Apps for Nursing school

Music in My Heart · Nov 25, 2021

Davis Drug Guide for Nurses is the only app that was of any value in nursing school and is one a few apps that I use consistently as a professional.

The others include:

Code Blue by Last Dojo Development (paid)

By far the best code documentation app out there and, as a Rapid Response Nurse, I go to a lot of codes and I routinely look for the best one I can find. It's useful to me... probably not so much for a student.

Breath Counter by Dimagi (free)

Many nurses... ummm... "estimate" respiratory rate... and often not very well... this simple app helps count the RR over a full 60 seconds

NIH Stroke Scale by ETZ.soft (free)

I've done it so many times that I basically have it memorized by now but this app helped me get there... and sometimes I find myself missing a question when I go to document it. It also has the standard graphic and phrases that are generally used.

E-burn by BFWS.ch (free)

These days I don't see too many burn patients but this one makes the TBSA determination a snap... the Parkland formula is just a guideline; urinary output guides fluid resuscitation. That said, I can never remember the Parkland formula for more than a month or so unless I use it... and I don't... so this app helps if that's what we're using. Mostly, though, I just like the TBSA calculator.

Glasgow Coma Scale by Evgeny Chernyshkov (free)

These days I GCS enough folks that I don't really need an app... unless, that is, it's a kid... then I need the app. And please, for the love of all that's good and just in the world, know how to calculate a GCS... one of my biggest pet peeves is when I ask, "what's the GCS?" and the reply is, "About 11..." There's no "about" to GCS... it's a validated, repeatable, reliable tool, not an estimate... but do understand that it is so commonly used outside of its validated population... it's a trauma tool... that's all.

Infusion Coach by Shift Labs (free)

This app either simulates a drip rate or measures a drip rate as you tap on it... why we try to use pumps all the time, sometimes there simply isn't one available when I need it so I'll do the old-school thing and set the rate with a roller clamp. It also has a drip calculator but I usually do those with a calculator.

Google Translate by... well, Google...

Sometimes there is not interpreter readily available and this can help get me by while I'm waiting for one.

When I went to nursing school, I bought all the expensive stuff... didn't use any of it except the drug guide... and keep in mind that on the floors, you will probably get in trouble for having your phone out at all, depending on the facility and your instructor.