Note-taking software/device (laptop/tablet/ultrabook/hybrids/etc) for medical school

[neuron101]

I will be starting medical school in the summer, and am looking to purchase a machine that will allow me to take and organize my notes from classes, labs, talks, etc. (presumably, typed and handwritten)

Any recommendations, suggestions, stories from current medical students, residents, etc.?

From some anecdotal claims on sites, Microsoft Surface Pro 2 + One Note appear as the strongest contenders? (I ask as the former MS Pro 2 has to my knowledge been only available for a few months...) Any thoughts on these claims? (I’m not ideological when it comes to software or hardware—I just want it to do what I want it to do!)

There seems to be a promotional pitch also from a current medical student, using MS Pro 2:

And yet another promotional pitch for MS Surface Pro 2 + One Note:

Customer from the Best Buy site's page that sells MS Surface Pro 2:

I am blown away. Being a medical professional, my biggest gripe was going into patients rooms with a piece of paper with reports from hours earlier or a tablet with zero operability. Electronic medical record software is very complex and can never be worthwhile or efficient on a tablet. Also, most of these software systems are on a virtual server, and there is no security of data on IOS and Android.

Enter the Surface Pro2.

Just connect it to my hospitals Wifi, start our hospitals medical record software, and round on my patients with real-time data in my hand, and make decisions and orders on at bedside using the surface pro 2 and the microsoft pen. Otherwise ample amounts of time used to be wasted in leaving the patients room, opening up a desktop computer, logging in and putting/reviewing orders and labs and going back in. Chart reviews and reading up on articles on the split screen feature while i walk from one end of the hospital to another has been pretty interesting too.

Medical lectures are a breeze. I just open up onenote and jot down my notes in handwritten text, which is more comfortable for me to review later. Reading journals, along with the mircomedex + uptodate apps are pretty good too.

In all, I have never been so efficient.

The battery pulls in ~ 8 hours on a typical work day which is enough for me.

Highly recommended

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[Aarcc]

I recently bought the surface pro 2 and I'm loving it so far but it definitely takes some getting used to. I'd stop by a best buy or something so you can try it out and see how the note taking is for you, since it is different from writing on paper. It's a bit heavier than what I would like but not much heavier but reading pdfs and ebooks is much more comfortable on a tablet than a laptop .

 

[HatWobble]

Yes, Surface Pro 2 is the best. Get those clicky keys, though.

 

[ulikedaggers]

Ah yes.. I remember having this exact same question last winter. Stick with what you've been using through college/post-bac/grad school/whatever. There's no reason to throw a wrench in the system.

 

[Pierat]

A Wacom tablet with OneNote = bliss

 

[neuron101]

Thanks for the thoughts. And, yes, it seems that any 'writable' option should include the Waccom digitizer, which I believe MS Surface Pro 2 has.

Thanks again!