How to convince your workplace to get you an iPhone

I’m an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner for two busy community emergency departments in central Indiana. I’m also a paramedic with a critical-care transport ambulance service. Having been involved with emergency and pre-hospital care since 1982, I’m convinced that every nurse needs to carry handheld technology.

And if you print out this article and share it at your workplace, your boss might be convinced, too.

So why did I start using handheld technology? Why do I frequently share my experiences with colleagues (physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, paramedics)? Why do I think all healthcare providers should have the ability to use these devices?

Answer: The wealth of information that handheld technology provides, no matter where your patient encounter takes place, allows you to deliver care that is safer than relying on your memory or an outdated print resource.

And without further ado, what is my recommendation for the best smartphone for nurses? The iPhone. I began using handheld technology in 1999 when Palm, Inc. introduced the Palm V electronic personal digital assistant (PDA). Although my handheld device of choice has evolved over time, I still have a very strong place in my heart for the ease and simplicity of Palm products and I still have a trusty Palm T|X at my disposal. But in the last year I have been making the migration to the Apple iPhone. The reason I choose the iPhone is because it incorporates a very intuitive operating platform for applications that assist me in my career as an ACNP with an incredible smartphone. One device does almost everything I want it to do. And here is the Scrubs Magazine list of the top 10 iPhone apps for nurses.

Each month I’ll review one or two software applications used on handheld devices, and share with you how these applications have made my job easier and perhaps safer for the patients I care for. These are applications that I actually use on a daily basis.

Stay tuned for my first application review: the Eponyms app (available for iPhone, Palm, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile and Pocket PC), a handy database of, well, eponyms!

This is my first article for Scrubs, and I look forward to sharing many more technology tips with you. My colleague, Andrew Craig, and I hope to share our experiences with you regarding point-of-care technology and how it may benefit you: the busy clinical nurse. Be sure to check out Andrew Craig’s take on the best smartphone for nurses and the best PDAs and apps for nurses.