Informatics and Healthcare Technologies
This essential highlights the importance of communication, technology, and data management in improving patient outcomes. As a nurse practitioner student, I’ve developed strong skills in using electronic health records (EHRs) to ensure accurate, evidence-based care. These experiences have helped me integrate technology into practice, improving both efficiency and patient-centered care. Mastering EHRs has solidified my commitment to using technology to deliver high-quality, safe care. In particular, my clinical experiences in the geriatric adult setting have allowed me to refine my documentation skills through SOAP notes, ensuring that I capture patient care with accuracy and detail. This has been crucial in supporting continuity of care and facilitating communication within the healthcare team.
Through using EHRs, I’ve also learned to analyze patient data to identify trends, inform evidence-based decisions, and develop personalized care plans for complex geriatric patients. These experiences have reinforced the importance of informatics in managing patient care, as technology enables me to provide tailored care while keeping track of patient outcomes. However, I’ve noticed areas for growth, such as improving my efficiency when navigating specific EHR systems under time constraints. While I’m gaining more experience, it’s still a challenge to balance speed with accuracy, and I am working on finding strategies to manage this aspect more effectively.
Strength & Weaknesses
One of my strengths has been using electronic health records accurately and efficiently, particularly when documenting care for complex geriatric patients. I’ve developed the ability to extract valuable insights from data and translate them into evidence-based care plans, which has increased my confidence in using technology in real-world practice. However, navigating different EHR systems under time pressure is an ongoing challenge. I continue to work on improving my efficiency without compromising accuracy. These experiences have shown me how essential informatics is in providing safe, high-quality care, and they’ve driven me to keep refining both my technical skills and clinical decision-making abilities.