Smart Phone

[the prodogy]

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I'm thinking about getting a smart phone when I start med school, but was wondering which one to get. For those in medical school, does the iPhone have apps that you think is beneficial for school?
What about those that have the droid? Is there any great difference between the two or are the basically the same thing?

 

[MrBeauregard]

Neither.

Buy the cheapest flip phone you can find on the cheapest carrier that has the best service in the area where you will be living. Get yourself a texting plan. Spend as little money as possible for a phone that will allow you to stay in contact with the outside world.

Once you're an MSIII, maybe get a smartphone for rotations.

And remember the old adage: Live like a doctor as a student and you'll live like a student as a doctor.

 

[HarMegido]

Neither.

Buy the cheapest flip phone you can find on the cheapest carrier that has the best service in the area where you will be living. Get yourself a texting plan. Spend as little money as possible for a phone that will allow you to stay in contact with the outside world.

Once you're an MSIII, maybe get a smartphone for rotations.

And remember the old adage: Live like a doctor as a student and you'll live like a student as a doctor.

👍. don't waste your money on a smart phone if u haven't bought it already. but to previous post, lets get serious you won't have time to stay in contact with the outside world. and the old adage is as true as it can get, definitely words to live by

 

[Doctor Bob]

A smart phone is useful because it can hold/give easy access to a lot of information that otherwise would have to be found in large heavy books.

As a first/second year you'll be spending most of your time in close proximity to those books and as such, the benefit of a smart phone is blunted. If you don't know something, just fish the book out of the stack to your left and look it up.

As a third/fourth year, the smart phone becomes useful because nobody wants to drag a handcart behind them on rounds at the hospital.

Save yourself the data plan cost and extra expense for the first two years and get the cheapest phone you can.

 

[Mquach]

Epocrates application for the motorola droid is amazing! It takes patient history and pharmacology and spits out drug interactions/possible diagnosis. Very cool with a huge database and constant updating

 

[HarMegido]

Epocrates application for the motorola droid is amazing! It takes patient history and pharmacology and spits out drug interactions/possible diagnosis. Very cool with a huge database and constant updating

but you won't need it 1st and 2nd year. if anything, a smart phone will only distract you from studying. i recommend waiting 2 more years and by then smart phones will probably be better and possibly even cheaper. don't waste the money now while you don't need one.

 

[TeamZissou]

As much as you won't NEED a smartphone during the first two years if you want one go for it.

I have an iPhone and I can't even tell you how useful I found it to be. It has an integrated voice recorder you can use for lectures as well as having access to look up anything is really nice.

I actually found it to be less of a distraction. This is because when I have my computer it's too easy to get stuck chatting or posting on SDN because it's easy to type. On the iPhone it's more difficult to do things like that (no keyboard) but I still have access to all the same resources I would with my laptop. So it actually helped me to focus studying by just taking my phone and not my laptop with me.

As far as apps go there are a TON. Here are some really useful ones I've found, most are free.
Papers (also on Mac's, great for organizing research stuff, costs $ but they have student discounts)
UMMC- University of Maryland Medical Center medical reference
Medscape
MedPage- Medical news
Blackbag- Medical news
Epocrates- kind of like medscape but they want $ for the nice features.
iTriage
Eponyms
Netters Flashcards- Really nice to have the general ones, costs $40 but it's way too convenient to have that at your fingertips when you need to just glance at it.
iRadiology
MedCalc
Monster Anatomy Lite
NeuroMind
Radiopaedia

OMM Guide- AMAZING- basically a quick reference to all the OMM techniques, no need to use your textbook anymore

And my personal favorite...
Happy Hours- Searches current happy hours going on around you and tells you what their specials are!👍

 

[jfellings]

Another option is to get an ipod touch. You still have access to many of the same apps as you would with an iphone but no monthly contract. You would have to be in an area with wifi and be willing to cart around one more piece of electronics but it has worked out well for me so far.

 

[TeamZissou]

Another option is to get an ipod touch. You still have access to many of the same apps as you would with an iphone but no monthly contract. You would have to be in an area with wifi and be willing to cart around one more piece of electronics but it has worked out well for me so far.

Eh if you are currently locked into a contract that might be a decent option. But honestly iPhones are like $200 with a contract and then my monthly bill never exceeds $90/month and I have 450 anytime minutes with rollover and unlimited texts and data. So I really don't think its that much more expensive than basically buying a touch and then adding maybe 20-30 to your phone bill.

