner could spend their lunch hour or commute to and from work watching an informative but in-depth video. They could then use resources that interlink to other useful papers, which can help them expand and extend their knowledge on the subject they are currently learning and studying about, helping them gain a greater understanding.

Allows for Remote Learning (e.g., Greater Flexibility)

Healthcare professionals can have unusual and long working hours, making it difficult for them to stick to a typical and regimented schedule outside of work. Therefore, if a nurse was to study so that they can specialize and gain certificates in a specific area of expertise, they may need to find a way to learning that doesn’t see them having to work to the usual university hours. Luckily, online study and the introduction of technology allow nurses to study in their free time. However, technology also allows nurses to learn remotely and offers greater flexibility.

For example, a nurse that wishes to specialize and become a family nurse practitioner may still need to work full-time. They may also have a family to care for, which stops them from attending traditional seminars. What is a nurse to do? Well, technology and online university programs mean that nurses can log on, read the resources and watch any learning videos, and upload their course work and complete any exams in their free time, helping them balance both their work and personal responsibilities. Here are more benefits of online study.

Health IT Increases Accessibility of Treatment

IT within the healthcare industry allows greater volumes but more accurate research. This is because the technology used can perform faster and with greater accuracy; this allows healthcare professionals to make quicker but also better judgment. Plus, patients can experience faster treatment but also be offered a more diverse range of treatment options too, as the healthcare industry continues to develop more treatment options through scientific breakthroughs.

Reliable Patient Treatment

Due to the development of greater technology within the healthcare industry, patient care has become safer but also more reliable. This is because data can be collected and distributed or is easily accessible for healthcare professionals worldwide.

Furthermore, all individual data can be collected and stored in a centralized area. Healthcare professionals can, therefore, look at an individual patient’s vital signs and past medical records if they need to, so that they can make a quicker and more accurate diagnosis. This efficiency could be the difference between life and death.

Improved Disease Control

Technology and the discovery and development of certain software programs have allowed organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) to identify diseases and illnesses and log the disease’s cause and symptoms into large databases. This means medical and healthcare professionals have access to this data, and they can use the data to help combat and treat the disease through improved and better healthcare.

This ease of access can help speed up healthcare treatment but also improve the level of treatment through increased accuracy. What’s more, if there has been any development or recent discoveries regarding a specific disease, the WHO can update the data, which will automatically be changed for all healthcare professionals too, due to the fact that the database works in real-time.

Increased Efficiency

There is a lot of admin and paperwork to be done in healthcare, but luckily, technology has streamlined these processes, speeding up billing methods and reducing the amount of paperwork for hospitals or healthcare organizations. Plus, patients can usually book appointments online rather than phoning reception. Plus, patients can also use apps and video calls to contact their physicians and carry out check-ups over the phone, rather than having to come in. The latter has slowly become more popular and utilized since the coronavirus pandemic, as the healthcare industry become overworked but also social distancing and self-isolation became large factors in our society.

Technology has opened doors to many people, whether it be so that they can study, work better, or enjoy their free time more. Either way, technology has had a positive influence on society. It streamlines the way we work and helps unlock our potential. And as a nurse or any other professional, it provides opportunity for career progression.



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