Must-have gadgets for the nursing student

Nursing Students General Students

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I start my nursing program this January, and I'm in the process of getting prepared. I've got the uniforms, the shoes, the stethoscope, most of the books, and all of the office supplies. I'm in fundamentals of nursing this semester, so most of that stuff I have already. I was wondering if anyone can tell me what one techy gadget they have found invaluable for notes/lectures/projects during the program? My husband has mentioned getting me an iPad, but I really have no interest and HATE touchscreen keypads. I had looked into the Capture Notes style apps and while they are pretty cool, I can't get over the price of the iPad, considering I might find it to be too much hassle to use and just end up not using it for that. eBooks aren't an option for me...I have to have hardcopies. I have considered a netbook for note taking in class, but wonder if it is more practical just to get a regular laptop? We currently just have one that we share...mine bit the dust over the summer, RIP. Then there is the Kindle Fire. I'm a big eReader fan and have a Kindle already so an upgrade would be awesome, but are they useful in the classroom? We don't have a ton of money to pour into unecessary extras, so I'm looking for one gadget that will serve most every function I would find most useful. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it! I am not tech savvy, so I really don't know where else to start or what else to ask! :unsure:

I found that an Ipod touch was an ENORMOUS help through nursing school- better than a phone because it had no camera, texting, etc and was allowed on hospital floors where phones were a big no-no. (Yes it could connect to the internet if there was wi-fi, but just keep off facebook!). I had Davis drug guide, taber's medical dictionary and it was an amazing time saver- all the drug/disease info right at my finger tips for pages and pages of clinical paperwork. I made the mistake of buying a 32g pod, didn't need near that much memory! A nice 8G will hold music, books, and tons of other cool apps to help you get through..I am gushing and qould reccommend this purchase to any nursing student! Best of Luck!!

Me? In classes I relied on printing power points and writing and/or drawing on them. Not a doodle drawing but sometimes my "better" versions of diagrams. I (trees groan everywhere) liked to take notes with power point slides 3/1 page (I did print front to back where I could). Gave me plenty of room to write. I wrote soooooo much during class even days I didn't pay as good of attention. Classmates would miss class and borrow my notes for a really good idea of what they missed. I also had a collection of highlighters and used them for a million things. When I was in school the ebook thing was just starting and the versions we had available sucked and were difficult to use so I didn't use them. Since we used the Evolve website for a few things - especially my senior year, this was helpful for prep for classes/quizzes - doing the chapter exercises online. I liked writing things out. Flashcards, notes - that was my style.

I didn't have many gadgets. Stethescope, watch. Drug book, but really drug cards (index card with the 'highlights' from the reference text), stuff of this nature... The cell phone apps are great but PLEASE be mindful of appropriate uses of cell phones in clinical settings. Many facilities have policies prohibiting cell usage in patient care areas. It might be great for the breakroom/confrence time/homework at home/school/library but maybe not a good idea in clinicals where patients and families and facility nurses can see you.

Specializes in ICU.

The best student that I have ever was a very quiet young lady who was unlike any student that I had ever known.

She came prepared. She was absolutely focused on the lecture and did not take notes because she had already read the chapter or chapters.

Once in a while she would jot down a key point. ( test question material)

She was there to soak up everything.

Just bring your undivided attention, respect your professors and leave the electronic devices at home.

Try it.

Specializes in Pediatrics.

Whoever asked about pens, I use cheapo ones for notes. I don't know what brand they are because they're so cheap it doesn't even say. They're capped (I will click a click pen for the entire lecture if I have it). For documenting things at clinical I spend more. I look for ones that write smooth but don't bleed through and are a click pen. Right now I'm using a BIC Atlantis and I'm really liking it.

Anyone know of any good apps for smart phones that have been really helpful? I never thought to make use of my phone!

-Epocrates for random medical information, conversions, etc

-Anki or Studyblue for flashcards

-Random NCLEX type apps to study from while waiting in line (Lippincott, etc)

-Voice recorder to record lectures. Then listen to lectures on my commute.