 

[HarMegido]

^^^^^ somebody really loves their iPhone

 

[Neuron14]

Georgetown has the right idea- medical students have to get either an iPhone or iPod Touch. On a separate note, I'm getting myself an iPhone this weekend while the unlimited data plan is still available.

 

[ruiner]

Georgetown has the right idea- medical students have to get either an iPhone or iPod Touch. On a separate note, I'm getting myself an iPhone this weekend while the unlimited data plan is still available.

I'm considering getting something cheap as a place holder and then grabbing up the new iphone when it comes out later this month/july for that exact same reason.

 

[TeamZissou]

^^^^^ somebody really loves their iPhone

More than my first born 😉

 

[the prodogy]

Seems like more people say save the money... But I'm thinking about trying to find a cheap used iPod touch, so I have another question. This may be a stupid question, since I'm smartphone ******ed, but do you need to be online to use apps?

 

[klmnop]

Seems like more people say save the money... But I'm thinking about trying to find a cheap used iPod touch, so I have another question. This may be a stupid question, since I'm smartphone ******ed, but do you need to be online to use apps?

an app is like a computer program. if the app is something like google maps then yes, if it is something like tetris, then no

 

[the prodogy]

Ok... so for those of you against the iPod touch, why? I think I'll be in places that have wifi most of the time, although I'm sure there will be rare times when I'll think, "shoot, should have gotten that data plan", but is it really worth all that extra money?

 

[klmnop]

Ok... so for those of you against the iPod touch, why? I think I'll be in places that have wifi most of the time, although I'm sure there will be rare times when I'll think, "shoot, should have gotten that data plan", but is it really worth all that extra money?

cause why buy the cow when you can own the farm
not even sure if that's a phrase but whatever

 

[the prodogy]

cause why buy the cow when you can own the farm
not even sure if that's a phrase but whatever

Cause I'm not even a farmer, so I don't need a farm. I just need a cow to put me through an overpriced education.

 

[klmnop]

then youve answered your own question

 

[the prodogy]

Yeah... Just want other peoples opinion. There might be something I'm overlooking.

 

[jfellings]

Ok... so for those of you against the iPod touch, why? I think I'll be in places that have wifi most of the time, although I'm sure there will be rare times when I'll think, "shoot, should have gotten that data plan", but is it really worth all that extra money?

You have to decide if it is worth it to spend the extra money for the phone plan that gives you more freedom as far as access to certain features/perks. While an extra $30-40/month probably won't break the bank, it is another cost to an "overpriced tuition".

While I am not yet in med school I bought a touch in anticipation of using it his fall and have downloaded many medical apps and have found tremendous useful while working in a hospital. If you figure over the next 4 years you will be spending most of your time either at school or in hospitals, you should have wifi access when you need it.

 

[MJB]

iPhone=easily the best tool I've ever owned.


I wish I'd bought one when school started...since getting the 3GS last year, it's been worth every penny and then some.

I want an iPhone 4, so you can buy my 32GB 3GS if you want. 🙂

 

[bsiddiq]

I plan on getting the HTC evo...if it ever comes back into stock anywhere ever again. I'm on a family plan though so I don't have to worry about the monthly fees, which is an important factor.

I don't think anyone 'needs' a smartphone...but they are definitely handy (probably moreso during clinical than didactic years). Prior to getting a blackberry, I never really understood the appeal of smartphones. Once I got one, my attitude changed pretty quickly. It really depends on the person though, so if you see yourself txting/emailing/browsing frequently...then it may be worth it. I would disagree with anyone saying it's distracting

I actually found it to be less of a distraction. This is because when I have my computer it's too easy to get stuck chatting or posting on SDN because it's easy to type.

This..- to me it's essentially having the functionality of a portable computer without many of the distractions.

Get one if you like it...but realize that it's just a tool- a potentially expensive one that might not be worth it if you don't utilize it enough.

P.S. The iphone is nice, but look into some of the newer android phones as well- Evo, Hero, Droid, Nexus One.

 

[p30doc]

I got my iphone near the beginning of 1st year and I love it! I find it very useful on a daily basis, I'm sure it will be 100x more useful during rotations. There are apps for a lot of subjects (better ones cost $) such as netters flash cards, other anatomy stuff, neuro anatomy stuff, usmle prep, micro, pharm. Clinical apps such as epocrates, medscape. Just having access to wikipedia/the internet in my pocket to look up whatever term/disease that is mentioned that I don't know or want to know more about is awesome. I use the camera to take pics of the post test answer keys so I don't have to stand there in a herd checking my answers. I used it to check/write school related emails during class breaks. I can view my class schedule which is a pdf through the phone. My school records lectures on tegrity and there is an app u can watch them through. I would live without the iphone, but it sure as hell makes life a lot better.

