Not Exactly a Meme, yet Very Interesting

[madshutterbug]

A friend of mine (the post is locked, respecting that privacy) asked an interesting question:

What would you be doing for a living were there no world wide web, or internet? How about if there weren't computers yet?

Nursing, and Health Care both existed long before the advent of computers. My decision to enter the profession of Nursing was made a good chunk of years before the advent of personal computers, though mainframes were well established in business of all sorts (including Health Care) at that time. I expect then that I very likely would still be a Registered Nurse.

On the other hand, the advent of improvements in computers of all types means that all I can say about my practice of Nursing without them, is it would be very different.

Comments

[lolleeroberts.livejournal.com]

ICU nursing would be different in some ways without computers. So much of what we monitor is on those computerized monitors. I don't think we'd have the ability to measure PAP, PWP, CVP or other pressures or blood oxygenation, even blood gases are analyzed using a computer. That would all change. No automatic BP machines, back to the cuff and a stethoscope. (If you thought I was going to try to spell sphygmomanometer, well, yeah, I love a challenge)

I'd probably still be in nursing without computers or the web, but it would be different. I might still be teaching. No powerpoints. No quick access to quizzes, activities, databases. Hmm. Good and bad there. The times my computer has gone down I just lectured, after saying "sorry, no powerpoints" and getting applause. Typing all my exams up on a typewriter? Eek.

edited to fix a typo.