Are iPads necessary for medical school?

[orangeman25]

I love the concept of using the iPad to annotate my slides and reading assignments, but in my experience, the stylus is just too fat. In other words, stylus-made handwriting is too thick and bulky. I like how with a pen or mechanical pencil, I can write with 0.5mm width.

Are there other tablets that offer styluses that feel less clunky and thick?

There are styli out there that basically look like a pen (no dull end). They are rather expensive though...

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[winterchill]

which schools have iPads built into their curriculum?

I know Yale, Brown, Cornell, Stanford, Dartmouth and the University of Rochester all integrate the iPad within their curriculum to different degrees from making all the syllabi/course notes available to recommended apps. Some students I met at Dartmouth were kind of ambivalent about their iPad. When I sat (stood) in on a class at Rochester however, almost all the students were annotating on their iPad. (They had the keyboard too)

Cornell lends out iPads the first two years and gives out the minis the latter two: http://weill.cornell.edu/education/student/stu_pol_ipad.html

 

[DK2014]

Do most people use ebooks/pdfs in medschool?

 

[NickNaylor]

Do most people use ebooks/pdfs in medschool?

Our class uses PDFs, but that's because they seem to be the predominant format they're "found" in. We actually use our Dropbox to post and share PDFs of the required texts that we need for each course/rotation as they're "found."

 

[Boolean]

I know Yale, Brown, Cornell, Stanford, Dartmouth and the University of Rochester all integrate the iPad within their curriculum to different degrees from making all the syllabi/course notes available to recommended apps. Some students I met at Dartmouth were kind of ambivalent about their iPad. When I sat (stood) in on a class at Rochester however, almost all the students were annotating on their iPad. (They had the keyboard too)

Cornell lends out iPads the first two years and gives out the minis the latter two: http://weill.cornell.edu/education/student/stu_pol_ipad.html

UCF uses them as well. All M1's get a mini.

 

[sstackhouse]

I know Yale, Brown, Cornell, Stanford, Dartmouth and the University of Rochester all integrate the iPad within their curriculum to different degrees from making all the syllabi/course notes available to recommended apps. Some students I met at Dartmouth were kind of ambivalent about their iPad. When I sat (stood) in on a class at Rochester however, almost all the students were annotating on their iPad. (They had the keyboard too)

Cornell lends out iPads the first two years and gives out the minis the latter two: http://weill.cornell.edu/education/student/stu_pol_ipad.html

thanks!

 

[winterchill]

UCF uses them as well. All M1's get a mini.

That's awesome! Makes it easier to study anywhere.

 

[Amygdarya]

Penn is also one of the schools that has an "iPad curriculum".

 

[DK2014]

For those of you already in medschool, what apps do you use the most on your iPad?

 

[ChEMD]

For those of you already in medschool, what apps do you use the most on your iPad?

Goodnotes for annotating PDFs, Inkling for any type of textbook.

 

[Warke]

I'm also curious about the answer to the iPad vs surface 2 pro question. There are some things about the surface pro 2 I really like (won't detect your palm when writing, fully functional Microsoft os, free Microsoft office), but I'm wondering if those bonuses are more than offset by the convenience of iOS apps. I've seen nettle card apps, anatomy apps, first aid and pathology apps, and other random stuff.

Unless one is much easier to read or write on, I figure I could take notes and read textbooks on either. Can anyone speak to how useful the medically relevant iPad apps are, and if those alone are enough reasons to buy and iPad?

 

[ChEMD]

I'm also curious about the answer to the iPad vs surface 2 pro question. There are some things about the surface pro 2 I really like (won't detect your palm when writing, fully functional Microsoft os, free Microsoft office), but I'm wondering if those bonuses are more than offset by the convenience of iOS apps. I've seen nettle card apps, anatomy apps, first aid and pathology apps, and other random stuff.

Unless one is much easier to read or write on, I figure I could take notes and read textbooks on either. Can anyone speak to how useful the medically relevant iPad apps are, and if those alone are enough reasons to buy and iPad?

I've found it is much easier to read on an iPad than on a surface. The text on the screen just seems a lot more crisp, which is important to me if I'm going to be reading on this thing for hours a day. Just make sure you try it out before hand. One thing to note, microsoft onenote is pretty horrible at importing PDF files (the main reason I stayed away from the surface pro). So if your goal is to annotate your slides/syllabi, make sure you find a windows app that can do it well. Last thing, apps on iOS just feel faster and easier than using full windows. I know that many people think that it would be great to have fully functional windows, but in all honesty you don't need it and it will only make your experience feel slower. On the other hand, if you don't have a computer at all, then you might want to go with the surface pro.

