Netbook vs iPad for clinical rotations?

Hi, everyone! I'm about to start clinical rotations again, and I'm trying to figure out whether to buy a netbook or an iPad. I want something extremely portable, that I can take to clinics with me and:

1) use for writing discharges and ordering labs etc (since we're often short on computers in the hospital and it's annoying to waste a lot of time standing around waiting for one).

2) easily carry around (iPad might be better here since it would fit in my white coat pocket, which I don't think a netbook would do).

3) take notes on in lectures and rounds (here a netbook might be better unless I buy the roll-up keyboard for the iPad).

Do you have any opinions about which would be more useful in clinics?

Thanks!

I have an Ipad, and it's kind of a pain in the butt. I really only use it to play Words with Friends and check my email (but not respond, unless it's just a short reply) - I find typing on it to be really annoying, especially the autocorrect part. I thought I would use it a ton, but honestly I don't use it that much...and it was a lot more expensive than a netbook (I got mine as a gift). It might be worth checking out what apps are available though, as I'm sure that could make a difference!

FYI....you can turn the autocorrect off. I loathe it.

Originally Posted by Angie09

1) use for writing discharges and ordering labs etc (since we're often short on computers in the hospital and it's annoying to waste a lot of time standing around waiting for one).

2) easily carry around (iPad might be better here since it would fit in my white coat pocket, which I don't think a netbook would do).

3) take notes on in lectures and rounds (here a netbook might be better unless I buy the roll-up keyboard for the iPad).

Do you have any opinions about which would be more useful in clinics?

Thanks!

1) will you be able to do discharge/labs/etc from a generic program? or will you need the software from the school?

2) ipads easier to carry. I keep mine in a portfolio that has an IR keyboard, but I write on mine a lot. I personally find the net book keyboards small enough to irritate my wrists.

3) there are lots of keyboard options for the ipad.

if you are likely to need to draw anything, go with an ipad. otherwise, it comes to preference. I use a keyboard portfolio, and its still super light.

Angie, even if this thread hasn't been helpful for you, it has for me!

Sumstorm, any recs for keyboards?

I'll have to explore to figure out the autocorrect!

Thanks guys!

I got mine from brookstone

I have my iPhone right now and to turn off autocorrect it is:
Settings~General~Keyboard~Autocorrect~Off

Probably similar or the same sequence for iPad

as an iPad alternative, I have looked at slates similar to this:
http://h10010.www1.hp.com/wwpc/us/en...0-4332585.html

The handwriting recognition is supposedly lightyears ahead of that of the iPad, so you could write your notes from lectures/rounds right on the screen. It would also run any windows programs (ie, whatever you might need to write/print discharge reports)

So I started clinics about a month ago and ended up using my iPad (more than!) daily. I didn't use it to take notes, but having a good PDF program on there, along with DropBox, made my life so much easier - I could upload my notes, book chapters, good papers, etc and have them all there to access for rounds, discharges, SOAPs, etc.

I also downloaded 2 books - one of the Blackwells series, and Plumbs - and used the Kindle app to access them. It's great because I can also access them quickly on my phone and (if I have it handy) on my laptop. The only thing I wish is that there was a really great anatomy text or app available for quick access. Based on what I've heard, the kindle texts with lots of pictures don't always translate well!

As an aside, it was really the first time I've used my iPad regularly and enjoyed having it around, other than while traveling.

I like mine for looking up things (e.g. for rounds), but it's too difficult to write records with.

Not in clinics yet but I love my iPad for everyday use - easy to view PDFs and has a bunch of good note-taking apps. I have a Logitech keyboard which can prop the iPad up like a computer screen and doubles as a protective cover for the face of the iPad.

I ended up going with an Asus Eee Pc Seashell netbook, which cost about $250. It has a great battery life (at least 6-8 hours of active use) and is small and light enough that I think nothing of toting it back and forth to the hospital every day.

However, I don't actually use it that often for discharges or looking things up -- now that I have an iPhone, I find it MUCH more convenient for quick web searches, and while the netbook is portable, it's a pain to lug it around all day and it doesn't really fit in my white coat pocket. Sometimes I take notes on it during didactic rounds. And our hospital has about 20 computers for about 80 rotating students, so it saved my butt on many early mornings when my SOAP was due and I couldn't find a free computer anywhere!

But I could have done all of those things on an iPad, too. And I don't think any of it (well, maybe the SOAPs) was mission critical. I think iPads are definitely better for organizing electronic resources, and my friends who've downloaded electronic textbooks onto their iPad LOVE LOVE LOVE them!!! Those types of documents are a pain to navigate on the netbook.

I guess if money wasn't an issue, I'd go with an iPad. More versatile, lighter, more user-friendly. But the netbook was fine.

I'm 10 weeks in on clinics here and we generally have enough computers that finding a free one isnt a big issue. Honestly I have never really wished I had an netbook or iPad while on clinics(and I've been looking for an excuse to buy an ipad). Theft in the teaching hospital here is a very real problem though so its not very practical to have them as there isn't convenient access to secure storage.

My solution has been an iPhone and a thumb drive. Iphone is great for the quick searches you might want to do. And the thumb drives makes it easy to bring documents back and forth from home like templated SOAP's. The phone is also wicked handy for snapping pictures of treatment sheets at the end of the night, so I can write up treatment sheets at home for the next day. Starting the SOAP's and treatment sheets at home save me a lot of time at school in the AM.

The pictures with the iPad 2 aren't too bad either. So if that's the only change, I wouldn't go for the 3.

Originally Posted by dyachei

Also the refurbished iPad 2 on the apple website aren't really refurbs, they just tend to be cheaper floor models. iPad 3 is only needed if you care about pics from you iPad. Otherwise they overheat faster and are heavier

Originally Posted by PetPony

The pictures with the iPad 2 aren't too bad either. So if that's the only change, I wouldn't go for the 3.

I would definitely agre with you guys here on principle. A lot has changed on the inside (apparently, according to computery review sites)

However with the rate at which Apple releases new products and 'leaves behind' the older models, I'd be afraid that it would become obsolete more quickly. Right now, the original iPad isn't going to be getting the new IOS 6 when it comes out. The original iPad came out in April of 2010. That's just barely two years ago. Just makes me nervous that I'll spend all that money (it's still a lot!) on something that will end up being left behind, you know?

That is bad, yeah. Is the first one even for sale still? I haven't seen it in any stores here anymore..

Originally Posted by PetPony

That is bad, yeah. Is the first one even for sale still? I haven't seen it in any stores here anymore..

Not in stores, I don't think. Probably still on eBay and the likes, though. But if people bought the first generation, they're screwed come the next IOS update.

Same with the iPhone 3G. It's not getting the updates, either. I just hate how fast Apple's products upgrade to new ones.