Setting up the SIM lab

So, for the past 3 weeks, Sherleena and I have been busily setting up the computers in the new nursing lab, and also setting up and activating a SMART board - a projector that acts like a computer touch screen for use in the lab, and finally, putting together and operationalizing (love that word - sounds so CIA) 4 adult SIM mannequins, one child and one infant mannequin. When turned on, they have heart beats, blood pressures, bowel sounds and make cool sounds - live vomiting! How fun is that? I think we must guard them carefully around Halloween. IV's can be started in their arms, injections into various sites on their bodies, and orifices can be explored and tubes inserted. We've taken several groups of nursing students on tours and they are excited about their lab and using the mannequins.


The hardest part for me is not calling these mannequins by the "D" word - D....mmy. This is not politically correct, and hurts their feelings. Sorry, guys.



These mannequins can be programmed for nursing scenarios so that the students can actually have as close to real patient assessments as possible before we turn them loose on the public.

Midterms

Weirdly quiet in here... only two people in the lab, no issues to solve. Hmm. So, cleaned the desktops, looked at the keyboards and EWWWWWWW! A word that I used to use back in junior high came to mind...."GROTTY" which I think was a word for grotesque or gross or ... anyway, disgusting. Stuff stuck to some of the keys. I don't want to know what it is or was. Just get me outta here....

Breaking News! Disease Stopped in its Tracks!

GERMS ON THE RUN IN MCCRACKEN COMPUTER LAB AND THEY'RE NOT HAPPY!

Ok, so today in the computer lab, as I was waiting for Adobe Reader to finish downloading on a CTC laptop (notice how I'm now using the acronyms like a pro?) a guy on a computer close to me sneezed into his hand, then apparently realizing his hand was wet and contaminated (EWWW) he folded that hand into a fist and began typing with his other hand. I sprang into action. Zipping open my purse, I grabbed my bottle of alcohol hand gel and yelling "I'm a nurse" I sped to his side shouting "Open that hand, NOW!" (ok, I made that last part up about the shouting. But I did identify myself as a nurse) and I squeezed a good amount of hand gel into the offending hand. He may have been dismayed that it was scented alcohol hand gel from Bath and Body Works, but hey, I may have saved a bunch of people from becoming ill, so really, he should be grateful. Which he genuinely seemed to be. My quest to de-germify the computer lab continues.


On the techy-side of things, I downloaded software onto laptops and helped solve printing problems - today seemed to be a day when a lot of students had papers and powerpoints  to print, but not a lot of knowledge as to how to print. Most don't know that there is an extra step needed to pay for the printing using what the University calls a "P" card - do not ask me what it stands for -  before the machine starts spitting out papers.


What I do like about the lab is the really diverse student population that comes in or works in here. The accents and different ways of dressing are all exciting in some way... like I'm learning just by being in their presence. Cool.


Another day down in the Lab.

The Lab Rat

Sneezing has started!!

It's fall with a vengence and in the computer lab today, I heard sneezing, sniffing and coughing all around. And not a bottle of alcohol hand gel in sight. The thought of touching those keyboard keys now just makes me cringe. It would not be too much of an expense to put hand gel at each station, put up some home-made signs to USE it, and also posters on how to cover your cough. This would make the computer labs true computer labs, and not germ incubator labs. Really. I hate to say it, but at lil' ol' Hocking College, the computer lab in the nursing office had kleenex boxes and hand gel at each computer station, and bright lights and walls and it just felt cleaner. Why can't OU do this as well? Who do I talk to about this?? I feel sick already.


On the lab rat side of things, I got to install FileMaker Pro on a bunch of computers today, learned how to unlock and re-lock the computers and place an icon on the desktop. I feel quite smug now. I know something you don't know (you must sing this to a little annoying tune used by preschoolers everywhere). Really, though, it was interesting. And next week I'll hopefully learn to uninstall them – they were installed for certain class, and must be uninstalled as soon as the class is over.  Is uninstalled even a word or is it one of the new class of made up techy words??


A good day today. And no spiders! Whew.

The Lab Rat

SPEE – EYE – DER!!!

