Not Using a PDA in Third Year

[Deferoxamine]

Yeah, I know. Crucify me.

Who else is flying solo for the time being, and at what point will we REALLY need one?

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[Jamers]

Yeah, I know. Crucify me.

Who else is flying solo for the time being, and at what point will we REALLY need one?

I used mine one day. It stopped working, so I stopped using it. I now carry a collection of maybe 4 books in my white coat that do all the PDA could do and more. I wouldn't worry about it.

 

[plainolerichie]

Never had one and never used one, but then again, I apparently did terrible in third year so whatever...

I can't really see where you would NEED to use it, especially if you just have a pharmacoepia on you. It can have all these cool gadgets on it. When you do get pimped, you would not have time to look anything up on a PDA or a book. I think it would be helpful for interns... maybe.

 

[AmoryBlaine]

Same thing carried mine until it broke and then realized it wasn't that important.

 

[vir0n]

Yeah, I know. Crucify me.

Who else is flying solo for the time being, and at what point will we REALLY need one?

Use mine all the time. Quickly find pharm info, patient labs, radiology reports, podcast any lectures i miss, keep tract of my calendar, etc. Don't leave home without it.

 

[Cliff Huxtable]

I was thinking of picking one up since my school gives a free subscription to Epocrates Essentials.

I was thinkning of using it to look up drugs / things I see in patient charts that I once knew but forgot and don't want to look dumb asking a resident.

 

[lord_jeebus]

I have yet to encounter a situation where the information is not available in a pocket book that I have, or can wait until I sit down at a computer to look it up.

 

[doogoshly]

i haven't needed it thus far. i'm on medicine, and i use pocket medicine and my tarascon's for everything. i'm glad i didn't renew skyscape or buy anything from epocrates.

 

[harrypotter]

What kind of books are people carrying?
So far suggestions to me have been scutmonkey, sanford ABx guide, and pharmacopoeia.

 

[xlithiumx]

Bought one, never used it, never needed it. I did well in my rotations, graduated, and am doing just fine as an intern without one.

It's no big deal.

 

[njbmd]

Yeah, I know. Crucify me.

Who else is flying solo for the time being, and at what point will we REALLY need one?

My pocket Pharmacopoeia worked fine along with a few torn out pages from whatever book I was reading for a particular rotation. PDAs tend to fall out of pockets and develop legs. Even now, I find myself using a PDA to download patient lists and billing but my pocket Pharmacopoeia is well-used and stays in my pocket. I use the PDA less than my little Pharmacopoeia.

The other problem that many folks with PDAs face is loading too much stuff that you can't find what you need quickly. Figure out what you need and load it (along with Drug Wars for entertainment during M & M) and make sure to back up often.

 

[Doctor4Life1769]

good, b/c im flying solo too ...

no $$ to buy a pda or a touch.

 

[Slide]

All I'm using is Pocket medicine, Tarascon's, a mini spiral notebook for note-taking, a Maxwell's pocket reference, and a white-coat clipboard; anything else is rotation dependent. Right now for psych I have a pocket DSM-IV that our department loaned us. I need the rest of the space for papers and my instruments.

 

[rahulb]

my iphone has become an extension of my body. i've pirated thousands of dollars of medical apps

 

[bostonguy]

I usually pride myself on having the best tech and tons of great apps. Now that I've finished 3rd year and done well at it, I've realized I only needed my PDA for two things....1. ePocrates (it has soo much to offer, but in the end you really just look up drugs) and 2. to get texts and calls from residents (that is the easiest way for them to reach you)

You definitely don't want to be seen as having been on your phone/pda all the time.

I'm a big fan on the new iPhone 3GS, it loads epocrates about 3-4x faster so you really can be an asset to the team by looking up a drug in seconds. On the wards and rounds, speed and simplicity of use are really what matters. Plus, if there is something you are blanking on the full version of epocrates for iPhone has great "highlights" that can be read in the 1-2 mins before rounds start; great for when you don't have time to read a whole uptodate article.

That's all you need. Hope this helps.

 

[TopSecret]

The iPhone also has a flash card program in the iTunes store. It's good for studying during the down times.

 

[plainolerichie]

I souled out and I just bought a Blackberry!

 

[Sarafml]

I'm thinking about just using my itouch. I have my calendar and epocrates on it.

I'm not a fan of having a fancy phone.

I hope thats good enough?

 

[Jolie South]

I'm thinking about just using my itouch. I have my calendar and epocrates on it.

I'm not a fan of having a fancy phone.

I hope thats good enough?

You can get any program that works on the iPhone to work on the iTouch. My school has wireless in all associated facilities, so mobile internet is unnecessary.

I also downloaded a program that lets me text from my iTouch in case I need to get in touch with someone and don't have my actual phone on me.

I am also unwilling to upgrade to an expensive cell plan.

 

[Feli]

For white coat pocket info sources, I just Sanford (free from rep, or maybe $3-15 depending on if you need new or 1-2yr old one), Maxwell ($5), and Tarascon Pharmacoepia (again, free or maybe $3-15). I may carry pocket ER, gsurg, etc books for specific rotations. Usual stuff like scissors, tape, pens, pad, and round sheets too.

The cheapo pocket books never run of of batteries, never crash or lose WiFi signal, don't weigh you down, and at those low costs, who even cares if they get lost or stolen? Can't say the same for PDA/iphones/etc which are $250+ not including screen protectors, software, chargers, case, monthly fees, etc etc etc. I can generally find drug doses, etc in my book before students rounding with me can unlock or power up their blackbery or iphones.

Why spend $ if you don't need to, esp as a student/resident on limited budget and probably working in some inner city teaching hospitals where expensive stuff tends to disappear from break rooms, computer desks, libraries, surgery lockers, etc... JMO.

 

[Sarafml]

You can get any program that works on the iPhone to work on the iTouch. My school has wireless in all associated facilities, so mobile internet is unnecessary.

I also downloaded a program that lets me text from my iTouch in case I need to get in touch with someone and don't have my actual phone on me.

I am also unwilling to upgrade to an expensive cell plan.

good to know. Thanks!!