Who are you, and what do you do? What do you like to do outside of work?

My name is Monica Lane, and I am a family nurse practitioner who works on telemedicine remotely. I assist clients with weight loss, hair loss, skin care, and primary care. I live in Vancouver, Canada, but work in the United States. I like to snowboard, paddleboard, and travel with my husband Levi (like the jeans) and two French bulldogs, Blueberry and Pancake.

I love traveling to new spots, but my favorite spots would be Reykjavik, Iceland for how otherworldly it is; Zamami Island in Japan, as it’s very isolated but beautiful; sexy speakeasy Raines Law Room in Manhattan, NY; Kauai, HI for the natural beauty and endless activities like horseback riding along the ocean, and Marché Mon Pitou in Vancouver, just about the cutest French cozy café ever.

I like anywhere I can paddleboard, get good eats, or sip a cocktail and enjoy the sun. Vancouver also has amazing Thai restaurants, Kin Kao being one of them. In the winter, I am on the slopes snowboarding with my husband locally on Cypress Mountain! You can watch the city from the mountains, and it’s a killer view.

The best part of Vancouver is you can hit the slopes then beach for dinner on the same day. There is the best Asian food and cozy cafés! It’s a foodie paradise.

What hardware do you use?

I’m an Apple girl, so I use a Mac mini with two Apple displays and a MacBook Air as well.

My MacBook is wrapped in an affordable Amazon beauty, a plastic case with a cute silicone keyboard cover that protects the keyboard.

My Hello Kitty hot water dispenser holds three liters of water at four temperatures—208, 195, 175, and 160—so I can have my black, green, and herbal teas at the perfect temperature with a push of a button. She makes sure I am glowing inside out with hydration so I can practice medicine with a clear mind! I am obsessed with Harney & Sons Hot Cinnamon Sunset tea (they have a decaf version for those of us who can’t sleep if we drink caffeine after noon), Republic of Tea’s Double Matcha tea, and Fortnum and Mason’s Earl Grey.

And what software?

My Mac runs macOS Sonoma. I work on multiple Electronic Medical Record systems that our developers built from ground up for the medical platforms that use them.

Working on an EMR can be really fun or horrible depending on who built it: When someone who is a medical provider themselves gives their input into the development, it’s more intuitive and the focus of the medical visit becomes the patient—but if it’s an outsourced job, it feels like trying to put together the frame of a house with bananas. You just don’t have the tools, or the process is so complicated you just want to rip your hair out. I have avoided interviewing for jobs entirely because of the horrible EMR systems in place.

When using my EMRs I always use Text Blaze, which is an amazing text expander program. The head honcho there will personally email you and troubleshoot and help you in any way he can.

I use my dual screens so I can have three different EMRs open and hustle.

What’s your keyboard setup like? Do you use a custom layout or custom keycaps?

I use the Moonlander with Cherry MX Silent Red (RGB)/ Complete keyboard keyswitches. The quieter the keys the better, as I need to speak to clients while typing.

What would be your dream setup?

My dream setup is the Mac Studio and the nicest Apple displays and a Moonlander with all the keyswitches to play with! Maybe more plants to make it feel like an inner jungle.

One more picture! My stationery/hydration corner with all things girly. Who says women can’t be pretty and smart?