After a really interesting and stimulating class (and I say that truthfully, not just because my instructor may read this blog), I was getting in my car when my friend noticed I had another passenger... right on the back of my seat. EEEK! It was 10 pm and dark, and so was the spider. And BIG. We tried not to hurt him by swiping him out of the car with a notebook, but he jumped UNDER the driver's seat. Now it's a real dilemma – do I drive home in utter fear of being bitten and driving off the road and crashing? Or do I call my husband and have him drive to the OU campus to remove the spider because that's why I married him? (We have a deal in our marriage – I do all the housework, vet appointments, dental and dr. appointments, gardening and shopping. He removes unwelcome beings from our house [or car].  I think that's fair.) But no, I decided I'm not such a sissy. With one big toe on the accelerator, the other big toe on the brake, the windows rolled down (in case Mr. Spider wanted to exit nicely) and all hunched down (to make a smaller target) and trying not to think what I would do if I felt him going up my pantleg, I drove home. As I rolled into the driveway and jumped out of the car – ok, I sort of dove out – my husband was waiting with his spider-collector kit: A tupperware bowl, a piece of cardboard and a flashlight. While I was heading to the house (running), he quickly ascertained that the spider was still under the driver's seat, poked at him to get him to come out, deftly maneuvered him into the open, popped the Tupperware over him, slid the cardboard under him, flipped the bowl over and took Mr. Spider across the street and let him go.


Lives were saved (mine and the spider's) and knowledge gained. Another week of school down.

The Lab Rat

2nd day in the lab – 9/23/10

Ok, and the curtains MUST go. They are, besides being ugly, dusty and unnecessary. And probably harbor germs. I'm serious. The more light in here the better, and the windows are on the 2nd floor so no one can see in, so what's the point of curtains? Dr. R. said they are at least 5 yrs. old and have never been washed. Ewwww.

So far today, I've learned how to print to both the B&W and color printer from the lab computers and how the copies get paid for. I lost about $1.50 doing so, but it was worth it (see how small my life is getting if this is exciting to me??) Also, I learned the not-so-secret code to download programs on the lab computers – like Flash. If the code isn't used, then the program won't download. The next exciting thing that happened was locating the stapler for a student. And too late, I found that I can print for free from the GA computer. Sigh.

However, I did get to go to the basement and it is musty and spooky. And dark. We were on a mission to find a CPU that had 2 gigs of memory. Using the light from my iPhone, we managed to establish that no such CPU existed in the basement. We dutifully reported this to Dr. R. He'll have to order them.

All is not fun and games here in the computer lab, though. Not by a long shot. I actually learned how to put my signature on an Adobe document – specifically my concept map for class tonight. I like that! Now, off to class.

The Lab Rat

1st day in Computer Lab – 9/21/10

Went with GA to change monitor and CPU in a professor’s office. The professor had saved all the documents that she wanted to keep in the documents folder, and the GA brought an external hard drive to save these documents on. I plugged in the drive, saved all the docs to the drive, then unplugged the monitor and CPU, then put the new ones in place. Re-attached the CPU to the monitor and then transferred the docs from the device to the new CPU/monitor. However, after downloading a new printer driver to the computer and updating Windows 7, the printer could not connect with the new computer. The driver software would unzip, but there was no option to run/install. A lot of time was spent searching the internet for drivers, trouble-shooting solutions and going back and forth from 2^nd to 3^rd floor. Also in the beginning, we had to wait approx. 15 min. for someone to come with a key to let us in to the office to make the switch. In all, this took about 2 hrs of my and the GA’s time. In talking to Dr. Robison, he said that about 75% of their time is taken up in printer issues. Case in point, as we were talking, a student came to him with printer problems. She was trying to print to a certain printer, but was unable to find where her documents actually printed and where they were. Dr. R. was able to help her with remote viewing software.

Dr. Robison said that many of the printer problems could be alleviated if everyone used a central printer.

~ Problems noted:

o Many docs printed are never picked up. Tremendous paper waste.

§ How to ID who is printing and making sure they pick papers up?

§ Papers kept in an "In" and basket emptied every Friday?

o Need alcohol hand gel at each computer station, "Cover Your Sneeze" signs and Kleenex boxes distributed around the room

o Old CPU’s labeled and stored in basement in case someone forgot to save a doc for a new computer installation. But handled awkwardly – GA removed CPU, but doesn’t label it right away. Leaves it to Dr. R. who by now is gone. CPU sits outside his office. GA will leave, Dr R. – will he remember who’s it was? Suggest GA label it right away with prof.’s name. Take label with him when switches are made.