what laptop is good for nursing school

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I'm starting nursing school on january for my associate and my laptop (hp) is not functionally normally. So soon I will need a laptop replacement. I would like to hear some opinions of which laptop will be good for nursing school. Also, when writing your careplans, do you use microsoft templates (microsoft doc, powerpoints etc)? Any information will be appreciated :)thank you for your time .

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

Go for lightweight because you'll be carrying heavy books already. For careplans, teachers usually give you a format to follow, so how you do those will depend on their requirements.

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Specializes in Adult and Pediatric Vascular Access, Paramedic.

Go with an Apple, trust me once you go Mac you never go back!

I have a mac, I can do anything a PC can do without the headaches, like slowness, constant updates, and viruses!

My Apple Mac Book Pro is featherweight and super thin!

I suggest if you are not familiar with Apple you drop into Best Buy, or even better an Apple Store so they can show you the ropes. I can do word processing and other things like powerpoint and turn them into files that are compatible with Windows.

Good Luck!

HPRN (A very happy user of Apple computers!)

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Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I bought a sony vio touchscreen. I absolutely love it! It really depends on preferance. I never took my laptop to school. I like to take my notes the old fashioned way. My bf has a mac and I absolutely HATE it. Ive always had windows therefore I know how to use it.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.

If you do plan to take notes, you will need a real keyboard, not a tablet touchscreen.

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Specializes in L&D, infusion, urology.

I love my Macbook Pro. You can put the Microsoft Suite on it. I needed Word, as my assignments had to be submitted online, and Pages, which is what comes on a Mac, isn't compatible with their website.

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.

Love love love my MacBook Pro. I have a 2011 13" and it still works like a charm. I like the model because you can add memory to it unlike the newer models. If you just need a laptop for minimal use such as Internet and papers I'd say go with a MacBook Air. I've seen people around campus and in class with them and they look so convenient and they just slip right in your bag. I might upgrade next year and get the newer Pro, 13" just for the thinness and portability. Pages works just as well as Word, you can export as a Doc or PDF file, same with Numbers and the Apple equivalent of PowerPoint (name slipped my mind). If you have an iPhone and/or iPad you can sync your files to iCloud and access them from any device which is super convenient because if you forget a document on your computer you could access it from your phone and send it to your school email and whatnot. I have never had to worry about any viruses; I have never gotten a virus on my computer. iBooks is invaluable, as well as all the productivity and educational apps in the App Store. I could go on and on but I'm sure you'll get plenty more replies of why Apple is the way to go ;)

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Specializes in ICU Stepdown.
If you do plan to take notes, you will need a real keyboard, not a tablet touchscreen.

I don't know about other surfaces but you can buy a keyboard accessory for the iPad and use it just like a computer in terms of typing notes.

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I got a Macbook Pro in the beginning of my nursing program in January 2012 and it still performs great. I also didn't have Microsoft Office on my laptop so I used Google Docs to type my notes and care plans instead. It wasn't that difficult to convert them into Word Docs and such.

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Specializes in Adult and Pediatric Vascular Access, Paramedic.
I love my Macbook Pro. You can put the Microsoft Suite on it. I needed Word, as my assignments had to be submitted online, and Pages, which is what comes on a Mac, isn't compatible with their website.

Hey RunBaby,

If you go back to school no need for windows software, my version of pages and whatever the powerpoint equivalent is will convert files to word and powerpoint, so you do not need to buy the windows software.

Just download pages which cost I think a whopping 20.00. My laptop came with the other powerpoint type software. Free classes at any Apple Store as well.

HPRN

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Add me in on the Apple boat! I definitely recommend it for nursing school. I love my Macbook pro with all my heart! I use pages mostly, but I have also used something called Audionote (app) where I've recorded my powerpoint lectures while actually taking notes on the powerpoint. It's just so useful all around. You could also get Microsoft Word and all that if you want, but so far all the basic essentials it came with has been good for me! (Pages & Keynote)

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Specializes in psych, addictions, hospice, education.

For software you need, check with your school's bookstore. Often you can get a huge deal on the basics. For instance, I got Microsoft Office 2013 for $8...

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