iTouch and Skyscape

I bought the iPod touch and I use skyscape. I haven't started school yet, but I have been playing around with it--I'll tell you what I know.

-With the itouch you download the free skyscape app through itunes, but then you buy any of the specific programs through skyscape's site (skyscape will give you a few free apps just for downloading skyscape though!).

-The subscriptions that I bought for the programs that were required by my school all had 1 year subscriptions. So unfortunately they do run out.

-I don't have any definite recommendations because I haven't used them in clinicals yet, but the ones my school requires are Davis's Drug Guide for Nurses, Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary, Nurse's Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions, and Rationales, and Nurse's Manual of Laboratory and Diagnostic Tests. When I bought these four, Skyscape also gave me 2 free apps!

-The four apps that I bought (and was required to buy) were just under $200. Whether or not the ones I bought would be essential for you would probably be best answered by someone who has used them in clinicals though.

Good luck!!

Another program to consider is Nursing Central from Unbound Medicine. It includes everything you will need for clinical rotations (drugs, labs, diseases and disorders, a dictionary) as well as for class. One of the best things about Nursing Central is with your subscription, you also get access to all of the resources on the web.

For drugs, look at Lexi-Comp. It's what the PIXIS medication dispensing system uses, what our area hospital MAR's link to and is pretty comprehensive.

What do you mean by complete web resource access on unbound? Do they have provision to access products online as well? Hmm.. but still I think skyscape is better. I am using their nursing constellation and nothing better than it... I am having standard subscription wherein I will not get updates after a year.. but I dont think I mind coz anyways my program will be over by then

Read carefully with Skyscape. When I got my Touch last year, Skyscape's subscription had a catch--not only did your updates end, but you could no longer access the texts at ALL unless you paid for a renewal subscription! Unbound has a year on their subscription, too, but you only lose updates and online access to their MedLine journals--the texts are yours to keep.

Skyscape may have changed their policy, but be warned. Other than that, I think it has excellent products.

For the first year of clinicals, I used the drug guide and dictionary daily, the diagnostics text a little (could have done without it, if necessary), and the diseases text almost never (it never seemed to have the disease that I was looking for).

I have contacted Skyscape chat support and they explained me about the version of the products which they sell i.e Standard and Subscription version. I am posting the difference of the version which I received, have a look. If you go for standard version, you will be able to use the product even after the product expires. However you will not be able to receive further updates. After the year, the product will still function, but without any fresh data. Also a limited period of phone support. And during the year and thereafter, if there is a new edition of the resource, it must be purchased separately. Whereas, if you go for subscription version and though it expires after a year and you will not be able to use the product unless you renew, it still has more benefits than the standard version. The subscription is a lower price, gives the desired flexibility of length (a student can pay for a resource for only the period it is needed for a class, for example). It includes upgrades to new editions if they are released during the period of the subscription, and has expanded phone/chat/email support availability. You will also get device upgrade protection.