How Living in the Cloud Can Save Time and Your Sanity

The Following on cloud storage is a Guest Article via The Nerdy Nurse.

To some, terms like “the cloud” seem like foreign computer jargon used by only the nerdiest of computer geeks. However, the cloud is actually a very user-friendly way to store documents online and allows for nearly instant access to them from anywhere. This can be a beneficial tool for nurses in any role to keep track of paperwork. And now, services like Google Drive and Dropbox make living in the cloud easier than ever by using desktop synchronization automated after initial set up. This makes documents on your laptop accessible from your smartphone, work computer, or any other computer you feel comfortable logging in on.

What does it mean to “Live in the Cloud?”

Living in the cloud means storing all your documents and files online. This makes switching to a new device a breeze and can allow you to access your personal or business files whenever and wherever. It elevates your productivity because as long as you have internet access, you can create and store documents from anywhere. The key to living in the cloud is storing all your documents, pictures, music, and movies on a cloud service.

Why Should Nurses Live in the Cloud?

Often, nurses are asked to provide documentation about their licensure, social security information, or copies of other records. This can happen more often for travel nurses, who usually have to provide a packet worth of information for each new travel assignment. While many nurses may have a file cabinet at home where they store all these documents, wouldn’t it be much easier to log in to access those documents via your smartphone or another computer and present them instantly? Think of how much time you can save by not having to pilfer through that file folder and then make copies (again) of all those documents that you repeatedly need to access.

How Can I Start Living in the Cloud?

Now that you’re no longer intimidated by the cloud (or at least have the curiosity and interest to keep reading), you can get started living in the cloud. This can be done by following a few steps:

Select a cloud storage services provider.
1. I recommend Google Drive or Dropbox for superior user experiences to most other cloud services. However, Box adheres to HIPAA and HITECH standards, so if you are going to have PHI or your personal identity data in the cloud, you might want to consider this option.
Download the desktop application
1. Whether you are a Windows-based PC or Mac user, most reputable cloud services have a desktop client. This allows you to allocate a drive on your computer to store all your documents. This makes locating files on your computer a seamless experience and automatically syncs those files to the cloud without any manual intervention.
Download the smartphone App
1. One of the biggest benefits of cloud computing is that you can access your documents and files from pretty much any mobile device. If you want to view paperwork that you know resides on your home computer or a picture that you have to show a friend, there is no need to be concerned with whether you’ve synced that file or picture on your phone. As long as you have a cell phone signal, you can access any file you need anytime!
Store Your Documents and Files in the Cloud
1. Once you have downloaded the desktop app, make sure that you are storing any document you may need to access remotely on this synchronized drive. I personally recommend paying the extra fee (for Google Drive, it’s about $5 a month for 100 GB of storage) so that you can store all your documents in the cloud. This way, you won’t have to determine which files are more valuable than others. You can automatically backup and access all your files via the cloud.
2. You should also make efforts to use a digital scanner like NeatDesk or smartphone scanning applications like Jot Not Scanner Pro or Scanner Pro to make PDFs for pertinent paperwork. This will be especially helpful when applying for your next nursing job or travel nurse assignment.

When you first consider using the cloud, it can be intimidating and overwhelming. But hopefully, the information provided in this article has given you the tools you need to use the cloud to become more mobile and productive. No longer will you have to make hard copies of paper documents. You will be free to access your important files from anywhere at any time.

Technology can help nurses make life easier, and this is only one small example of how this can be done. For more examples of how nurses can use technology to improve their lives and the care, they deliver to patients, check out The Nerdy Nurse’s Guide to Technology.

Author Bio:

Brittney Wilson, RN, BSN, also known as The Nerdy Nurse, is a Clinical Informatics Nurse practicing in Georgia. In her day job, she gets to do what she loves every day: Combine technology and healthcare to improve patient outcomes. She can best be described as a patient, nurse, and technology advocate and has a passion for using technology to innovate, improve and simplify lives, especially in healthcare. Brittney is the author of The Nerdy Nurse’s Guide to Technology. She is a social media influencer and blogs about nursing, technology, healthcare, parenting, and various lifestyle topics at thenerdynurse.com. You can also connect with her on Twitter @TheNerdyNurse or Facebook The Nerdy Nurse.