 

[Boolean]

I've found it is much easier to read on an iPad than on a surface. The text on the screen just seems a lot more crisp, which is important to me if I'm going to be reading on this thing for hours a day. Just make sure you try it out before hand. One thing to note, microsoft onenote is pretty horrible at importing PDF files (the main reason I stayed away from the surface pro). So if your goal is to annotate your slides/syllabi, make sure you find a windows app that can do it well. Last thing, apps on iOS just feel faster and easier than using full windows. I know that many people think that it would be great to have fully functional windows, but in all honesty you don't need it and it will only make your experience feel slower. On the other hand, if you don't have a computer at all, then you might want to go with the surface pro.

I agree with this. Also, in terms of palm writing, many iPad apps can adapt for this (such as GoodNotes)

 

[SN12357]

I'm also curious about the answer to the iPad vs surface 2 pro question. There are some things about the surface pro 2 I really like (won't detect your palm when writing, fully functional Microsoft os, free Microsoft office), but I'm wondering if those bonuses are more than offset by the convenience of iOS apps. I've seen nettle card apps, anatomy apps, first aid and pathology apps, and other random stuff.

Unless one is much easier to read or write on, I figure I could take notes and read textbooks on either. Can anyone speak to how useful the medically relevant iPad apps are, and if those alone are enough reasons to buy and iPad?

I'm interested in this question as well both the iPad in comparison to the Surface but also iPad in comparison to android tablets. Are there many medical apps that are only available for iPads?

 

[Boolean]

I'm interested in this question as well both the iPad in comparison to the Surface but also iPad in comparison to android tablets. Are there many medical apps that are only available for iPads?

The Windows Store is relatively new in terms of App Stores. Benefit to a Surface Pro being you can use Apps outside of the Windows App store. That said, the quality of the mobile apps (and the quantity) on the iOS platform heavily outweighs that of Windows. (I have a few apps in particular that come to mind, if you'd like me to elaborate more)

 

[Boolean]

Goodnotes for annotating PDFs, Inkling for any type of textbook.

Can you elaborate upon this?

 

[ChEMD]

Can you elaborate upon this?

Yeah sure. Inkling is a company that works with book publishers to write their books from the ground up using their interface. They have both a web app and an iOS app. The books are more than pdf versions, they are more interactive and often include extras like imbedded videos explaining a topic or quizzes at the end of the chapter. They have a huge selection of medical textbooks already (including practically all of the step review books) and they will often take requests for new books and work on adding them to their store. I will say that the books are often more expensive than buying a hard copy from the store (and you can't resell them), but it's worth it to me to have them all conveniently with me wherever I go.

Edit: The downside about Inkling is that you can't draw on the books. It does allow highlighting and typed notes though.

 

[SN12357]

The Windows Store is relatively new in terms of App Stores. Benefit to a Surface Pro being you can use Apps outside of the Windows App store. That said, the quality of the mobile apps (and the quantity) on the iOS platform heavily outweighs that of Windows. (I have a few apps in particular that come to mind, if you'd like me to elaborate more)

If you don't mind, I'm definitely interested if there are specific examples of useful iOS-specific apps. How does the app store for android compare to iOS, do you know? Thanks!

 

[Boolean]

If you don't mind, I'm definitely interested if there are specific examples of useful iOS-specific apps. How does the app store for android compare to iOS, do you know? Thanks!

Give me a bit, populating a list. Can't speak too much on android as I simply do not know but I'm working on a list of great iOS apps right now.

 

[Ramzy]

The advantage to note taking on a technological device rather than paper is you are able to look stuff up easier with a search function in the future to refresh your memory in case you forget something (rather than flipping through pages, and who is going to carry so much paperwork during rotations/rounds haha, etc.)... but I always found writing stuff down on paper serves my memory better for test taking

 

[Holy Ghost]

Maybe in the same world that you got a 42 on the MCAT?

Copy that. Amen!

 

[Boolean]

If you don't mind, I'm definitely interested if there are specific examples of useful iOS-specific apps. How does the app store for android compare to iOS, do you know? Thanks!

Alright! So, we're looking at some iOS apps and how they can help you in medicine.

