Must-have gadgets for the nursing student

Nursing Students General Students

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I start my nursing program this January, and I'm in the process of getting prepared. I've got the uniforms, the shoes, the stethoscope, most of the books, and all of the office supplies. I'm in fundamentals of nursing this semester, so most of that stuff I have already. I was wondering if anyone can tell me what one techy gadget they have found invaluable for notes/lectures/projects during the program? My husband has mentioned getting me an iPad, but I really have no interest and HATE touchscreen keypads. I had looked into the Capture Notes style apps and while they are pretty cool, I can't get over the price of the iPad, considering I might find it to be too much hassle to use and just end up not using it for that. eBooks aren't an option for me...I have to have hardcopies. I have considered a netbook for note taking in class, but wonder if it is more practical just to get a regular laptop? We currently just have one that we share...mine bit the dust over the summer, RIP. Then there is the Kindle Fire. I'm a big eReader fan and have a Kindle already so an upgrade would be awesome, but are they useful in the classroom? We don't have a ton of money to pour into unecessary extras, so I'm looking for one gadget that will serve most every function I would find most useful. If anyone has any suggestions, I would greatly appreciate it! I am not tech savvy, so I really don't know where else to start or what else to ask! :unsure:

I love, love, love my ipad! I bought a wireless printer and print my notes off when I get home. My notes also sync to google drive so they're backed up and I can pull them off to work on a computer at school if I need to. For me it's so much faster and more efficient, I don't miss things the instructor is saying because I can type faster than I write.

Must have gadgets? I would say look for the cheapest "intel 3, 5, or 7" laptop you can find and subscribe to the new 4-year student discount for Office 2013. I also have a voice recorder that I use, but I have found that I do not listen to it as much as I should. I have a smartphone for quick reference. That's about all I need to get through these lectures.

You just need to find out your learning style and learn how to take notes in a way you will retain.

Here's my bag when I go to school daily:

+Samsung i3 (intel) laptop

-Office 2013 4-year subscription (79.99 for 4 years!)

-David Drug Guide online subsription (got this with book purchase-free for 1 year)

-David Lab Comprehensive Manual online (free 1 year with book)

-Taber's Manual online subcription (free 1 year with book)

+Main text books

+Saunders Comprehensive review (great!!)

-Saunders CD (a great NCLEX review tool)

+Ackley Nursing Diagnosis

+Sony Voice Recorder ($50 with the sd card expansion)

IMO that's all you need. I have an iPad but I don't feel it's as efficient as a laptop in regards to battery, processing, memory, accessibility, and fuinctionality.

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