PDA for Med. School

[Ausmil]

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I have heard that it is good to get a PDA aroudn the time of application so that you will be a pro at it when Med School comes around. Can Anyone tell me the best PDA for Medical School? Is it really worth it? Will it help me?

 

[BasesofHumanity]

I have heard that it is good to get a PDA aroudn the time of application so that you will be a pro at it when Med School comes around. Can Anyone tell me the best PDA for Medical School? Is it really worth it? Will it help me?

My boss gave me her old one and it is awesome, but it doesn't take you that long to figure it out. They are fun and very handy.

 

[happydays]

I wish PDAs and ipods would merge to form PDApods or IPODAs.

 

[SleepIsGood]

Hey PDAs are not necessary until you become a third year med student. During third year is when you are on the wards doing stuff.

years 1-2 are just straight up reading books,etc. unless you want to carry a PDA around to pick up chicks or something, it's really not necessary.

Honestly, I would wait until third year so that by that time you guys will have gotten 'the best' at that time.

Disclaimer: I've been rocking a Treo 650, which is awesome. I just graduated med school this year.

carry on..

 

[kalenakai]

I wish PDAs and ipods would merge to form PDApods or IPODAs.

Hahaha, clever names... I wish so too! I'm sure it won't be long enough till that happens... but till then, I'd say wait and hold off on buying a PDA until you actually need one in MS.

 

[OHare]

or goto Duke since they GIVE you one when you start your second year!

 

[ND2005]

Honestly, I would wait until third year so that by that time you guys will have gotten 'the best' at that time.

I'd second this. You don't want your PDA to be obsolete by the time you actually need it.

 

[SoCuteMD]

Don't buy a PDA until you are in your clinical years. I repeat: DON'T BUY A PDA UNTIL YOU ARE IN YOUR CLINICAL YEARS. It will be a waste of money and you will either end up having to buy a new one for 3rd year or be stuck without programs that you want because they are not compatible with your PDA.

 

[DrKeys]

Stop being ignorant like other people,

Buy the PDA first or second year. Do not wait until the 3rd year. You need to able to be familiar with your PDA, and install all the necessary programs and choose which one is best for you, epocrates, differential diagnostic software, and stedman's medical reference, learn how to track and store patient information on your PDA.

When you start the 3rd year it'll be hectic and if you don't know how to use your PDA, you'll find it useless and will need to resort to carrying the hardcopy of pocket guides and look disorganized. You want to be able to pull out the PDA and use it like its your own hand. Otherwise no matter how "good" or "widely-used" PDA you got will not help you at all.

word of advice, get it now.. find the programs you like using, then try to get into the habit of using it, then boom.. by 3rd year.. you'll able to maximize the benefit of your PDA (get the top of the line one now, so this way it should still be sufficient by your 3rd year).

 

[Its_MurDAH]

Stop being ignorant like other people,

Buy the PDA first or second year. Do not wait until the 3rd year. You need to able to be familiar with your PDA, and install all the necessary programs and choose which one is best for you, epocrates, differential diagnostic software, and stedman's medical reference, learn how to track and store patient information on your PDA.

When you start the 3rd year it'll be hectic and if you don't know how to use your PDA, you'll find it useless and will need to resort to carrying the hardcopy of pocket guides and look disorganized. You want to be able to pull out the PDA and use it like its your own hand. Otherwise no matter how "good" or "widely-used" PDA you got will not help you at all.

word of advice, get it now.. find the programs you like using, then try to get into the habit of using it, then boom.. by 3rd year.. you'll able to maximize the benefit of your PDA (get the top of the line one now, so this way it should still be sufficient by your 3rd year).

how bout...no?

 

[str8flexed]

Then how about just get it the summer before your third year. We young people can figure out stuff easily in this generation. 🙂

 

[ND2005]

Then how about just get it the summer before your third year. We young people can figure out stuff easily in this generation. 🙂

Exactly. The people recommending the OP wait til 3rd year aren't recommending you unwrap your PDA as you're walking to the hospital for your first day of clinicals.

A month or two is plenty of time to learn how to use a PDA.

 

[deleted77919]

Also some hospitals have pdas pretty well integrated (pulling up patient records etc using wifi) the problem is some programs are only going to be for Palm OS and others for Pocket PC, so know which OS you need before you purchase. For some places it won't matter tho.

 

[DrKeys]

Exactly. The people recommending the OP wait til 3rd year aren't recommending you unwrap your PDA as you're walking to the hospital for your first day of clinicals.

A month or two is plenty of time to learn how to use a PDA.

