Ipad

[GmailQueen]

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Does anyone use an ipad in residency/fellowship and find that it really makes an impact on your life? I have a macbook pro (tough to carry to work daily since I walk and it's pretty heavy) and an iphone. Some of the trainees in my program were mentioning that they really find the ipad helpful for taking notes in lectures, etc, and that there are some apps that they like to use (ie, Stahl's psychopharm). I can guess that having certain textbooks on it would be helpful so you can reference them without lugging them around. I'd be happy to have an excuse to buy one but am wondering if people have found ways to get a lot of use out of it or if I should just stick with what I have.

 

[TexasPhysician]

I have one. It is not beneficial for residency, but I enjoy it nonetheless.

 

[billypilgrim37]

I had several friends who used theirs just like your friends did and felt like they were absolutely essential for staying organized.

To me, an Ipad is the answer to "I wonder what would happen if I could make my Iphone too big to fit in my pocket, and make it unable to make phone calls. That would be awesome!" Clearly I'm in the minority.

 

[Daedra22]

I have an android tablet (since I'm just generally an android person) and I've used it a lot as a medical student. I find it a lot easier than carrying around a bunch of books, and more comfortable than reading/looking stuff up on my phone - it's been especially helpful on slow call nights and clinic days. I'd imagine it'll serve a similar purpose for me during residency, but I can't say that from experience... either way, I'll still use it for reading at home.

 

[JourneyAgent]

Kool aid drinker here. Straight up no chaser.

But the sweet spot is the iPad mini or the nexus. Fits very easily in a coat pocket. Light as feather. Contains more information than the ancient libraries of Alexandria. Video files to carry me all the way through step 3. Psych handbook app. Stahl's app. Lange question book. Harrison's. and every pertinent article I've saved all catalogued and ready.

All on a screen that my thumb doesn't blot out half of but remains highly portable.

I am in awe of these things.

You do get hooked on the kool aid though. Because you better believe I want all my gizmos talking amongst themselves. And that I will want any upgrade to absorb my apps.

The soma of the modern world. It easily replaced a couple friends.

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Edit. I meant sweet spot. Not sweet pot. I don't know anything about Freud and his slips....but sometimes fat thumbs on these things can lead to unintentional comedy.

 

[Bartelby]

But the sweet pot is the iPad mini or the nexus. Fits very easily in a coat pocket. Light as feather. Contains more information than the ancient libraries of Alexandria. Video files to carry me all the way through step 3. Psych handbook app. Stahl's app. Lange question book. Harrison's. and every pertinent article I've saved all catalogued and ready.

Yep. It's an amazing device for consuming information. Writing notes on it would be awkward (unless you get an external keyboard). Otherwise for reading PDFs, ebooks, accessing the Stahl's app, looking up online information, etc it is awesome. I recommend it.

 

[JourneyAgent]

Yep. It's an amazing device for consuming information. Writing notes on it would be awkward (unless you get an external keyboard). Otherwise for reading PDFs, ebooks, accessing the Stahl's app, looking up online information, etc it is awesome. I recommend it.

Yeah the key board issue is something that needs a solution. I've seen them in use but I opt for maximum portability. If it is EMR compatible with the program that takes me ill prolly get a keyboard/case.

 

[notdeadyet]

Writing notes on it would be awkward (unless you get an external keyboard).

Agreed. Luckily there are some good ones that easily attach. I like this one, but there are many.

Otherwise for reading PDFs, ebooks, accessing the Stahl's app, looking up online information, etc it is awesome. I recommend it.

Agreed. I don't carry the iPad around with me from room to room. And I see the attraction with the iPad mini, but since I haven't worn a white coat since graduating med school, I don't see the benefit of the smaller size so much.

The benefit of the iPad for me is mostly for reading. Every time I come across an article I'd like to read, I slap the PDF up to DropBox. I use GoodReader to read the articles, a stylus to highlight. Once I'm done with them I move them into Evernote for permanent storage.

I don't access the iPad from appointment to appointment but it's a handy way to turn downtime into something useful as opposed to killing time.