Your favorite old school technology that will shock new grads

[Dred Pirate]

I was talking to some of our residents and I realized just how much technology has changed over my career. I graduated in 04 - so the internet was just really taking off while I was in school and have seen a decent amount of technology change. I thought it would be fun to talk about how "we used to do" things from at technology perspective.

One of the oddest things looking back was ordering via the Telxon. For you youngins, you had this handheld machine (see below link) where you would type in the NDC of the product you wanted to order, then you would call the wholesaler on the phone, and when it picked up, you would hold the telxon speaker against the phone and it would sound like a fax machine and submit your order.

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[297point1]

Based on your headline, I thought you were talking about a Van de Graaff generator.

But the Texlon is cool too.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Based on your headline, I thought you were talking about a Van de Graaff generator.

But the Texlon is cool too.

Haha. Those were cool. I should buy one for my home office.

 

[Rockinacoustic]

Paper charts and having to go *gasp* bedside to review progress notes

 

[RxPreceptor]

OMG charting systems and reading cursive hand writing from dozens of different people (bumble F OH, WV on rotations)

Techs today are baffled, dazed and confused whenever he/she gets to see an actual hard copy Rx

give me a good old TI scientific calculator over some god forsaken ”smart” phone touch calculator

 

[WorthlessOxygen]

I've heard stories of the telxon but started after they were phased out. That was the first thing I thought of reading the thread title though.

 

[owlegrad]

I've heard stories of the telxon but started after they were phased out. That was the first thing I thought of reading the thread title though.

Same. I saw one IRL but it wasn’t being used.

 

[WorthlessOxygen]

Same. I saw one IRL but it wasn’t being used.

Ooh see they were always this myth to me. It sounds like such an inefficient ordering system that I honestly thought I was being lied to when my coworkers first told me about them.

Now techs and interns joke about me being old for remembering when controls weren't allowed to be e-rx'd

 

[mentos]

I graduated in 04 - so the internet was just really taking off while I was in school and have seen a decent amount of technology change.

Just taking off in 04?? I remember logging into AOL after school in 1995 on a 14k modem!

 

[confettiflyer]

Just taking off in 04?? I remember logging into AOL after school in 1995 on a 14k modem!

I remember instant messaging was a new thing on AOL, but there was no Buddy List yet (did that arrive in AOL 3.0? Not sure).

My b/l was literally a post it note taped to the monitor of my friends’ screennames, and i had to manually search each one.

And man 14.4k? My first one was 2.4kbps, and I’d log on and then go make a sandwich. When USR released their X2 modem with 56k (make sure you dial the right number, not the one for K56flex), you were REALLY cruising along!

 

[confettiflyer]

I was talking to some of our residents and I realized just how much technology has changed over my career. I graduated in 04 - so the internet was just really taking off while I was in school and have seen a decent amount of technology change. I thought it would be fun to talk about how "we used to do" things from at technology perspective.

One of the oddest things looking back was ordering via the Telxon. For you youngins, you had this handheld machine (see below link) where you would type in the NDC of the product you wanted to order, then you would call the wholesaler on the phone, and when it picked up, you would hold the telxon speaker against the phone and it would sound like a fax machine and submit your order.

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I remember being a new tech and teaching the old techs how to use the “new” web interface at CVS for our wholesaler, and nobody trusted it…they trusted the black brick that made fax noises, lol.

The pro with that machine was the scanning wand, as you came across low stock, just scan the NDC on the spot and be on your way.

My old Palm device had that feature - I could tap a contact in my device and hold it to a phone to dial. Ended up being somewhat useless because my old Nokia 5190 could store a few dozen numbers on the SIM card, but it was a neat replacement for the Rolodex/DayRunner book.

 

[Pronounce Doxazosin]

The fact that we used to do all paper Rxs still boggles my mind
These days, I get 1 faxed Rx and I get annoyed

 

[Dred Pirate]

Just taking off in 04?? I remember logging into AOL after school in 1995 on a 14k modem!

I graduated high school in 96. I mean in college the internet really started

 

[Dred Pirate]

OMG charting systems and reading cursive hand writing from dozens of different people (bumble F OH, WV on rotations)

Techs today are baffled, dazed and confused whenever he/she gets to see an actual hard copy Rx

give me a good old TI scientific calculator over some god forsaken ”smart” phone touch calculator

I had the same TI85 from 1996 to 2017 before it finally quit. Thing was a beast.

