Dragging hospital communications, kicking and screaming, into the 21st century

[Rpw3b]

My unit/hospital only sends information to employees via an internal email server. Problem is when I'm not at work I don't have access to these, sometimes time sensitive, communications. I think it's archaic to have to physically be at the hospital to communicate with others and respond to emails. There is no patient information involved, just meeting times, education information, and other miscellaneous information. It seems old school when there is a 10 page article on new therapeutic hypothermia research that I need to read sent over the email. I don't have time to read at work but I have to kill some trees copying it just to sit at my girls cello practice and read it. Would have been better to just read it on my phone and save a tree. Or if a last minute email is sent out about an event I need to attend in 2 days, but I'm not at work until 4 days from now I unfortunately miss it. What do you all use to communicate outside an internal email server?

Thanks Russell

[Rpw3b]

This is perfect cali. I sit at my daughter's tennis practice or cello practice and think... "I wish I could be reading this right now instead of being bored for 2 hours" or come back to some urgent matter that has already past. I'll check into it to see if there is something that can be put into place. I know there just isn't anything in place now.

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

My husband and I both do not have access to our work email and we work at different hospitals. Accessing and reading email is considered on the clock by both institutions and they legally would have to pay us each and every time we did so, hence no access at home. Doesn't really bother either of us, we leave work at the door.

This is the answer right here and sadly I think went overlooked. My last hospital it was free reign to read at home but this one has shut it down for this reason. Sorry unless you are salaried you won't get it.

[Emergent, RN]

My primary job sends all reminders on our personal emails. I never even access the Intranet email at work because everything is easily checked on my personal email.

At a secondary Per diem job it's the same that Cali describes. I come to work after several weeks off and there are dozens of emails that I have to plod through, some of them are time sensitive and most of them are stupid, like the cafeteria menu or why the flag is half staff. We have a new manager who asked for my opinion and what could be done to improve. I gave her the feedback about the emails. Then I got a company email from IT saying unless I was a contract employee I couldn't get email at home. Nothing has changed. It's a tiny place and has a lot of things that could be improved for sure.

[nrsang97, BSN, RN]

I am and have always been able to check my email from home. I even asked IT for the way to do so. They gave the the address and now I can check remotely. It comes in handy at times.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

My employer is behind the times technology-wise (they replaced Windows XP with Windows 7 about 2-3 years ago), but I have access to my e-mail at home.

[TriciaJ, RN]

[quote=Extra Pickles;9435905

If there is an email about something I need to attend and it's sent while I'm off and I miss the event that's nothing I'm going to worry about. If I really needed to attend I got notice before I had time off, or I can read it in time before I need to go. If your employer doesn't give enough notice for mandatory events then that's something they have to address and has nothing to do with where they send emails, only that they do so in a timely manner.

Not at work, don't want to see work emails!

I agree with this. My time is my time. If my employer needs me to know something, it's their responsibility to get it to me.

What did they do in the olden days? Somehow they found a way to communicate what they wanted us to know.

[OlivetheRN, ADN, BSN, RN]

Since our work email is through outlook, we can download the the outlook app to our phone to see work emails. I usually only look at them if I have more than two or three days in a row off, or if I'm looking to pick up extra hours (because there's generally ALWAYS an email in there from someone looking to give up hours or one of the managers is looking for extra, etc). Or if I didn't have the app but REALLY needed to send an email or read one we do have the option to access our email and other things (like the site with our pay stubs and such) from our home computer if we need to.

[bgxyrnf, MSN, RN]

I've never known of a facility that didn't have a way of accessing facility email remotely.

I work for a mega-HMO and we have no means of remote access to anything.

I also work for a large, academic medical center and we have remote access to everything via Citrix and a VPN... including, if I chose, Epic.