 

[p30doc]

iPhone=easily the best tool I've ever owned.


I wish I'd bought one when school started...since getting the 3GS last year, it's been worth every penny and then some.

I want an iPhone 4, so you can buy my 32GB 3GS if you want. 🙂

You can sell it to gazelle.com, if u dont want to go through the hassle of ebay. At least with the 16 gig one it will basically be a zero sum trade for the iphone 4. That is what I am going to do.

 

[TeamZissou]

^^^^^ somebody really loves their iPhone

Ironically I just gave it up....

Android here I come.

 

[supermang]

Ironically I just gave it up....

Android here I come.

you're gonna miss it!

I've owned 22 phones in my life, a majority of them "smart". So, as a user/critic of most, if not all, major smartphone OS (Blackberry, Symbian, Palm WebOS, Android, Apple iOS, WM6.5-I have yet to try WP7, etc) let me tell you that nothing can be compared to the polish of the iPhone hardware, iOS software and the Apple App Store. and this is coming from a true nerd who loves the root file system access and linux kernel on his Android. Just waiting for the mythical Verizon iPhone so I can finally switch back...

OP-i got my smartphone freshman year of undergrad and its seriously made my life a helluvalot easier! no looking back now! What essentially is a $1/day for the extra unlimited data tariff on most US carriers is extremely worth it in my opinion, considering that most modern smartphones can replace your MP3 player, PDA, internet radio, GPS, camera, and even a laptop for most tasks. If you must, get an unlocked model, off-contract if you don't want to pay data and rely only on WIFI.

consider a phone *****'s $0.02😉

 

[usaresident]

You should get the iphone I love mine

 

[wannabeOBGYN]

I'm thinking about getting a smart phone when I start med school, but was wondering which one to get. For those in medical school, does the iPhone have apps that you think is beneficial for school?
What about those that have the droid? Is there any great difference between the two or are the basically the same thing?

During my first two years I used BRS and Netter's neurology flashcard apps on my iPod touch and found them very helpful. They have a ton of well-organized high-yield information that I could review wherever I was. Although some people might say to get real flashcards and save the money, carrying a single iPod is much easier than 1000+ actual flashcards. Plus I got the Goljan recordings and listened to them on my iPod whenever I was traveling and not driving myself. Epocrates is great but not important until you start rotations. I also found it helpful to have a due date calculator app during my ob/gyn rotation.

If your plan is up for a new phone I'd probably get a smart phone now, or wait until that happens. No rush to pay more now. I really used the flashcards more for board study than actual classes anyway.

In regards to the question about iPod touch vs. iPhone, there have been a few times I haven't been able to use my iPod in a hospital. Not all areas of all hospitals get wifi access. I never had access during my psych rotation, which sucked since I spent half my time trying to remember generic names for medications the doctor only referred to by the brand names. Just a thought.

 

[TeamZissou]

you're gonna miss it!

I've owned 22 phones in my life, a majority of them "smart". So, as a user/critic of most, if not all, major smartphone OS (Blackberry, Symbian, Palm WebOS, Android, Apple iOS, WM6.5-I have yet to try WP7, etc) let me tell you that nothing can be compared to the polish of the iPhone hardware, iOS software and the Apple App Store. and this is coming from a true nerd who loves the root file system access and linux kernel on his Android. Just waiting for the mythical Verizon iPhone so I can finally switch back...

Yup I'm not so sure I wanna jump on board with Verizon's iPhone 4 because there really isn't anything special about it and by next june/xmas i bet they come out with a model that would run on the LTE network which is the future of cell phones anyways.

I got the DROID X for now and I'm actually pleasantly surprised. This is coming from someone who waiting in line for the iPhone the first day it came out on ATT 😉

 

[jmanpatsfan]

I have ATT's galaxy s (the captivate). I'm in my first year and although I don't need to use any of the medical apps, I find that having email in my pocket is very useful. There are tons of school emails that go out every hour, updating locations of meetings, times, responses from professors, its just easier than pulling out my laptop every time. I am always on wifi so I have ATTs 200 mb data plan which is only $15/month.

The ipod touch is not a bad idea, but if you will eventually get a smartphone, I say don't waste the money. Plus if you leave wifi it essentially becomes useless.