Laptop vs iPad

Nursing Students NP Students

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Hi. Do you recommend a laptop or an ipad for NP school? Just wondering what you all think.

I love my Ipad 2. I do not have a laptop and i use my ipad as my main computer source. They have a word processer app called Pages, and it works just as well as word. Plus, you can email it or save it in word format, for those that require it. I have lots of cool nursing apps at my fingertips, which is pretty usefull. I also have something called a Logitech wireless keyboard. It attaches to your ipad, and you flip it up. It essentially turns your ipad into a laptop. The only thing that you can not do on an ipad that has hindered me is the fact that you cant use adobe flash player. But I definetly recommend one! Their light, have a long lasting battery, and are highly functional!:)

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Get a mini laptop for like 200 dollars.. pawn shops sell them cheap too..

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Yes, Stick with laptops...

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Microsoft is coming out with a version of Office for the iPad.

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Specializes in Neuro ICU/Trauma/Emergency.

It's dependent on how you learn best. I absorb the most information with a pen and a notepad. I can't even say utilizing my MACBOOK in class is a better option. Though, if you are looking for a lighter load on your walks to class, opt for the ipad. You can always purchase the wireless keyboard.

Nothing is better than old fashion note taking, and then going home to type those notes neatly. This allows you to read over the material at least 3 times, just from the recording alone.

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I have both, I have a free app called splashtop which allows me to access and work on my laptop or Office PC from my ipad. it works off the windows, power point, excel, anything you have on your laptop and updates your laptop files from your ipad. The advantage is the portablity and connectivity of your ipad with all of the apps and the Windows programs. It is a bit more expensive as the ipad is about $700 itself but it really works great. If i had to choose one or the other, I would likely go laptop as the word versions from apple just aren't as user friendly plus it is hard to intergrate others work when the majority of the world uses windows.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
Love my IPad but it won't do you any good in school. You will need Word and PP for most classes, unless you want to print them out and write on paper, which would defeat the purpose of having any electronic in class.

I disagree completely. Most notebook apps allow you to annotate PDFs, and it's quite easy to convert Powerpoints and Word documents into PDFs. I do this for nearly all of my classes.

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Specializes in Oncology.
I love my Ipad 2. I do not have a laptop and i use my ipad as my main computer source. They have a word processer app called Pages, and it works just as well as word. Plus, you can email it or save it in word format, for those that require it. I have lots of cool nursing apps at my fingertips, which is pretty usefull. I also have something called a Logitech wireless keyboard. It attaches to your ipad, and you flip it up. It essentially turns your ipad into a laptop. The only thing that you can not do on an ipad that has hindered me is the fact that you cant use adobe flash player. But I definetly recommend one! Their light, have a long lasting battery, and are highly functional!:)
Check out the app Photon. It lets you view Flash on the iPad.
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Specializes in Pediatric Hem/Onc.

Not sure if this is available for iPads, but Apple has programs comparable to anything in Microsoft Office. It's called iWorks, I believe? It converts everything to PC friendly formats. I

I would love an iPad, but I can't justify the cost when you could get a full on Mac laptop for not that much more. Just my opinion though :) I might change my mind after picking up a few more OT shifts lol

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Specializes in Neuroscience/Brain and Stroke.
I disagree completely. Most notebook apps allow you to annotate PDFs, and it's quite easy to convert Powerpoints and Word documents into PDFs. I do this for nearly all of my classes.

I have both and still wouldn't take the extra time convert all my Word and PP documents to PDF and then take the extra time to put together my keyboard set for the IPAD, doesn't make sense when I have a laptop that does it without the extra work. Now if the OP is wanting to buy one or the other, then definitely something to think about.

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Specializes in Oncology.

Shanthe- iWork is available for iPad.

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Specializes in Neonatal Nurse Practitioner.
I have both and still wouldn't take the extra time convert all my Word and PP documents to PDF and then take the extra time to put together my keyboard set for the IPAD, doesn't make sense when I have a laptop that does it without the extra work. Now if the OP is wanting to buy one or the other, then definitely something to think about.
Ohhhh... You type your notes. That makes the difference. I said earlier that if you want to type your notes, use a laptop. If you want write your notes, go iPad(especially useful in science, math, and any other class that use non-standard characters or charts). The extra time to convert those files to PDFs is like an extra 1/4 minute. There's an app for that.
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