HFCC Students: Is a PDA important to have for school? (m)

amybethf · Jun 11, 2008

I made it thru first year without one and I don't know anyone who used it either. I think some schools require or suggest it for recall of meds during clinicals. But it's not required at HFCC. They want us to look up meds in the Davis drug guide. But if it helps you then that's all that matters!

Veruka · Jun 13, 2008

I think the Davis drug guide is enough. They want you to use that anyway because most of the hospital floors have at least one to use for reference, so using it in school helps you get used to it.

oguesswhat · Jun 17, 2008

I bought one after the 1st day of clinicals of 1st semester...I almost lost my drug book cause I sat it down. Plus it was heavy and a pain in the behind to deal with ha. The PDA can fit in my pocket...and I haven't lost it yet :-p I have the davis drug guide on my pda...it is very helpful to myself and to nurses whom my clinical instructor would send to me at times ha. I also have tabers on it which is helpful cause if I don't know a word I don't have to ask other people and sound silly ha (not that people sound silly when asking something they don't know...I just don't like to do that). Anyways it is very helpful to me...some people like it some don't feel the need to have them...there are a handful of people in my class that had one though.

mybrowneyedgirl, BSN, RN · Jun 17, 2008

Thank you. Can you recommend a good PDa? Also, how do you get the books put on them?

thank you

oguesswhat · Jun 17, 2008

It depends on what you want to use the PDA for...For HFCC you are not allowed to have a PDA phone (I asked) sooo...you basically have 3 choices...cheap, medium and expensive. If money is no limit get the expensive one I forget the name of it but its by palm and its expensive (they don't have many to choose from) It gets internet access and everything. Thats around $300. Do not get the cheap one...theres no point it basically is used as an elaborate calender. I got the medium one Palm Tungsten E2. I believe it was $175 off of ebay (from a seller with good standing) and it came with a memory card which for this one you need cause it has little memory. It does not have internet access but besides that its like the same as the expensive I think.

Now PDA's are little money grabbers at first ha...programs do cost money. I got mine off of http://www.fadavis.com through unbound vendor. I got the nursing central program which came with tabers, davis, diseases and disorders, lab and diagnostic tests and unbound) Total cost for that is...$160. However you don't necessarily need to go and buy tabers and davis in book form unless you absolutely want to...of course I had already purchased these so I was out of luck...but the other people in my class that had one did not. Supposedly some vendors want you to update your subscription each year (and pay more money) but the programs still work just fine without them...you just don't get the free updates (if you buy a book...do you go buy every new edition...I think not :) ) Anyways mine works great...I get my school calender in it, I have family photos in it, I can look up drugs and words, it has a calculator...you can even put games on it. Hope that helps.

oguesswhat · Jun 17, 2008

P.S. you download them off the computer. The PDA comes with a cord to hook into the computer and then it downloads onto the PDA