There is already much of the telemedicine in rural areas where doctors are
scarse. They can get a small camera and zoom in the do exams from far away
with the assistance of a nurse or paramedic in remote regions.
Doctors here already have hospital computer access in which they can see all
lab and direct viewing of radiology images. HIS systems are very
sofisticated now that it is priceless in making an impact on patient care.
As soon as an Xray is taken it can be viewed by the doctor a few feet away
or by a specialist several thousand miles away.
Hospital computer systems (HIS) are being used to bar code all medications
to match each medication with each patient to prevent errors. Doctors are
also giving up on the hand written pads and going online so avoid messy
written notes often misinterpreted with bad patient care consequences.
Hospital bar system codes can label a specimen of blood and when that blood
sample is placed in a machine, the appropriate tests are automatically run
and transmitted into the hospital system where transcription errors and
sample ID errors can be avoided.
Computers are very much time savers and provide accuracy that when they do
go down it is a nightmare. We must have 24/7 care of hospital machines and
computer services and they are vital.

They want health care workers in Canada to bare the brunt for the cost and
leave unregulated computer programmers to make a fortune. Because they are
health care workers they must pay for the cost of all the people's health
care. TC can make money because he is not involved in health care. They
should place people responsible for the hospital systems 24/7 in Canada
under the health care system.
Here's what they should tell these students before they attend one class.
You are expected to get low wages and poor working conditions compared to
your non health care counterparts as you are paying for the health care
system yourselves.

Inside the June/July 1999 print edition of
Canadian Healthcare Technology:

Royal Ottawa Hospital to run program for telehealth technicians
By Jerry Zeidenberg

OTTAWA - The Royal Ottawa Hospital has announced that in September, it will
become the site for a year-long program to train telehealth technicians. The
development appears to confirm that demand for "distance medicine" solutions
is growing, as urban hospitals seek to assist physicians and patients in
surrounding areas via computerized networks.

What's often missing from the equation is a pool of well-trained technicians
who are able to install and maintain telehealth systems and computer
networks in general.

To alleviate the shortage, the ROH has entered an agreement with Novatech
Computer Careers of Kingston, Ont., a privately run school that has been
accredited to deliver the telehealth technology courses by the Ontario
government.

For its part, Novatech has taught computer education for six years and
launched its first telehealth training-program a year ago. It's said to be
the only program producing telehealth technicians in Canada, and the courses
cover a wide variety of skills.

"The students have six hours of lectures and labs every day, five days a
week," commented Rick Lawless, president and founder of Novatech. "They
obtain Microsoft and Novell certification, and gain expertise in personal
computers, telecommunications, telephony, cable technologies and computer
security."

He noted that students also learn about medical technologies. "They have
training in medical software and hardware," said Lawless. "It's a hands-on
program. By the end of it, they're able to take a bucket of parts and put a
PC together, or a remote stethoscope."

Admittedly, it's an intensive curriculum, and Novatech will be screening
applicants to make sure they're committed. "One of the most important things
a student can do is to show up every day," said Lawless, adding that a great
deal of motivation and drive is also required to complete the assignments.
Students don't need a background in computer technology, but they must be
eager to learn.

There's a serious financial commitment at stake, too. Tuition is $13,500 for
the program. But Lawless says that similar community college programs
offering Microsoft and Novell certification cost as much as $19,000.

Moreover, Lawless asserts that it's a worthwhile investment, since 95
percent of graduates from the school have found jobs. Companies hiring the
students include Nortel Networks, Newbridge and Corel.

Over the last two years, the school has graduated about 200 students, and
currently employs 25 instructors.

At the Royal Ottawa Hospital, the organizers are expecting about 30
full-time students to enroll. They'll be split into two classes.

Lawless expects that some of the students will be recently laid-off
healthcare workers who are re-training themselves for jobs in high demand -
computer technicians, with special expertise in telehealth. Other applicants
might simply wish to change the direction of their careers.

According to Lawless, the small class size - typically eight to 10
students - is a big boost to learning. He observes that university computer
classes often contain as many as 150 students. "Students there are lucky to
talk to their professors once a year," said Lawless, himself a graduate of
the University of Guelph's public administration program, and in computer
science from Pennsylvania State University.

By contrast, he said that Novatech's students spend much more time with
their instructors, who have all had actual field experience with companies
such as Compaq Computer Corp., Rogers Cablesystems, and others.

For more information about Novatech Computer Careers, including the scope of
the curriculum, readers can visit its web site at www.novatech.on.ca or call
the school at 613-384-7959.

hrubin@odds.stat.purdue.edu (Herman Rubin) wrote in message

What the heck does the Marxist ideal have to do with this discussion?

TC