The best and the worst of information exists in the electronic world. With e-mail, students and faculty alike are exposed to a host of people with different ideas. But their exposure is limited to the words on a screen. There are no intonations or body language to help interpret the meaning of the words. Communication with written words only creates an environment where it is easier to misunderstand, misinterpret or to offend.
Electronic communication requires a whole new set of communication skills and rules.
Issues related to electronic information access and communication offer another area of exciting opportunities. This paper has identified and explored five problems facing nursing informatics education. In reviewing these problems one could compare nursing informatics education to a raft trip in constant white water. But always remember, white water is the exciting part of rafting. These problems represent some of the exciting opportunities available in the field of nursing informatics education.