Students and computer documentation

Hi, I'm new to this forum. I'm an ADN nurse educator in my 11th year teaching. I have taught fundies, and all areas of adult health except cardiac. I have changed the classes I teach, the hospitals for clinicals, and we did a whole curriculum change. As soon as I'm comfortable in one area, it changes! Nursing education is an education in itself!!

My question to the other educators is this: Do the hospitals where you have clinicals use computer documentation? If they do, are the students allowed to use the computers to document? The city in which I teach has 3 hospitals. One does not use computer charting and the other two do. Of those 2, only one allows student nurses to document on the computer just as a RN would do. They can look up lab & xray results, look at care plans & make additions if needed, document, etc.

Let me know how some other hospitals handle all this new information technology!

Welcome to the Forum and to AllNurses:balloons: At our area teaching hospital, the students must use the computer charting system - paper documentation is either not allowed or discouraged at this institution. I have found that most students adapt rather quickly. Other area hospitals or facilities in which we have clinicals still use paper charting, so the students get a good variety. I have found that it's not the mode of documentation (computer versus paper) but the quality of documentation that matters.

Some caveats for computer charting: Make sure the students do not share their access codes or passwords with others. They must log out immediately & never leave a computer screen open for others to view. When printing out patient's medical record, they must black out all identifying information before taking it out of the facility. All such materials are required to be returned to the instructor for shredding (when the students turn in the required clinical paperwork).

A good general article on documentation:

Sullivan, G.H. (2004). Does your charting measure up? RN, 67(3), 61-65.