PDA's are wonderful devices -- almost all of the clinical students and maybe half of the housestaff here have them. One of their most useful programs is called Epocrates, which is a drug database that is updated monthly, and includes a ton of information about any drug you would want to use. In addition to the patient tracker programs, there are also medical formula programs, Infectious Disease programs, reference book programs, etc. I almost feel naked without my Palm Pilot now! 🙂 Also, some medical schools are developing other programs for PDA's to help their students -- things such as Pharm flashcards, Anatomy programs and the like.
But I agree with Vader and would strongly recommend waiting until you start clinics to get one. You don't really need it as a preclinical student, and PDA's are getting cheaper and better so quickly, that if you get one now, it will easily be outdated in 2 years.
One more thing -- if you do get a PDA, make sure you get one of the smaller designs. I had a Palm 3 for a while (before I upgraded to a smaller Palm), and it took up way too much space in my white coat. Also, invest in a good protective covering for your PDA -- it's amazing how much abuse your belongings can take on the wards!
