National Network of Libraries of Medicine

nnlm.gov

Note: Pages in this archival exhibit describe a project which was conducted between October 1992 and April 1994.

From Bench to Bedside

Kalispell Regional Hospital

Kalispell, Montana

Susan Long, M.S.L., Librarian

Kalispell, a 109-bed acute care facility with a constellation of outpatient services and clinics, is the referral center for a large area of northwestern Montana, which contains several Indian Health Service clinics and hospitals. It is also the teaching hospital for the Salish-Kootenai Tribal College nursing program, as well as the site for clinical rotations for other health care professional programs from the University of Montana and the University of Washington.

Pat Wilson and Susan Long consult about the Internet.

Pat Wilson, B.S.N., Director of Education, Kalispell Regional Hospital:

I'm just beginning to see what is out there on the Internet. The potential, once I make the time, is amazing -- unlimited. This project has given me a great advantage in my profession: not many nurses at rural hospitals have had an opportunity to have access to the Internet and to learn about its capabilities this early on. I'm so grateful to our librarian, Susan Long, for bringing me into the forefront of this field.
There are more and more clinical and hospital people on the Internet every day, so the number of hospital and patient care applications is growing every day. For example, I'm on a nursing discussion list and there has been a lot of discussion of clinical paths and interdisciplinary charting. We'ree working on that right now, so I was able to get up-to-date information from my colleagues.

It's exciting an I'm exploring and experimenting: I gophered to a place called Nightingale where they had sample policies and procedures that could be of great use.

I'm also working on my masters in nursing at Montana State University and have been using the Internet for my course work. I used to have to travel around the state to get ahold of resources, but now I can get wonderful library access from home.

There are so many things on the Internet for rural areas!

Go to From Bench to Bedsides Index / Introduction / Project Description / Alaska Native Medical Center / Kalispell Regional Hospital / Kootenai Medical Center / Merle West Medical Center / Providence General Medical Center / St. Peter Hospital / Shodair Hospital / Helix / Anatomy Browser

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