New technology vs. old social workers....

We got the first of our new hand held dictation devices today and I have one case manager starting up with the new system. If this goes well, this will work out wonderfully and give them all more time to do all of the other mandatory things they need to do. The new technology, however, hasn't been met with the open arms I had hoped. I guess I should have known that any change is met with resistance and this was no different. I get a lot of complaining about the lack of time to do their case notes and how time consuming that is and how far behind they are all falling. In practical terms, the time they spend typing each individual note is extremely time consuming and the time it will take them to dictate those notes into a hand held will cut that time dramatically. So far, there are only two case managers that I am making this a mandatory practice for but the option is there for all of them and if the ones who opt not to use this new system continue to fall behind and whine about it then I will make the ultimate decision to make this the mandatory method of case noting.

We are also getting laptops with Internet access so they can use them in the field and enter assessment information in real time - as they are doing the assessments with their clients. We are also looking at getting those portable mini printers so once they enter the assessment information they can immediately print it out and get the guardian or client's signature on it. That way all they have to do is come back to the office and file it! I can't do much more to make this easier for them unless I get someone else to do their jobs and just pay them anyway!

The fact is, I have a great team of people here and I'll do anything to get them the tools they need to be successful in their jobs. I'm just lucky enough to work for an agency who feels the same way!