PDAs in rotation

[Omni]

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I'm a pre-med right now and I just wanted to ask a few questions regarding PDAs.
I'll be applying in the 2010 spring cycle and I've seen that most schools I'm applying to require a PDA, particularly the iPhone or iTouch.
My question is, since you'll be using the PDA undoubtedly to look up medication and possible conditions and other related things, will this compromise your ability to be a competent doctor? I mean, won't the PDA eventually turn in a crutch that you'll become reliant on?

Thanks.

 

[MossPoh]

nope.










You aren't allowed to use your pda on most tests, unless it is some weird pda test. That and, it is humanly impossible to know all that stuff. Medications and treatments are constantly changing. Information is the easy part. It is knowing how to apply it to the situation that is difficult. If it were that much of an issue then every person coming in after reading webmd would be a threat.....

 

[causalinference]

Does a graphing calculator compromise your ability to be a competent mathematician?

 

[ZagDoc]

You aren't allowed to use your pda on most tests, unless it is some weird pda test. That and, it is humanly impossible to know all that stuff. Medications and treatments are constantly changing. Information is the easy part. It is knowing how to apply it to the situation that is difficult.

There's the rub.

You get to know dosing of common medications you use on a regular basis (just because you write it so much and its a pain in the a** to look up every time), but the epocrates is there for the out-of-ordinary drug or out-of-ordinary patient.

But yeah, the difficult stuff and the stuff which makes up the "being a competent doctor" are the other things. Diagnosis, knowing when pharmacotherapy is indicated, knowing what medication to turn to, how long to continue therapy, etc is much more difficult and much more important that "how much ranitidine do I give this 16 mo kiddo?"

 

[EBI831]

Your school must be scamming some deal with apple...how can someone require that students buy iphones and itouches. there are other pdas out there. apply somewhere else 🙂 . i know people who get by without them...don't get me wrong i love my iphone but others love their blackberries just as much

 

[Jumpin JAK STAT]

I'm a pre-med right now and I just wanted to ask a few questions regarding PDAs.
I'll be applying in the 2010 spring cycle and I've seen that most schools I'm applying to require a PDA, particularly the iPhone or iTouch.
My question is, since you'll be using the PDA undoubtedly to look up medication and possible conditions and other related things, will this compromise your ability to be a competent doctor? I mean, won't the PDA eventually turn in a crutch that you'll become reliant on?

Thanks.

No more than any pocket reference book you might carry around.

Don't worry... you'll still have to learn plenty of random facts in medical school, and will therefore become a "competent doctor"!

 

[MossPoh]

Your school must be scamming some deal with apple...how can someone require that students buy iphones and itouches. there are other pdas out there. apply somewhere else 🙂 . i know people who get by without them...don't get me wrong i love my iphone but others love their blackberries just as much

We are required to use a specific pda that is given to us for certain aspects. I'd be much happier if I could use my ipod touch. Clinical rotations it is whatever you want that has the information. The idea is to start making us use the technology as a way to continually learn as well as be more efficient. I'd hate using my blackberry for these apps.