Advice on which PDA to buy

Demonsthenes · May 14, 2005

A good entry PDA, which I own, is the Tungsten E.

It now costs about $ 200.

With the TungstenE, you need access to a desk top or lap top computer in orderto "Hot Sync" the same to your PDA in order to add programs to the same.

This is a relatively simple process with the Tungsten E.

Of course, as you have already specified, pharmacy software is an essential.

I have the whole Physicians Desk Reference, the 5 Minute Clinical Consult, Patient Tracker, and Medcalc on the same.

I am an R.N..

It, also, has many basic features like a calculator,memo pad, note pad, calculator, and calender.

The Tungsten E can also be used for entertainment purposes such that books and games can be "hot synced" into the same.

You've made a very good decision to purchase and use a hand held for both professional and personal use. :)

GrnHonu99, RN · May 14, 2005

this might be a stupid question but what exactly is a PDA, can you record lets say nursing lectures on them? I have heard that you can...is a nursing "PDA" the same thing as a palm pilot in the non nursing world? thanks!

Demonsthenes · May 14, 2005

this might be a stupid question but what exactly is a PDA, can you record lets say nursing lectures on them? I have heard that you can...is a nursing "PDA" the same thing as a palm pilot in the non nursing world? thanks![/quote
"PDA" stands for "Personal Digital Assistant", which is the same thing as a "hand held computer." I can't give you a good answer to your second question with regard to recording nursing lectures on them. I do know that you can record nursing lectures on "tablet pc's" and that they are used for that purpose.
A "palm pilot" is one make of PDA. However, there are many brands and types of PDA's.
Thank you for your interest in this topic. :)

nursemike, ASN, RN · May 14, 2005

this might be a stupid question but what exactly is a PDA, can you record lets say nursing lectures on them? I have heard that you can...is a nursing "PDA" the same thing as a palm pilot in the non nursing world? thanks!

Same thing. Personal Digital Assistant. "Palm" is a brand, so PDA is a little more generic. Some do have voice recording capability, which could be real nice for a quick note to self, like in preplanning, but I doubt it would be good for a whole lecture--although memory cards are getting better.

I agree the Tungsten E is a good start. I now have a T5, because I didn't buy the hard case for the E. The E was plenty good enough, but I hated to replace it with the same thing, and the T5 has some advantages (ought to!)

If I wasn't clear: BUY THE HARD CASE! The one for my T5, after 5 months, has dents and dings all over it. Every time you lean against a bed rail, it pays for itself.

Drug Guide and Medical encyclopedia (like Tabers) are a must, to me. Lately bought a program with NCLEX review questions--has a few bugs, but it's a good way to kill some time.

I recommend the Palm OS (found on Palm, Sony, and some others) but a friend has a Pocket PC with the Windows- type OS, and it seems just fine, too. Since Dell goes with Pocket PC, there should be lots more software available, but until lately there was more for Palm.

There's a site called Brighthand with boards like this and a lot more information, but some of it's pretty technical.

leslie56 · Jun 12, 2005

i am looking for a pda, everywhere i go i get conflicting answers of which is the best. i havnt started clinicals yet so i have no idea how much memory, processing speed...etc i will need. ANY advice will be appreciated! :)

mtnmom · Jun 12, 2005

i like Tungsten E because its good value and not a bunch of extra features that you may not need. It also allows for viewing and editing of word, excel and Powerpoint files so that feature has advantages for a student.

nursemike, ASN, RN · Jun 12, 2005

i am looking for a pda, everywhere i go i get conflicting answers of which is the best. i havnt started clinicals yet so i have no idea how much memory, processing speed...etc i will need. ANY advice will be appreciated! :)

I can't think of a better deal than a Tungsten E. The cheaper ones with no expansion slot might be okay as an address book, but you need some storage for nursing refs. I have a 128MB card I haven't filled, but memory is getting cheaper all the time. I could buy 256 for what 128 cost a couple of years ago.

A voice memo feature would have been really nice for preplanning, but you can get tape or digital recorders pretty cheap, if you don't find an affordable PDA with one built in.

You don't have to spend a ton of money to get something very useful.

But do buy a hard case.

LilRedRN1973 · Jun 12, 2005

I just purchased the Tungsten E2. It was a bit more than the regular E, but has some extra features that I wanted. I love it. I had a Palm m130, so this is a BIG step up!!! I went to http://www.cnet.com to find out what their top picks were and to see comments and reviews of all the PDA's out there. I also bought a keyboard from Ebay that works really well with my PDA. It folds in 1/2 and is a regular size keyboard when opened up. I can take notes with it on my PDA through Documents To Go, a program that came with my E2. I also have Epocrates and an IV drug book on there, as well as a lab/diagnostic program. I use my PDA for everything under the sun....it also plays mp3's, so I can take it to the gym, use my fitness program that's on it while listening to mp3's at the same time.

Melanie = )

debblynn13 · Jun 12, 2005

I have a Tungsten E.

http://www.palmone.com/us/products/handhelds/tungsten-e/

I got it in my first year of clinicals. I put Epocrates on it, it is a free program that is very handy for clinicals. You download drug updates daily through your computer. I had everyone asking me for information including teachers. Many times Epocrates had the drug when the drug books didn't

http://www2.epocrates.com/products/rx/

There were a few times I wished I had one that recorded. It would have been nice to just speak into it and have the vital signs recorded. But it all depends on how much money you have to spend. I would definately make sure you get one with decent memory on the pda..and be able to use a memory card too. I have 32mb on the Tungsten E and I wouldn't go any less.

Another good site to go to is Skyscape.

http://www.skyscape.com/estore/Store.aspx?Category=36

They have lots of nursing programs such as Tabors, RNlab, RNotes, IV drug book, Nursing procedures...ect ect. They have trial versions you can use but you will need to buy the whole version to really use them effectively.

Hope this helps some,

Deb

sandiLa · Jun 12, 2005

I also have the Tungsten E. I got it while in Nursing school and it helped me immensely. I found this site and bought a bit of software from them.

http://www.pdacortex.com/

They also have some free downloads that you may find helpful. I also got an expansion chip and this is where I download all my programs, saves the actual pda memory.

This is the link for the brighthand forum. You can find great info there and help with questions. If you scroll down to the bottom there is a section on Medicine.

http://discussion.brighthand.com/palmhandhelds/forumdisplay.php?s=&forumid=83

Good luck with what ever you choose.

Sandy

RedSox33RN · Jun 12, 2005

I have a Tungsten T3, and have Davis Drugs, Tabers, and a Nursing Dx program on it. I also use it to record lectures, then d/l them to my computer, and can burn a CD to listen to on my commutes to classes.

It's also good for non-nursing stuff - I have baseball software on it, can score games and scout teams (I coach and manage two different teams).

I recommend the Palm OS also. I looked at the Microsoft, but there seemed to be much more for Palm, plus I *heard* that the Microsoft one tends to crash as often as regular Windows does. I don't know how true that it, but I've never had a problem with mine.