- Joined
- Aug 19, 2005
- Messages
- 272
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Dear all
(first posted somewhere else, but re-posting with some modifications)
I am a first year med student at Sydney University (where we have a 4 year post-grad program) and wanted to share my experience using a palm pilot/PDA for studying in med school.
I've used it for the past 4-5 months (our year here in Australia start in Feb), and now I use it so much that I can't study without it.
So far I've spent AU$850 (about US$650), of which $700 went into the PDA itself and $150 on software.
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Here's a list of what I currently use my PDA for.
1. Dorland's Medical dictionary - pretty good coverage, and the reason why I bought my PDA in the first place
2. Oxford Concise Medical dictionary - I found that Dorland's is too brief. Oxford Concise, on the other hand, has a much fuller coverage of terms, like a mini encyclopedia if you like. With the two medical dictionaries, I can lookup terms on the spot, without having to get to the library or go home and check it later.
3. My summaries - here in Sydney University we learn through weekly PBL cases- for example, I am doing a cardiovascular block at the moment, and this week's case is rheumatic heart disease. I have read 3 different texts on these diseases, and combined the essential facts into a compact summary readable in 5 minutes. I carry these on my PDA and read them when I am on the train to my hospital etc. (I've found that numerous repetitions lasting 5 mins each really helps to retain knowledge)
4. Word versions of useful resources from the web. For example, I found a website that has normal values for blood tests (complete blood count, APTT, plasma ferritin etc etc) and in which diseases the values deviate. I simply copied and pasted the text into Word, and carry a copy on my PDA for instant look-up when I need it. I've done the same for 'different classes and uses of antibiotics', list of cytokines and their involvement in immune response etc.
5. Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine. I guess Oxford publications aren't very big in North America, but I find this book extremely useful. Basically, it is a summary of diseases covering all the major fields (cardiology, respiratory, GI, haematology etc etc). It is 'on the go' reference that has quick facts on the clinical presentation, differentials, investigations and treatment for each disease.
6. MIMS handbook: MIMS is a book of all therapeutic drugs registered in Australia. You can look up the trademark name or generic names of drugs, and it gives you facts on the dosage, indications, contraindications and adverse effects as well as pregnancy category (Ok so this is only useful if you live in Australia, but I'm sure there is a US-equivalent)
7. BBP differential diagnosis: Just bought this yesterday (http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/medical.asp) and it's great! You can look up any symptom you can think of, and this book will give you a list of differential diagnosis grouped into common and rare. For example you look up pleuritic chest pain, and it will give you a list like pneumothorax, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia and so on.
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Other non-study related uses for my PDA
1. Diary/Organiser - I keep track of all my appointments and 'to-do' lists. Now I never forget to print out lecture notes or to return someone's phone call etc.
2. Non-medical e-books: I've bought a full-volume English dictionary and an electronic version of the NIV Bible (yep, I'm a Christian)
3. Other: I keep an electronic copy of the CityRail timetable, carry important phone numbers etc
---------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are considering getting a PDA/Palm, here's my advice: get a decent one from the beginning, instead of buying a cheap one and finding out it's too slow (the first one I bought was a cheap $200 model, but I quickly realised that it takes far too long to open applications. So now I have a Dell PocketPC that cost me about US$530).
Hope you found this helpful.
Cheers
Ezekiel
(first posted somewhere else, but re-posting with some modifications)
I am a first year med student at Sydney University (where we have a 4 year post-grad program) and wanted to share my experience using a palm pilot/PDA for studying in med school.
I've used it for the past 4-5 months (our year here in Australia start in Feb), and now I use it so much that I can't study without it.
So far I've spent AU$850 (about US$650), of which $700 went into the PDA itself and $150 on software.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Here's a list of what I currently use my PDA for.
1. Dorland's Medical dictionary - pretty good coverage, and the reason why I bought my PDA in the first place
2. Oxford Concise Medical dictionary - I found that Dorland's is too brief. Oxford Concise, on the other hand, has a much fuller coverage of terms, like a mini encyclopedia if you like. With the two medical dictionaries, I can lookup terms on the spot, without having to get to the library or go home and check it later.
3. My summaries - here in Sydney University we learn through weekly PBL cases- for example, I am doing a cardiovascular block at the moment, and this week's case is rheumatic heart disease. I have read 3 different texts on these diseases, and combined the essential facts into a compact summary readable in 5 minutes. I carry these on my PDA and read them when I am on the train to my hospital etc. (I've found that numerous repetitions lasting 5 mins each really helps to retain knowledge)
4. Word versions of useful resources from the web. For example, I found a website that has normal values for blood tests (complete blood count, APTT, plasma ferritin etc etc) and in which diseases the values deviate. I simply copied and pasted the text into Word, and carry a copy on my PDA for instant look-up when I need it. I've done the same for 'different classes and uses of antibiotics', list of cytokines and their involvement in immune response etc.
5. Oxford Handbook of Clinical Medicine. I guess Oxford publications aren't very big in North America, but I find this book extremely useful. Basically, it is a summary of diseases covering all the major fields (cardiology, respiratory, GI, haematology etc etc). It is 'on the go' reference that has quick facts on the clinical presentation, differentials, investigations and treatment for each disease.
6. MIMS handbook: MIMS is a book of all therapeutic drugs registered in Australia. You can look up the trademark name or generic names of drugs, and it gives you facts on the dosage, indications, contraindications and adverse effects as well as pregnancy category (Ok so this is only useful if you live in Australia, but I'm sure there is a US-equivalent)
7. BBP differential diagnosis: Just bought this yesterday (http://www.mobipocket.com/en/eBooks/medical.asp) and it's great! You can look up any symptom you can think of, and this book will give you a list of differential diagnosis grouped into common and rare. For example you look up pleuritic chest pain, and it will give you a list like pneumothorax, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia and so on.
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Other non-study related uses for my PDA
1. Diary/Organiser - I keep track of all my appointments and 'to-do' lists. Now I never forget to print out lecture notes or to return someone's phone call etc.
2. Non-medical e-books: I've bought a full-volume English dictionary and an electronic version of the NIV Bible (yep, I'm a Christian)
3. Other: I keep an electronic copy of the CityRail timetable, carry important phone numbers etc
---------------------------------------------------------------------
If you are considering getting a PDA/Palm, here's my advice: get a decent one from the beginning, instead of buying a cheap one and finding out it's too slow (the first one I bought was a cheap $200 model, but I quickly realised that it takes far too long to open applications. So now I have a Dell PocketPC that cost me about US$530).
Hope you found this helpful.
Cheers
Ezekiel
