Do I need to get a Lap Top for school?

I find that hand written notes are better as you are encoding the information at the same time your are writing it.

I, personally, never liked typing my notes...I fussed too much about how the notes were getting formatted in Word and making it so I could comprehend them later rather than focusing on the information being taught. Plus, I liked making arrows relating content back to previously taught information, etc or even drawing diagrams.

I don't know about a laptop, but I LOVE my palm pilot for looking up drugs on epocrates!

I have to second the palm pilot thng but since I lost mine I use my iphone which is just as good. I think I'll get an itouch when I graduate

I can see it hindering taking notes, which I already have a good enough system for. But, do the classes i9nvolve papers/assignments that must be turned in typed? How often must you do online searches for extra info? Your experience would be great.

I have a home computer, that I share with my hubby (who is always on it in the evening when I will be studying). Will I need one to take to school, or is it used often at home for papers? I would love your experience so that I can decide to get one or not. I would hate to get one only to learn that written papers/notes are fine to pass.

I find it very annoying to hear someone typing in class. Very distracting.

You should get in the habit of using a computer for nursing, already here in virginia they are using computers to chart.

I can see it hindering taking notes, which I already have a good enough system for. But, do the classes i9nvolve papers/assignments that must be turned in typed? How often must you do online searches for extra info? Your experience would be great.

We would have anywhere from 1-3 typed assignments/reports/projects each semester, none of which necessitated me having to bring my computer to school. If it was a group project either the work was divided up and done at home or we met in a computer lab at the school or library.

We did do a good bit of researching online, but again, not necessary to have a laptop. Since my school was part of a major university system, we were given access to all the medical and nursing journals and databases (i.e. cinahl, ovid, etc) and were able to log on from home. I would assume that most students were able to do this?? As for this, I always found it easier to go to the campus library to do research on a computer there, that way I had other paper resources on hand since not all the journals could be accessed for free online. This way, you don't have to worry about your computer fussing around with the internet firewall that most campuses and hospitals put up on their internet connections and can really slow down connection speeds on outside computers.

All in all, having a computer of your own is a good idea, but a laptop is not necessary. A good desktop costs less than half the price of a laptop and will be more than enough. All you need is a recent version of microsoft word and probably powerpoint. Since I am unfamiliar with the resources that your school provides in terms of access to computers, some of this may not apply to you :) It is a good idea to contact your school and see what they recommend!

sorry for being longwinded! hope this helps

Maybe were you live, But alot of Hospitals, Doctors offices etc I have been to and employed at still use paper and alot of Nursing school are requiring students to have computer knowledge as well as the government who are pushing for paperless records. Anyway it is better to learn now than later on when a fresher nurse who can do more than you (chart on a computer) becomes your boss. At my jobs it is a requirement and knowing is the difference between making $10.00 hr or $18.00 now how important do you think it is in these hard times. Just remember this years ago people did not think learning spanish was important either but see how quickly your earnings and worth will rise because you can speak espanol. thats just my

so would I get a laptop for school yes I have 2 a pc and mac not to mention a desktop. For me I did not want to deal with everyone trying to use a computer and my work being destoryed because of virus, power outages, and more importantly a time limit on how long I can use other peoples property. It can be used as a tax write off for education.

having a laptop does not mean you will be competent in using electronic charting. These are institution specific programs that do not mean you *have* to have a laptop anymore than you need a desktop computer. The OP already has a computer at home but was wondering if she should get a laptop for school.

There are no hospitals in my area that use paper charting anymore, they all use e-charting. In fact, I just finished my computer charting orientation a few days ago, and there is no program that I could have used on any computer prior to my job that would have helped me be able to use electronic charting anymore than a person who survived school with a paper and pencil. Believe it or not, you get experience during your clinicals on using electronic charting using the hospital's computers.

As for having 2-3 different computers available to me at home, I survived sufficiently with the same computer for the past 4 years. If you take care of the one you have with antivirus software and only use approved programs, you won't really have to worry about malfunctions too much. Most institutions of higher learning have tons of computers available in this day and age, so waiting in line and having a time limit is something I haven't seen in years.

Redraven- I think you misunderstood me, I absolutely recommend having a computer, but not necessarily a laptop.