Computers had just been introduced to the unit where I worked. They were not being used by the nurses, although of course the nurses had their hands on them, experimenting just to see what they were all about. Never did know a nurse that could leave anything alone!!! And we did learn some things, the special dot. com language etc. Our ward clerk was increasingly frustrated by this ‘darned computer’ as she called it! Instead of helping her in her work it was causing her untold grief. One day while we were at lunch an announcement came over the PA system asking ‘Would the nurses from 5A please call their unit’. So one of the nurses did just that. She came back and related the hilarious conversation she had just gone through with our ward clerk.

"What’s wrong?" the nurse asked.

"It’s this bloody computer thing," an obviously very distressed woman said, "It erases everything I put into it and says to press ‘ANY’ key to correct the problem."

"OK," said the nurse, "No problem ,do that then!"

"Well, it is a problem," yelled the ward clerk, "you come and tell me where you see a key that says ‘ANY KEY' ON THIS  KEYBOARD!"

 Bonnie J-Lowe.