Pretty much everyone knows about Medscape and Epocrates. Both are pretty functional and have vast databases supporting them (drug interactions, diagnosis, symptoms, EMR, and much more). Continuing on that though, Calculate by QxMD is another useful tool. Calculate has many calculators for various situations you may encounter. Some of these calculators include:
Reduce and predict perioperative complications

• WHO Surgical Safety Checklist
• Predictive models for cardiac surgery and coronary angiography

Guide treatment

• Determine cardiovascular risk and guide lipid treatment using the Framingham and Reynolds Risk Scores
• Use the CHADS2 an CHA2DS2-VASc score to guide treatment in atrial fibrillation
• Better understand the risk of bleeding from anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation
• ACS using the TIMI risk score
• Burns with rule of 9s and Parkland formula
• Hypernatremia (calculate water deficit)

Determine Prognosis

• Heart failure
• Lymphoma
• Myelodysplastic Syndrome
• Myeloma
• Glomerulonephritis
• Hemodialysis
• COPD
• TIA
• Pancreatitis
• Chronic Kidney Disease

Dose

• Chemotherapy based on Body Surface Area
• Carboplatin based on AUC
• tPA in acute stroke
• Peritoneal dialysis
• Phenytoin in renal failure and hypoalbuminemia

Calculate

• Ideal body weight, BMI and BSA
• Due date and gestational age
• Extensive formula used in echocardiogropathy and invasive hemodynamic monitoring
• Kt/V in hemodialysis patients
• eGFR with CKD-Epi, Cockcroft-Gault, and MDRD
• A-a gradient

Classify

• Angina (CCS)
• Congestive heart failure (NYHA)

Manage

• Head, neck, ankle and knee injuries
• DVT and PE
• Pulmonary nodules

Stage

• Lung cancer
• Renal cell carcinoma
• Head and neck cancers

Understand

• TTKG (transtubular potassium gradient) in hypokalemia and hyperkalemia
• Dermatomes

Diagnose

• Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia
• Infective Endocarditis
• ARDS
• Autoimmune Hepatitis

As you can see, Calculate has a LOT of stuff!
QxMD also released another app I recommend, known as Read

Read is an amazing tool for continuing medical education. After choosing your specialty or health care role (there are tons), you can access various free and paid (depending on your institution) journals. It grants you the ability to search multiple databases at once, and is hands down the best app you're going to find for medical journals.
UpToDate combines many of these, and is an absolutely amazing tool. I haven't been able to test it too much unfortunately, as I do not have a license.

While some of these are available for android, iOS has a brilliant user experience, is easy to get cleared by HIPAA (MDM stuff), and its ease of use is extraordinary. I'd say a good 80-90% of the physicians and medical students I know use iOS.

 

[Boolean]

I should add, with the exception of UpToDate, everything listed above is free! Quite useful for just a bit of iPad space, I'd say.

 

[Dr. Bob Doe]

I would suggest buying a Microsoft surface tablet instead it has office which couldn't hurt, it's basically a computer but cooler to look at.

 

[Boolean]

I would suggest buying a Microsoft surface tablet instead it has office which couldn't hurt, it's basically a computer but cooler to look at.

Ahem.

 

[SN12357]

Alright! So, we're looking at some iOS apps and how they can help you in medicine.

Pretty much everyone knows about Medscape and Epocrates. Both are pretty functional and have vast databases supporting them (drug interactions, diagnosis, symptoms, EMR, and much more). Continuing on that though, Calculate by QxMD is another useful tool. Calculate has many calculators for various situations you may encounter. Some of these calculators include:
Reduce and predict perioperative complications

• WHO Surgical Safety Checklist
• Predictive models for cardiac surgery and coronary angiography

Guide treatment

• Determine cardiovascular risk and guide lipid treatment using the Framingham and Reynolds Risk Scores
• Use the CHADS2 an CHA2DS2-VASc score to guide treatment in atrial fibrillation
• Better understand the risk of bleeding from anticoagulation in atrial fibrillation
• ACS using the TIMI risk score
• Burns with rule of 9s and Parkland formula
• Hypernatremia (calculate water deficit)

Determine Prognosis

• Heart failure
• Lymphoma
• Myelodysplastic Syndrome
• Myeloma
• Glomerulonephritis
• Hemodialysis
• COPD
• TIA
• Pancreatitis
• Chronic Kidney Disease

Dose

• Chemotherapy based on Body Surface Area
• Carboplatin based on AUC
• tPA in acute stroke
• Peritoneal dialysis
• Phenytoin in renal failure and hypoalbuminemia

