Literacy Inteview

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Literacy Interview; Importance of Nursing
I have recently interviewed my sister who works as a nurse in her profession. Aged 30, she has been in this profession since my days in high school. Most of the interview included the skills needed as well as the various difference that are being influenced by technology in regards to literacy. This makes her competent in the present system regarding healthcare. The current world depends more on technology such as the use of computers for storing information as well as other devices such as mobile phones for communication.
In regards to literacy, nursing as a profession involves the interpretation of data. Data mostly comes from the health records of the various patients. This introduces the need to read and write. Reading helps in interoperation of the prescription by the doctors. Lack of knowledge in reading can lead the nurse to give the wrong medication. In the course of my interview, I realized that there were changes in the setting of a hospital. There are now more computers hence changes on the shelves with fewer files. Consequently, the changes in the workplace have also improved the whole dimension of literacy. Literacy being described as the ability to read and write has met a few changes due to the introduction of information technology in the healthcare sector. The changes are meant to bring efficiency as computers tend to process information faster as compared to the human brain regarding calculations.

Literacy in the current setting of nursing as reported by Saunders, Hannele, and Katri (128-140) is more characterized by the use of information technology such as the use of evidence-based research. Unlike in the past where the interviewee indicated that much of the activities at work were done manually. This involved keeping of the various health records from patients. However, storing information in files became a problem due to displacement as well as fading away of handwritten information. This rendered most of the data useless. By incorporating technology, the interviewee suggested that most of the information is now stored in computers. The data includes the health records of the patient over time. The data as per the interviewee helps in determining the type of medication to administer on the patient.
On the other hand, I was in a position to question the interviewee on her preferences regarding literacy. Have the changes in literacy made an impact in the healthcare sector? Yes, there are numerous changes regarding adopting information technology. First, the interviewee cited that patients are responding positively to medication. This is due to the fact that information technology gives nurses the chance to monitor the progress of the patient’s forms electronic health records that draft such data into line graphs that show progression or regression. In the past, nurses and doctors would use estimations by viewing symptoms. This increased the risk of which wrong medications were administered.
The increase of technology has however affected the level of literacy among the nurses. Some nurses are not computer literate hence are barred from work by the current levels of technology. Literacy as per the current level of technology requires nurses to be computer literate in that they can read and feed information in the computer. Besides, literacy as per the information technology involves communication via video calls and emails. This introduces the need for competency. Consequently, some nurses have lost their jobs due to lack of literacy. Being the head of nurses at the hospital, the interviewee cited a decrease in the labor force due to the literacy challenged posed by information technology. However, as the head of the nursing department, the interviewee is planning to recall the retrenched as a result of a retaining program she and the management came up with. The program is meant to sharpen the literacy skills of the nurses to help them secure the sources of their income.
As per the interview, literacy has been influenced by some factors. The factors such as information technology have brought changes in literacy by prompting nurses to acquire further skills. This is due to a fast-changing world where mechanisms are influenced by technology. There is the need for health institutions to embrace the change brought about by technology. Embracing the change involves coming up with training sessions for the nurses. As per the interview, a number left their jobs for other professions due to lack of literacy. Health is a national matter, therefore, needs the attention of both the management of the institution and the government too. The government is responsible for providing healthcare to its citizens. They should offer and come up with training seminars where nurses will be guided on how to acquire the necessary skills since the world is continually changing. Besides, the job market as per the current time is continuously improving hence creating more job opportunities overseas. Acquiring the literacy skills matching with the current level of technology will open the prospects for more vacancies thus dealing with issues such as unemployment or lack of enough labor in the international market.
Work Cited
Saunders, Hannele, and Katri Vehviläinen-Julkunen. “The state of readiness for evidence-based practice among nurses: An integrative review.” International Journal of Nursing Studies 56 (2016): 128-140.