OREGON HEALTH SCIENCES UNIVERSITY

SCHOOL OF NURSING COMPUTER LITERACY

SELF-ASSESSMENT GUIDE FOR NURSING STUDENTS

While familiarity with any computer will decision about whether or not you need to
be useful in the nursing program, knowledge seek additional training in that area. As a rule
of Windows is useful to the OHSU nursing of thumb:
student because most of the computer-assisted
instructional programs available in the Nursing · If you score above 16 points for any
Lab on campus are Windows-based. If you are particular section, you probably have
familiar with a Mac, it should not be difficult the skill level you need to use a
to "translate" your skills to a Windows computer in that area for the nursing
environment if and when you need to use a PC program.
on campus. If you score between 10 and 15, you
·
seem to have a significant amount of
What follows is a Self-Assessment Guide familiarity but we suggest you
designed to help you to determine if you will continue to give yourself opportunities
need additional training or practice to meet the to work with a computer and become
computer-related requirements of the nursing even more familiar with that particular
degree program you are entering. The guide is aspect.
divided into 5 parts:
· If you score below 10, you probably
· General Computer Knowledge want to get additional training and/or
practice. Take advantage of the any of
· Documents and Documentation (word the resources in your area to develop
processing) the skill level you need.
· Rows and Columns (spreadsheets)
· Data Inquiry (databases and database
searching)
· Communications (email, computer
conferencing, mail groups and WWW)

In the blank before each question below,

write in a 2, a 1, or a 0:

· 2 standing for YES

· 1 standing for NOT SURE, BUT
LIKELY
· 0 standing for NO or UNLIKELY
At the end of each part, total your points
for that section, and based on the total, make a
I. General Computer Knowledge

1. Can you name one input device and one output device?
2. Do you know what RAM stands for and how much RAM your computer has?
3. Do you know what an "icon" is and what to do with it?
4. Do you know how to use a mouse to "drag" an item?
5. Do you know the acceptable form for a filename?
6. Do you know how to search for a file on your computer?
7. Do you know what a modem is used for?
8. Do you know how to reboot your computer?
9. If you have a program on a diskette or a CD, do you know how to tell the computer
to RUN it?
10. Do you know how to open up more than one program at a time and move quickly
between them?

TOTAL SCORE General Computer Knowledge _______

II. Documents and Documentation (Word Processing)

Nurses are information workers. They assess patient-specific information from charts and
medical records; they collect information, plan and document care. The nurse completes many
of these activities by using automated clinical information systems and word processing
software. Academic papers and reports are required in nearly all nursing theory courses, and
your ability to prepare those assignments with a word processor will improve the appearance
of your work and in most cases your efficiency in being able to complete it.

1. Do you know what font or typeface is?

2. Do you know how to right and left justify a document?
3. Do you know how to cut and paste a block of text?
4. Do you know how to use a mouse to "drag" a block of text?
5. Do you know how to reset margins in your word processor?
6. Do you know how to create a table in a word processing document?
7. Do you know what the clipboard does?
8. Do you know how to tell your word processor to number the pages of your
document?
9. Can you use a spell checker?
10. Do you know how to save as @ in order to change the format of the document you
are saving from one type of word processing program to another or from a word
processing format to html?

TOTAL SCORE Documents and Documentation (Word Processing) _______

III. Rows and Columns (Spreadsheets)

Spreadsheets and statistical programs are used in nursing for budgeting and budget
projection, research and presentation of information in graphical form. As a nursing student
you will need some knowledge of statistics software to complete your Nursing Research
course. Knowledge of spreadsheets in budgeting will be useful in Leadership and Management.

1. Have you ever balanced a checkbook with a computer program (i.e. Quicken)?
2. Have you used a spreadsheet program to project or manage a budget?
3. Do you know how to make a histogram or bar chart from selected spreadsheet rows
and columns?
4. Do you know what a cell is in a spreadsheet?
5. Do you know the number a spreadsheet would enter in a cell where you typed the
following: =2+2*6 (Hint: You need to know which operations the computer would
do first.)
6. Do you know how to write a formula to add a column of numbers?
7. Can you change the format of a number in a spreadsheet from currency to comma and
do you know what that means?
8. Have you ever used a statistical program?
9. Can you find the mean for a column of figures in a statistical program?
10. Do you know how to copy a column of figures into a second column?

TOTAL SCORE Rows and Columns (Spreadsheets) _______

IV. Data Inquiry (Databases and Search Engines)

Nurses often need to locate information. As a student you will need to use electronic library
systems and database search engines to search the literature or research on a particular topic.
Academic papers and reports are required in nearly all nursing theory courses, and your ability
to search for, gather pertinent information and report on your findings will be very important.

1. Have you ever used a personal computerized database such as an address list?
2. Do you know which of the following is the best reason for putting your address
addresses in a computerized database?
S It can hold an unlimited number of names.
S You can make corrections without retyping the whole thing.
S You can sort it on different categories or fields.
3. Have you ever sorted a database to put the records in a particular order or to find a
particular group?
4. If someone asked you to put names, addresses, phone numbers, and job titles into a
database, do you know which of the following sets of categories (fields) would be the
best database design so that later you could print mailing labels in zip code order and
an office address list in alphabetical order?
S name, address, phone, job
S first name, last name, street address, city, state/zip, phone, job
S name, street address, city, state/zip, phone, job
S first name, last name, address, phone, job
5. Have you ever used a "search engine" (i.e. Yahoo, Infoseek, Alta Vista, Lycos) on the
Web?
6. Have you ever searched for a topic in one of the large health-related databases (i.e.
Medline, CINAHL, etc.)
7. Do you know what Medical Subject Headings (MESH) are and how to use them?
8. Do you know what difference "AND" or "OR" would make in combining the results
of two searches?
9. Have you ever used an electronic clinical information system to look up a client's
health record?
10. Have you ever searched an electronic library catalog?

TOTAL SCORE Data Inquiry (Databases and Search Engines) _______

V. Communications and Surfing (E-mail, Computer Conferencing, Mail
Groups and WWW)

Electronic communication skills are becoming more important in every profession, and
nursing is no exception. The various forms of electronic communication are creating non-
geographically-based collaborative networks and providing equal access to information for
rural health care providers. At the School of Nursing we use electronic communication tools
for distributed learning. Students frequently communicate with their instructors and each
other by e-mail. Students who know how to surf the Web often can access up-to-the-minute
information, electronic journals and federal health care data reports.

1. Do you have an e-mail address?

2. Do you have an Internet provider for your home or office computer?
3. Do you know what a list serve or electronic discussion group is?
4. Have you ever subscribed to a list serve?
5. Have you ever used a browser like Netscape or Internet Explorer to visit the World
Wide Web?
6. Have you ever participated in an asynchronous computer conference, on-line chat
group or news group?
7. Do you use e-mail regularly?
8. Have you ever saved a web page, printed a web page or created a web page?
9. Can you locate three major search engines on the Web?
10. If you found a site on the Web that you particularly liked, do you know how to easily
save that site (bookmark) so you can go back to it later without having to re-enter the
entire address?

TOTAL SCORE Communications and Surfing (E-mail, Computer Conferencing,

Mail Groups and WWW) ______