Digital voice recorder for nursing lectures?

[Jaynie_Marie]

I got my acceptance letter a couple weeks ago (yay) and will be starting in my school's ADN program in August. I've had a couple people tell me that I should purchase a digital voice recorder for use during the lectures (yes, I know I would need to made sure it is ok with the instructors). I did ok in A&P 1 & 2 without one, but the instructor in the math class I am currently in posts recording of class in BlackBoard and I have referred back to them a couple times. I was wondering if anyone has used a digital recorder for lectures and whether it helped or not? Also, does anyone have any suggestions on what recorder to get if I decide this is something I want to do? Thank you!

(Please excuse any grammar/spelling errors as I am on my phone and cannot type very well on it)

[CT Pixie, BSN, RN]

Instead of spending money on a recorder, use your phone. If a recorder doesn't come as a standard app, its easy enough to find a free app that is a recorder (I just downloaded one on my phone).

I never really taped lectures, but I am having difficulty in this particular class and decided to try something new. I taped the lecture and when home, I pull out my power point printout and play the recording as I read the slides, I make side notes on the paper if I notice something the professor says that may help reinforce the info.

[msgm]

I am doing the exact thing in critical care class. Just using the app that came with my phone. It works great.

[lolaviex]

I prefer to use an actual recorder and not my phone. I've had trouble with my phone in the past not recording clear, or giving me trouble when I try to share the file with other devices. The one I use is Olympus. I'm not sure what kind it is but the model number on the front is VN-6200PC. I spent a little more and got the one with a USB upgrade so I can upload the files to my computer. That way I can email it to someone who needs it, or put it on my mp3 player.

[bigsick_littlesick]

I bought a Sony digital recorder and I used it quite a lot. Found it very helpful to refer back to what the instructor was talking about EXACTLY especially when our study group heard 10 different things. Mine was a little more pricey because it have a mini USB port so I could transfer them to my computer, that way I don't run out of room and have to record over previous lectures. I also bought an auxiliary cord so I could plug it into my car and listen to it on the way to clinicals or if I had a long drive ahead of me somewhere. I bought a Sony one, price was around $50-60. Great quality, much better than my iPhone 5.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

I did this in my first graduate level class because I was breastfeeding a newborn and never knew when I would have to step out. Even if not, it was hard to take good notes. I sketched the slides, then at night when the baby was sleeping I transcribed the lecture using a typewriter (remember those?) and sketched in the slides on the pages. Nowadays I would have just printed out a page at a time and added the sketches to each.

At the end of the course I had a fabulous study guide and even though it was a really hard course on largely unfamiliar material (neurophysiology and biophysics) and I was still nursing q2h all night, I got a B and was thrilled with it. The transcribing was the key-- I heard it once, then I heard it again and wrote it down, then I read it. Three ways to get my brain to understand it, worked great.

[bigsick_littlesick]

The transcribing was the key-- I heard it once, then I heard it again and wrote it down, then I read it. Three ways to get my brain to understand it, worked great.

That is exactly what I do! Helps retain it so much better