Calculate

• Ideal body weight, BMI and BSA
• Due date and gestational age
• Extensive formula used in echocardiogropathy and invasive hemodynamic monitoring
• Kt/V in hemodialysis patients
• eGFR with CKD-Epi, Cockcroft-Gault, and MDRD
• A-a gradient

Classify

• Angina (CCS)
• Congestive heart failure (NYHA)

Manage

• Head, neck, ankle and knee injuries
• DVT and PE
• Pulmonary nodules

Stage

• Lung cancer
• Renal cell carcinoma
• Head and neck cancers

Understand

• TTKG (transtubular potassium gradient) in hypokalemia and hyperkalemia
• Dermatomes

Diagnose

• Heparin Induced Thrombocytopenia
• Infective Endocarditis
• ARDS
• Autoimmune Hepatitis

As you can see, Calculate has a LOT of stuff!
QxMD also released another app I recommend, known as Read

Read is an amazing tool for continuing medical education. After choosing your specialty or health care role (there are tons), you can access various free and paid (depending on your institution) journals. It grants you the ability to search multiple databases at once, and is hands down the best app you're going to find for medical journals.
UpToDate combines many of these, and is an absolutely amazing tool. I haven't been able to test it too much unfortunately, as I do not have a license.

While some of these are available for android, iOS has a brilliant user experience, is easy to get cleared by HIPAA (MDM stuff), and its ease of use is extraordinary. I'd say a good 80-90% of the physicians and medical students I know use iOS.

Thanks for the list! Seems like this is mostly a list of clinical apps. What do you think about iOS vs. other systems in terms of apps for studying/preclinical years? My current plan is to buy a larger tablet now and then a small one (probably an iPad mini) for the clinical years, I'm wondering if the pro-iOS bias is also relevant for studying apps.

 

[Boolean]

Thanks for the list! Seems like this is mostly a list of clinical apps. What do you think about iOS vs. other systems in terms of apps for studying/preclinical years? My current plan is to buy a larger tablet now and then a small one (probably an iPad mini) for the clinical years, I'm wondering if the pro-iOS bias is also relevant for studying apps.

My apologies for that! The attempt was to concentrate on clinical apps, haha. I personally have an iPad mini that I use for studying. I think it is absolutely divine. Using Box (the file hosting service) and my laptop, I've managed to sync all of my textbooks (25 gigs worth…) onto my Box account. From there, as long as I'm under wifi or I download the file earlier to my iPad (using box you simply mark the file as "available offline"), I can access my books. Using GoodNotes and Notability alongside Box, all my lecture notes are synced, and I can load PDF's and annotate them to my hearts desire. As mentioned earlier, Inkling is available which seems quite cool. The iPad is really good at displaying things in 3D, so it is incredibly useful during anatomy lectures (something the Surface is kinda eh on, to be honest). I highly recommend it, as do many many many medical schools.

 

[Pacna]

Just got a Duo 13 and am absolutely in love with it.

 

[Holy Ghost]

Sorry guys, what's the best app to annotating on the Ipad?

 

[Boolean]

Sorry guys, what's the best app to annotating on the Ipad?

Depends on what you're annotating. iAnnotate or GoodNotes are pretty much the best though.

 

[V5RED]

If you want the tablet for something to write on, you should look into getting a galaxy note. I have the 2014 note, and writing on it is extremely close to writing on a piece of paper.

An iPad will not be able to write as well as the note or the surface unless apple finally gets over themselves and incorporates digitizer technology into their screens.

 

[Kinch]

Sorry guys, what's the best app to annotating on the Ipad?

I've been using iAnnotate for a class I'm taking now and I love it.

 

[Boolean]

If you want the tablet for something to write on, you should look into getting a galaxy note. I have the 2014 note, and writing on it is extremely close to writing on a piece of paper.

An iPad will not be able to write as well as the note or the surface unless apple finally gets over themselves and incorporates digitizer technology into their screens.

Various styli exist that incorporate similar technology to digitizers. Not to mention, if you're using a Surface RT, it lacks one.

 

[carolinaj]

Any stylus recommendations for annotation?

 

[Boolean]

Any stylus recommendations for annotation?

Which device do you have?

 

[carolinaj]

Which device do you have?

For the iPad.

 

[Boolean]

For the iPad.

The Jot Script

 

[mrh125]

i dont think so, I always used a laptop for notes in undergrad and it suited me fine. im not sure what big advantages ipads give you, aside from the fact they're small and easy to bring everywhere and i've seen people using them in undergrad a bunch. whatever works for you is necessary for med school. For me notes by hand or computer without internet is best (less distractions).