Comments on: There Are Chips, and Then There Are Chips …

By: medrecgal

medrecgal — Sun, 04 Feb 2007 02:53:34 +0000

Hey…you really made me laugh with your comments about the computer problem in regards to all the newfangled stuff you have to know in HIM. I have so totally been there…and what I discovered when doing the internships part of my degree was that there are many healthcare systems that are in flux regarding the level of computerization of medical records. One spot I was in had almost no computerized records and a ton of “old” (i.e., paper) style charts; the other had some computerization but still had some charts, too. As a student I was forced to learn both. Like you, I had an easy time with the other stuff; I have my hesitations about fully computerized records, however…seems like even with HIPAA, privacy laws, etc., etc. there is too much potential for abuse, misuse, and loss of information.

And taking the certification exam for my RHIT on the computer was no piece of cake, either. I would have much preferred paper and pencil because in many ways they are more “reliable”. Not that I don’t like computers…they do some useful things and can be quite entertaining. But there are just some contexts in which I question their safety and privacy regarding access to information. (Be it in a medical record or otherwise.)

By: Classmate X

Classmate X — Thu, 01 Feb 2007 18:47:22 +0000

I’m here for ya on the tech end, kiddo; ask away. In fact I’m thinking about starting a Q & A thing on my page for general computer-related questions; direct all related correspondence to my page, and I’ll send all the medical questions your way. Programming is driving me nuts, not because I don’t get it but because I’m not really interested in that aspect. I’m getting a high B in C# which, being 35, is the only “high B” I’ll ever hit again (though I could still do a fair-to-middling Geoff Tate on a good day). Stay in touch-

By: Nora

Nora — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 06:20:12 +0000

Goodness Me!! I don’t eve know what medical INFORMATICS is (are)??,
much less all that stuff you were saying!!. Maybe you were talking
computer chips of some sort? Clever….

Hey, Moof, I keep running into you all over the place on my computer.
Is there not one main site where I can read all the stuff you
write?

Sound to me like YOU are a lady who should be writing a book, My
life absolutely pales in comparison, thank the good Lord. Some
of the stuff you have lived thru is scarey enough to make me feel
like crying for you. But, I can tell you have it ALL together
now.

Also noted you like to eat wild stuff - so do I. HEre in Texas
there are several things that I eat, and more that I could if pushed
into it by famine. Pokesalad is ok, but lambsquarter much better.
We have edible wild onions, dandelion, wild plums, persimmons, wild
berries (2 kinds), native pecans, hickory nuts, grapes.My favorite
is lambsquarter, and I even ordered seed for a kind that is not native here. It grows very well here, reseeding profusely all over
the place. It is also very beautiful with large purple and green
leaves.

By: Deb

Deb — Fri, 26 Jan 2007 19:55:16 +0000

I can relate to the whole, you can’t have this, you can’t have that.

By: Moof

Moof — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 20:44:31 +0000

*Shhhh!* Don’t tell! I shouldn’t be in here right now! *LOL*

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Wolfbaby - I’m sure that you’re going to do FINE in your COMP course. And don’t forget, if you get stuck, holler … and I’ll see if I can help in some way, okies? :o)

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Bee! Good to see you! My Red Hat friends here at home just look at me as if I sprouted another head when I talk about that sort of thing … and that’s without using all of the “letters!” Really though - I still have to look many of them each time I run across them. I think it’s going to be a minute before it actually becomes a part of my everyday understanding.

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T.J. …. my dear friend - I “chipped my brain” a long time ago! *LOL* You are doing the same kind of thing, though! Look at you! You’re a college student too … :o)

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Arunn! Hello! MOSFET? Yes, you’re right … that one’s still Greek to me. I would love the information for your bio-informatics friend! Yes indeed, that is where I’m headed … any information and “head’s up” I can get would be appreciated!

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Pk … I can’t get past the Greek Alphabet … *blink* ;o)

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Pattie … Salt and Vinegar are my absolute favorite. (They would be, considering I can’t have salt! *LOL* Thanks for the understanding my friend … it’s appreciated! I’m not gone … well, not all of me, anyway … *blink*

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Ian, my dear Ian, Maui chips … *sigh* … you tell me about Maui chips, and how good they are, and I have no way of getting my hot little hands on any! No fair! >;o)

Salt and Vinegar though … soft spot doesn’t even begin to cover it, on my end. I could eat a bag of those at one sitting. Mmmm. They’re my absolute favorites. I had my first bag in 1970 in New Brunswick … long before we could find them in the stores here in the states.

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Vijay! Pringles! I love Pringles. I especially like the Ranch flavored ones. They’re very different than other chips, though … do you have regular chips over there?

Bad thing about the Pringles … it looks like there’s a lot in that little container, but they’re gone in a heart beat … *evil grin*

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Shel, Classmate X and I need to trade brains for a wee little while! :o)

Went over to see his new blog, and loved it! I tried to leave a comment, but ended up sending him an email instead. I wonder if we’ll run across each other again now that I’m in CIS?

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Dr. Engel, I agree. When people rattle acronyms off at you, especially when it’s part of a specific jargon - medical, technological, or some other - it can quickly become difficult, if not impossible, to follow. You end up 5 paragraphs behind them, still trying to figure out what they said way back in the beginning. Acronyms are only good when used in their own media … considering that the idea behind using them is to facilitate conversation. *cough*

By: Hans G. Engel, M.D.

Hans G. Engel, M.D. — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 19:56:07 +0000

Both chips seem harmful to me: one my health and the other my technical comprehension.
Acronyms have been my enemies for ages; every single specialist in any science or occupation uses acronyms. The speaker (or at times the writer) uses terms that are familiar to themselves but not the listeners or readers. It makes the user uncomfortable, presuming that you are stupid when the term is obvious to the provider.
On many occasions I’ve begged professors to not use acronyms (or at least to use synonyms) of what the words actually mean.

By: Shelly Franz

Shelly Franz — Sun, 21 Jan 2007 18:19:07 +0000

Poor Moof! See, Classmate X would have had the opposite problem. He already knew all the computer acronyms (better than I do, and I’m no slouch), but your medical terminology would have been tough!
Fortunately, he didn’t change his route to a CIS major, so now we’re into programming (YUK!).
He also decided to change directions with his blog, you might want to check it out.

Love ya, don’t study TOO hard;
Shel

By: Vijay

Vijay — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 18:44:34 +0000

My daughter & I have just discovered the joys of Pringles & Lays..
Are these chips of yours as good?? *blink*
Poor Moofie *comfort*

PS. Did I get the emotions right?? *evil grin*

By: ian lidster

ian lidster — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 16:38:22 +0000

But, have you ever had Maui Chips? Real Maui Chips made from real potatoes, not one of the facsimiles. You’ll never want to try any other brand after those. On the other hand, I have a soft spot for salt and vinegar. Nice to hear from you again, my friend.

Ian

By: Domesticator

Domesticator — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 16:04:17 +0000

Ummmm….other than the salt and vinegar potato chips, I have NO idea what you are talking about!
*LOL*
Good luck, Moof…we’ll be around.