One thing about nurse practitioners that many people don’t often realize is that they do a great deal of admin and many other things which, in this day and age, require a computer. From managing patient records to prescriptions and keeping track of a million other things, the computer has become as vital a tool in the nurse’s arsenal as any item of more traditionally “medical” equipment.

And with computers, comes computer skills. Health Jobs Nationwide, a jobs board promoting nurse practitioner jobs among other things, advise registered nurse candidates that IT skills are a sure bonus on any application for almost any type of nursing role. Sometimes, you will be provided with a computer when you begin your job, but even in such situations, it is best to have a truly personal computer – and to find one which you can make, as much as possible, an extension of yourself. This raises an important question for registered nurses: which computer should one get?

This is a question that is best answered by IT experts, of course, but those IT experts are unlikely to have a detailed knowledge of what a nurse actually needs from a computer. For that advice, the best people to ask are nurses themselves. There isn’t really one type of computer that is best for use by nurses; you’ll always have a lot of choice.

However, there are a few specs and features of a computer that make it particularly suited for the IT duties of nursing. But before going on to what these are, it’s worth saying a bit about an already-underway revolution in healthcare which is sure to make the computer even more valuable to nurses than it has ever been in the past.

Telehealth

You would have to be pretty wet behind the ears as a medical professional not to have heard of telehealth. This is the revolutionary trend within healthcare that is seeing more and more healthcare being provided remotely, through the use advanced communication technology. It is closely related to the trend of remote working – only boosted by the Covid pandemic – which is revolutionizing many other aspects of professional life.

From providing prescriptions remotely to doctor consultations and monitoring mental health patients, it is clear that telehealth has massive potential. For nurses soon to be closely engaged in this form of healthcare too, having a good computer is soon to become even more essential than it already is.

What’s Important?

So, what should you prioritize, as a nurse, when searching for a computer? Here follows the most important things:

The Processor

You need to have a good CPU on your computer if you’re a nurse. Lags when using your computer can slow you right down and prevent you doing your work effectively. Accordingly, this is probably the most important thing.

Storage

The storage on your computer will either be held on a hard-disk drive or a solid-state drive. There is always the option of adding extra storage, too. Nurses work with a great deal of patient data and much more besides. You need to store it all effectively without slowing down your computer. And, speaking of patient data…

Security

This is absolutely vital – your healthcare institution will have to be satisfied that your computer is secure and that no data privacy laws will be violated. This means your computer will have to equipped with the absolute best security software. Defer to the requirements of your institution, but firewalls, anti-virus software and everything like that is an absolute must.

In the fast-moving world of healthcare, nurses need computers. That’s not going to change – it is only going to become more vital.