In this day and time, it is impossible to be in healthcare without having some knowledge of technology. Informatics and technology is becoming increasingly important as advances are made that allows the delivery of information we need instantly. Competency in this essential is extremely important as much of what we do now in providing care for our patients involves the use of technology in some form. We were given ample opportunities to prove our competency in this area. My strengths in this area were that I had already been exposed to EMR and computer documentation. My weakness was in my knowledge base about the diverse resources available to me to make presentations or deliver patient education. Exposure to entities like Prezi, Pictochart and Screen-Cast have broadened my horizon and given me a new perspective on delivering information. 

     The first assignment that supports my competency in this essential is the Patient Education Website that I created in advanced pathophysiology that went along with my research of Addison's disease. I was required to develop a patient appropriate education tool for the disease topic I chose. I ended up using Weebly to create a website which was not new to me but I found that with that program I was able to make a very comprehensive patient education tool. 

     The next assignment I chose to show competency was a Prezi that I created in Informatics. We were instructed on alternatives to Power Point in making presentations and Prezi is a very interesting alternative. I presented information on pet sitting. I enjoyed getting to learn this platform and enjoyed seeing much more visually stimulating presentations. 

     Additionally, in Sociocultural and Political Perspectives, I completed a group project in which we created a piktochart in order to share relevant information about a particular disease process within a different cultural context, and to gain skills in effective verbal communication with a specific audience. Our group chose the topic of Cholera in Haiti. We completed a Piktochart in English and French as well as a presentation to the class about our topic. 

     Finally, exposure to different EMR's such as EPIC, Centricity, and Alscripts in my different clinical settings as well as the use of EBP guideline tools like Up to Date, Medscape and 5-minute Clinical Consult to assist me with clinical decisions help support my competency in this essential.