 

[mentos]

I had the same TI85 from 1996 to 2017 before it finally quit. Thing was a beast.

What a scam, those stupid calculators still cost $100+. Should be $5-10 by now.

 

[Dred Pirate]

I

What a scam, those stupid calculators still cost $100+. Should be $5-10 by now.

still remeber paying $85 for mine, and I only made $4.75 and hour - that **** was a lot of money

 

[RxPreceptor]

Still rocking a TI 30…second one after first one bit the dust with solar panels dying after like 15-20 years and surviving multiple major (several states apart) moves

 

[grumpyRph]

i was a GREAT t9word texter. i'll always miss that.

i can't think of anything too profound at work when i started the 'greens in '06 as a tech. i guess e-rx wasn't a thing, i forget when that happened. the only thing i'm STILL baffled by, is how behind-the-times health care still really is with technology. cause we still do all the faxes, phone calls, and paper rx's. oye.

outside of work. do you remember dealing with fm transmitters in your car and ipods? i think that was a true hardship of the transition from CDs to music on ipods/smart phones lol. how wacky! also... i was prime age for canon powershots. eek!!!!

 

[mentos]

outside of work. do you remember dealing with fm transmitters in your car and ipods? i think that was a true hardship of the transition from CDs to music on ipods/smart phones lol. how wacky! also... i was prime age for canon powershots. eek!!!!

LoL I gave up with those FM transmitter things. Could never get a good signal so I kept burning CDs for my car until aux cables became a thing. I had a 2007 Accord that advertised having an aux cable, but it was hidden in the back of the stereo and required you to loop it through the glovebox somehow. No normal person knew how to do this.

 

[RXDOC1986]

Taking "call" for a Home Infusion Pharmacy in late '80s to early 90's. Some really cool gadgets:

a beeper - displaying only a phone number, had to stop at payphone and call
a beeper - displaying a whole message, texting???? anyone, still had to go to payphone and call
a car phone - built into your brand new Ford Pinto (riding in style)
a portable cell phone - a panasonic the size of a brief case and about 10 lbs
a cooler cell phone - the size of large brick (the motorolla)

I HAVE HAD EVERY ONE OF THESE (except the Ford Pinto)

 

[RXDOC1986]

also DOT MATRIX printers in all Pharmacies - retail/hospital/LTC
printing all labels and all reports
my personal BROTHER desk top super computer (word processor)
AND Typewriters
yes I AM a SENIOR CITIZEN (get off my lawn!)

 

[mustang sally]

It's still weird to me that when I graduated (in 2012) the doctors only did written orders, even though we obviously had an EMR. The HUC would throw all of these written orders into a bin up on her desk, and I would have to go get them periodically. I referred to this as "circling the bin." But possibly my hospital was just really old fashioned...I think we're doing better now.

 

[Rouelle]

I had the same TI85 from 1996 to 2017 before it finally quit. Thing was a beast.

I still use my HP32s calculator that I got sometime around 1989-1990. I used to use it occasionally in front of students when I was teaching full time…not a single one had ever used a reverse polish notation calculator.

 

[njac]

I had the same TI85 from 1996 to 2017 before it finally quit. Thing was a beast.

Still have my TI-89. (And my 85)

I loan them to RNs when they have to take statistics

 

[njac]

I

still remeber paying $85 for mine, and I only made $4.75 and hour - that **** was a lot of money

First job was $5.75/hr. They were so proud they paid more than minimum wage.

 

[mentos]

First job was $5.75/hr. They were so proud they paid more than minimum wage.

$6 for me. I thought I was a baller cause older kids remembered starting at $4.

 

[RXDOC1986]

First pharmacy tech job, Eckerd Drugs, $5.25/hr. Doing good since Federal min.wage was $3.75

 

[GrandTheftAutumn]

Goddamn y'all are some old farts

 

[GrandTheftAutumn]

It's still weird to me that when I graduated (in 2012) the doctors only did written orders, even though we obviously had an EMR. The HUC would throw all of these written orders into a bin up on her desk, and I would have to go get them periodically. I referred to this as "circling the bin." But possibly my hospital was just really old fashioned...I think we're doing better now.

