Technology Advice for Nursing School

Nursing Students General Students

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Hi all!

I will start taking pre-reqs soon and I wanted to see what technology you feel like is most useful/necessary in nursing school. Laptop? PC or Mac? Tablet? IPad or other? Keyboard for the tablet? Other? Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!

Thank you!

I bought a 13 inch Macbook Air before I started. The hard drive isn't huge but I pretty much only use it for school. It's light, the key board is very quiet, and even after a 4 hour class the battery is still over 50 percent. You can normally find a model that is a year or two old on ebay or amazon for a few hundred less than a new one (which is what I did). I see a lot of my classmates with ipads or other tablets but I prefer the full functionality of a laptop.

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For anyone who is even slightly adept at technology they know that Macs are the most overpriced pieces of aluminum and silicon you can buy... Seriously save your money and don't drink the Kool-Aid.....

Really?... Alright - lemme know how much $ you put into repairs for that laptop over the next 10 years. Wait... Will it even last that long?

Haters gon hate.

Make an investment in something that will last. Plus you can get a great education discount on a Mac. There's a reason people want them, and why they are pricier then a dell, hp, etc.

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Specializes in Med/Surg.

I purchased the ipad just for school and I love it! I have all my textbooks on there except for the books I have to carry in clinicals. I will also cape for Notability! I love that app! I also have scanner pro for the handouts we receive. I can transfer the scanned documents (the study guide) right into notability and take notes on them. I have a bluetooth keyboard for my ipad and that's how I take notes in class. I also have google drive. I store all my documents there so I can pull them up from anywhere in the event I forget my ipad. I'm all for technology. After watching my classmates haul around that rolling luggage, I'm glad I made the decision to buy the ipad and ebooks. If I could afford one, I would get a laptop. Good Luck in school!

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.
Really?... Alright - lemme know how much $ you put into repairs for that laptop over the next 10 years. Wait... Will it even last that long? Haters gon hate. Make an investment in something that will last. Plus you can get a great education discount on a Mac. There's a reason people want them and why they are pricier then a dell, hp, etc.[/quote'] All the technology we have right now will be completely obsolete in 10 years, so I really don't see the purpose of sinking thousands of dollars into a device that'll last for a supposed eternity. I paid $500 for my HP three years ago, and I haven't had to touch it except for the screen I broke when I tripped over the cord.

I've had to have my ipad replaced twice and I've only had it for a year.

Anecdotal evidence for ya.

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Eh, I've had both Mac laptops and PC laptops. I'd say I prefer Mac slightly, just for the integration with iPhone (which I have) and iPad (mini, which I'm getting soon). However, I have a PC laptop right now just because last time my laptop died, I just could NOT swing the price tag of another Mac. My finances are a bit better now and when this one dies (it's a year old and still going pretty strong, so hopefully it'll be a while) I plan to have some money saved up to get a Mac. I used my Mac laptop all throughout my first 4-year degree and I never had problems with compatibility. Pages, Numbers, and Keynote can open Word, Excel, and Powerpoint files with no problems, and you can easily export your files so those with PCs can read them.

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All the technology we have right now will be completely obsolete in 10 years, so I really don't see the purpose of sinking thousands of dollars into a device that'll last for a supposed eternity. I paid $500 for my HP three years ago, and I haven't had to touch it except for the screen I broke when I tripped over the cord.

I've had to have my ipad replaced twice and I've only had it for a year.

Anecdotal evidence for ya.

My MacBook Pro is 7 years old and is running as strongly now as it ever has. In that time, the only money I've put into it is $60 for for two operating system upgrades ($30 each). I use a Windows based laptop for school, because some of the software we use is incompatible with Mac, but I hate it. Not only do I hate the operating system (Windows 8), but I'm constantly having issues with freezing and dropping wifi signal, which requires resetting the wifi adapter about 5 times per day.

Also, your story about tripping over the cord and breaking the screen is another point in Mac's favor, as Mac charging cables are not inserted into the unit, they're held in place by magnet. If you trip over the cable or it gets pulled on in any way, it immediately disengages without disturbing the unit.

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My MacBook Pro is 7 years old and is running as strongly now as it ever has. In that time, the only money I've put into it is $60 for for two operating system upgrades ($30 each). I use a Windows based laptop for school, because some of the software we use is incompatible with Mac, but I hate it. Not only do I hate the operating system (Windows 8), but I'm constantly having issues with freezing and dropping wifi signal, which requires resetting the wifi adapter about 5 times per day.

Also, your story about tripping over the cord and breaking the screen is another point in Mac's favor, as Mac charging cables are not inserted into the unit, they're held in place by magnet. If you trip over the cable or it gets pulled on in any way, it immediately disengages without disturbing the unit.

Also very useful around small children who will yank on the cord to get your attention. Love the magnetic connection. Don't forget that when you get unplugged nothing happens to the work you're doing-- no blink, no reset, no reboot, no problem. Love my MBA. :)

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See only people who don't have macs are the ones who get petty about arguing for the $500 pieces of plastic.

Sorry 'bout cha

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.
My MacBook Pro is 7 years old and is running as strongly now as it ever has. In that time the only money I've put into it is $60 for for two operating system upgrades ($30 each). I use a Windows based laptop for school, because some of the software we use is incompatible with Mac, but I hate it. Not only do I hate the operating system (Windows 8), but I'm constantly having issues with freezing and dropping wifi signal, which requires resetting the wifi adapter about 5 times per day. Also, your story about tripping over the cord and breaking the screen is another point in Mac's favor, as Mac charging cables are not inserted into the unit, they're held in place by magnet. If you trip over the cable or it gets pulled on in any way, it immediately disengages without disturbing the unit.[/quote'] That's really neat!

Not double the cost cool, considering the screen cost me $50 and it's only happened once in the 10 years I've owned laptops, but still cool. ;)

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Specializes in Forensic Psych.
See only people who don't have macs are the ones who get petty about arguing for the $500 pieces of plastic. Sorry 'bout cha

.... :yawn:

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