Hate to spoil your techie needs,but during our times, or from we were from, we only relied on a few critical things and conditions and those are our brain, a constant need for research and knowledge and a healthy, physically fit body. All these contribute to a balanced well being of our nurses. We don't have time to pull up gadgets when we need information,all of them are stored in our brains,in cases of emergencies, by the time you pull out your gadget for info, if you don't know nursing info by heart, the patient would have died.I hate to be a spoil sport, but knowledge is to be learned by heart not to be stored somewhere else, show your patients that you rely on these gadgets for references, they will ask for a different nurse to take care of them, one who knows what to do by heart.And to make a fool of yourself, try taking a full hour dictations from your professor using your gadget , you'll get cramps on both thumbs.

I'm not sure what you mean by making a fool of yourself and trying to take an hour dictation without getting cramps in both thumbs. I take 6 hour dictation on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and 3 hr. dictation on Weds. I have a keyboard with my iPad, and never had any cramps in any fingers. How is it any differ between using a gadget to type dictation, and handwriting them? Either way you are using your hands.

And no your generation may not use gadgets as you say but there are paper reference materials all over for nurses to reference. Not everyone knows everything, and I have seen many use the books at their facility. That doesn't make a person stupid or mean that people don't know any information. You may use it to aid you with something you may be unsure of. Whether you use an iPod, cell phone, ipad, or a paperback book to do so shouldn't matter.

I do the looseleaf-to-spiral bound thing too. I know that works for me, Im just worried that it wont be practical with the volume of work in the program!

I had a trapper type binder that I kept. Stuck loose leaf paper (for notes) and handouts from each class in it. At the end of each semester, I pulled everything out and put it in a labeled folder that went in a tote. By the end of each semester, my trapper would get FULL but never so much so I couldn't use it. Kind of nerdy, but I knew if I had my trapper with me, I had EVERYTHING I needed for class. I also could go back and find old information easily enough if I needed to.

As for the pen discussion, my current favorites are the Bic for Her pens. I like the Inkjoys but they seemed to run out WAY too fast. And agreed, some of the BEST pens are the free ones. :)

I have an IPad and it is honestly the best gadget I could have bought myself. I use it every day for school and personal use (I'm using it to ype this right now lol). I have an app for everything like making electronic flashcards. Sending anything I create to my email for backup takes only seconds. I LOVE my iPad for note taking. I can type much faster than I write and the keyboard is super big so it's not a pain to type on for long periods.

Hey I just looked into this Livesribe Pen and it looks amazing and a great time saver. I am going to purchase this as opposed to a new ipad or galaxy tablet. Thank you for sharing this. I never knew such a device existed that did so much lol

I got your email but couldn't reply because I don't have 15 posts yet. The livescribe does require special paper, but it's so worth it. I say just get it and try it out. You'll see what I'm talking about. :)

Specializes in ER, progressive care.

Definitely an iPod, iPhone or other smart phone. A netbook/laptop would be nice but if you're thinking about bringing it to class, make sure you check with your school/instructor's policy. Computers were prohibited during my nursing classes. In my other classes (non-nursing) I found them to be distracting. I brought my laptop to one of my classes once and I didn't pay attention in lecture...I just sat on Facebook the entire time :unsure: I prefer to write down information as opposed to typing - I'm more likely to retain information that way.

Hey jtboog2003,

I know this is an older post but was just wondering what note taking app you used. I have not found one yet that has impressed me much. Thanks for your reply.

Sandra

QUOTE=jtboog2003;6975418]I just wanted to add: a lot of you say how you love your paper notes and highlighting, and I was the EXACT same way. I thought taking notes on my iPad would be really weird and distracting since i always used paper. It isn't. I take notes right on my electronic paper just like you do in your notebook or powerpoints. I highlight on my iPad just as you do on paper. I can have the teachers notes as well as my own all under a single folder.

I just wanted to add that because it doesn't seem that some people are not fully aware of what note taking on the iPad really consists of. It may not be for you and that's fine, everyone learns differently and prefers their own thing. But you can do basically the exact same things as you can by using pen and paper as you can on the iPad. I can record, highlight, add text, underline, add pics, etc. to notes that were made by my professors. Or just make my own notes.

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