pda?

[tomrocks]

hey everyone

i'm starting school this fall at ucsf and i was pondering on whether i should get a pda or not. i just got my class schedule and there's a bunch of random dates with random things happening. i'm not the most tech saavy but i can use my laptop and other devices sufficiently. should i invest money into buying a pda and does anyone suggest a model or brand? thanks!

tom

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[Crazy_Norwegian]

hey everyone

i'm starting school this fall at ucsf and i was pondering on whether i should get a pda or not. i just got my class schedule and there's a bunch of random dates with random things happening. i'm not the most tech saavy but i can use my laptop and other devices sufficiently. should i invest money into buying a pda and does anyone suggest a model or brand? thanks!

tom

Are you sure you're going to use it? I've met some people who went out and bought a PDA but then never used it. I had a day planner that I used religiously for one semester. I then decided I would rather carry something smaller. My PDA (a palm tungsten T3) fits into my backpack in its own pocket. I always have it with me. For me, it was worth it. I took my syllabi at the beginning of each semester and entered the due dates of my papers, quiz dates, test dates, etc. I even entered holidays and breaks. It was nice to be able to see in advance what kind of workload was in store.

Also, are you starting pharmacy school or are you pre-pharmacy? If you are starting pharmacy school you might want to buy a PDA and the drug-reference software...

 

[Caverject]

This topic has been covered before.

On that note, I would wait. You dont need a PDA until you start rotations in your 4th year. By that time, they will make much better PDA's and they will be more inexpensive then they are now.

 

[eunos]

This topic has been covered before.

On that note, I would wait. You dont need a PDA until you start rotations in your 4th year. By that time, they will make much better PDA's and they will be more inexpensive then they are now.

PDA with drug database are fine for REFERENCE but not for learning IMHO. The information provided are very brief and sometimes inaccurate. OTOH, if you are planning on using it for scheduling reminders, they do serve a good purpose but keep in mind the down falls, ie: forgetting to charge it and lose everything if you forget to sync it with your PC/Laptop, you gotta be a little techno savvy to navigate and use it properly. I recommend getting a small dayplanner starting with that, find your own "style" of organization then maybe graduate to a PDA later.
I can speak from experience since I carry a PDA/Cell phone, cell phone, Pager, laptop, PDA too and darn it if I think I will probably one day get cancer from all these radio wave exposure !

 

[WVUPharm2007]

A PDA is a good thing to have during boring classes. Nothing like the PDA version of Doom for the "How to set up a pharmacy for maximum profit" lecture.

But for anything other than rotations, it's just an expensive gameboy/calander.

 

[ultracet]

PDA with drug database are fine for REFERENCE but not for learning IMHO. The information provided are very brief and sometimes inaccurate. OTOH, if you are planning on using it for scheduling reminders, they do serve a good purpose but keep in mind the down falls, ie: forgetting to charge it and lose everything if you forget to sync it with your PC/Laptop, you gotta be a little techno savvy to navigate and use it properly. I recommend getting a small dayplanner starting with that, find your own "style" of organization then maybe graduate to a PDA later.
I can speak from experience since I carry a PDA/Cell phone, cell phone, Pager, laptop, PDA too and darn it if I think I will probably one day get cancer from all these radio wave exposure !

I don't believe Caverject was talking about using them for 'learning" purposes. The 4th year is typically used for rotations and they are a useful ref. for that purposes....

also there are some relatively extensive information that can be placed on them such as current guidelines and the Medical Letter

i dont' believe that anyone in my class (we are given PDAs) thought at the beginning they are for planning purposes. they are for looking up drug information quickly when you are put on the spot (as occurs in class). Lexi is one of our required "texts"