I know of a hospital that still used all written orders in 2016

 

[PharmDBro2017]

Not my favorite... but paper charting and faxing orders to pharmacy to enter AND verify.

Thank god for EMR/CPOE.

 

[WVUPharm2007]

lmao...I remember that stupid device. I started my first pharmacy hospital job in February 2002.

I can't believe I've been doing this **** for 20 years.

 

[JStarMD]

Providing anesthesia using a Ploss valve(look THAT one up!) No pulse oximeters, no CO2 monitor, manually operated blood pressure cuff…… for hours and hours of surgery/ anesthesia!

 

[group_theory]

One of the oddest things looking back was ordering via the Telxon. For you youngins, you had this handheld machine (see below link) where you would type in the NDC of the product you wanted to order, then you would call the wholesaler on the phone, and when it picked up, you would hold the telxon speaker against the phone and it would sound like a fax machine and submit your order.

Reminds me of this classic from BBC - demonstrating an early "modem" in use, via a rotary phone

 

[BidingMyTime]

Oh my, the Telxon that had to be connected to the phone to call in the order! I had forgotten about that thing, and fortunately never had to actually use one (the techs took care of that.)

And I remember having a beeper, so quint now, but seemed like such cutting edge technology at the time.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Oh my, the Telxon that had to be connected to the phone to call in the order! I had forgotten about that thing, and fortunately never had to actually use one (the techs took care of that.)

And I remember having a beeper, so quint now, but seemed like such cutting edge technology at the time.

Haha. I still have a stupid old school beeper to get code strokes

also DOT MATRIX printers in all Pharmacies - retail/hospital/LTC
printing all labels and all reports
my personal BROTHER desk top super computer (word processor)
AND Typewriters
yes I AM a SENIOR CITIZEN (get off my lawn!)

Up till about 2012 we had TPN software (copyright 1977. No kidding) that utilizes a dot matrix printer. I remember trying to get the labels all lined up. Usually had to print a couple of times to do so.

 

[mentos]

Fax machines were a big part of Die Hard 2.

 

[sunnyandseventytwo]

Do any hospitals still use cassettes? I remember sitting in a chair and checking cassettes all day while listening to a Sony Walkman.

Okay, I lied. I'm not quite that old. It was a Sony Discman. I probably still had a cassette player in my car, though.

 

[WorthlessOxygen]

Okay, I lied. I'm not quite that old. It was a Sony Discman. I probably still had a cassette player in my car, though.

My first car had a cassette player but it was also as old as me. It was nice in that i was able to use those aux cassette adapters instead of FM transmitters mentioned earlier.

 

[Dred Pirate]

Not technology perse, more of lack of technology. When I was an intern, we had to manually sign out narcotics from our narcotic vault and keep a manual inventory. The RN's on the floor had to do shift counts every shift change (this was before ADM's)

 

[Dred Pirate]

My first car had a cassette player but it was also as old as me. It was nice in that i was able to use those aux cassette adapters instead of FM transmitters mentioned earlier.

Are you talking about where instead of pluygging headphones into your diskman, you pluged a fake cassette tape that you would then put in your take deck so you could place CD's in your car? I did that until my freshman year in college.

 

[WorthlessOxygen]

Are you talking about where instead of pluygging headphones into your diskman, you pluged a fake cassette tape that you would then put in your take deck so you could place CD's in your car? I did that until my freshman year in college.

Yes exactly that. I used it from high school until P3 year

 

[confettiflyer]

Not technology perse, more of lack of technology. When I was an intern, we had to manually sign out narcotics from our narcotic vault and keep a manual inventory. The RN's on the floor had to do shift counts every shift change (this was before ADM's)

My former employer still uses those giant sheets of grid paper to sign out and inventory/audit narcs. They’re part of a big health network so I dunno who is being cheap up there.

Problem is that they are so good at using it, there have been no diversion or regulatory visits because of it, so no impetus to change.

One thing I learned in hospital is that if you want the budget for something, bring up the Ghost of Regulatory Visit, and you might get a little nugget in the next budget.