The problem is that, you'll be busy studying for the boards at end of the second year, then you have exactly 4 weeks to get ready for rotation. You won't get that long summer like between the 1st and 2nd year. 2nd to 3rd year you almost get no break. Plus.. most of the time, you'll use your PDA for references, some programs are badly made some are good, and not everyone will like the same one. I'm "NOT" saying that you won't know how to operate a PDA, I "AM" saying that you'll able to find the information you need quickly using the reference program and or differential diagnosis program you're more than familiar with to help you not look like an "idiot" when you rotating throughout different departments and pulling up accurate information instead of "half-correct/half-faintly memorized" information to tell the attendings/residents whom are supervising and grading you.

 

[Camel]

I use a PDA for more than just medical stuff. I just got mine and I'm entering med school next year. This is my 3rd PDA 🙂 I have my whole life on it. I also know that it won't be obsolete by the time I hit 3rd year unless a completely new technology comes out that makes all current computers utterly useless. Not gonna happen. Windows Mobile 5, for example, just recently came out and should stick around until 2008. If a new Windows Mobile comes out then, you can be pretty dang sure that software will continue to support 2 or 3 generations back (look now; WM5 along with 2k3 and 2k2 are all listed under essentially all programs). If you don't plan to use a PDA for anything but med, then yeah, wait; however, you are severly limiting its use in that event. PDAs can do anything computers can nowadays. Mine is the VX6700 (google it), I do internet both wireless and cellular, email, chat, phone, video, mp3, note-taking, voice memos, camera both video and still shot (not professional, just for convenience), scheduling, tasks, remote desktop and VNC, address book, bluetooth apps, and on and on and on. If you are the kind of person that's willing to put the time into learning how to utilize a technology, I wouldn't wait. I will also say that they are expensive if you don't spend a lot of time trying to find the best thing for you at the best price (and even then, they're hefty). So, plan accordingly. Personally, my use makes it worth cutting my food allowance a bit ;-).

 

[kitt9000]

Exactly how I feel...I've been using a Windows Mobile 5 PDA (i-mate k-jam GSM version of the phone mentioned above), and I schedule my tasks and appointments on there all the time so I don't lose track of what I need to do everyday. I also have my e-mail forwarded to me on my PDA the instant my e-mail server receives one. Since many of the Windows PDA/Phones are getting smaller and smaller, they're actually not that big and allow you to have an organizer, entertainment device (with Windows Media 10 Mobile), and a mobile phone in one. And if a new one comes out with significantly newer features, I usually sell my old one on e-bay and make more than 50% of the cost of the unit back. This allows me to upgrade without paying full price for a new PDA. Hope this helps!

I use a PDA for more than just medical stuff. I just got mine and I'm entering med school next year. This is my 3rd PDA 🙂 I have my whole life on it. I also know that it won't be obsolete by the time I hit 3rd year unless a completely new technology comes out that makes all current computers utterly useless. Not gonna happen. Windows Mobile 5, for example, just recently came out and should stick around until 2008. If a new Windows Mobile comes out then, you can be pretty dang sure that software will continue to support 2 or 3 generations back (look now; WM5 along with 2k3 and 2k2 are all listed under essentially all programs). If you don't plan to use a PDA for anything but med, then yeah, wait; however, you are severly limiting its use in that event. PDAs can do anything computers can nowadays. Mine is the VX6700 (google it), I do internet both wireless and cellular, email, chat, phone, video, mp3, note-taking, voice memos, camera both video and still shot (not professional, just for convenience), scheduling, tasks, remote desktop and VNC, address book, bluetooth apps, and on and on and on. If you are the kind of person that's willing to put the time into learning how to utilize a technology, I wouldn't wait. I will also say that they are expensive if you don't spend a lot of time trying to find the best thing for you at the best price (and even then, they're hefty). So, plan accordingly. Personally, my use makes it worth cutting my food allowance a bit ;-).

 

[nmnrraven]

or goto Duke since they GIVE you one when you start your second year!

I'm sure Duke doesn't charge you for this. I mean, because they have such a low tuition and all, there is no way they could be adding a couple bucks up over your four years to get you a $300 PDA. Absolutely unthinkable! 🙄

 

[nmnrraven]

I wish PDAs and ipods would merge to form PDApods or IPODAs.

You can get $300 PDAs that have headphone slots and accept SD memory cards so you can listen to your music on them. The batteries are also better on those than on ipods. 🙂 👍

 

[ND2005]

You can get $300 PDAs that have headphone slots and accept SD memory cards so you can listen to your music on them. The batteries are also better on those than on ipods. 🙂 👍

I just wish Apple would enter the PDA fray...because you know theirs would be the most prettiest.