Typical cellular data use in NS

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Hi, everyone!

Question!

I'm planning on taking the HESI test in January for nursing school, and I'm thinking of buying a new smartphone for nursing school. I don't have one right now, hence my question on here (for those who are used to everyone having a smartphone).

I'm thinking of dumping money on a new smartphone, apple watch for clinical (I guess vital machines can all pair up to each Apple watch simultaneously), Ipad Pro for anatomy 3D, power points, etc and mobile wifi for my house (since I'm not paying for the apartments weekly wifi anymore since it's per device).

I'm wondering if my data will all go onto one plan or if they'll have separate plans. Maybe someone who has what I'd like to buy that I listed above could provide some insight.

And when you guys are at home studying, how much internet do you think you use without surfing on social media? Verizon has unlimited plans but throttles back after 22 GB.

T-mobile's plans look attractive because they throttle back after 50 GB now (as of Sept 19th).

T-mobile seems like the better, cheaper deal than Verizon, but Verizon, I guess, has the best coverage. I don't want outages or service interruptions.

Any advice?

P.S. Regarding the Apple Watch thing, I recently passed the nutrition course requirement for nursing school. In the course, we got to do an extra credit thing where we got to play as a patient and the student was evaluated by the instructor and he had to ask me things. Whatever he didn't ask me, I wasn't supposed to ask or answer. My patient, I played as was a young high school kid needing a sports physical. It was 45-minutes physical. The student who performed the physical on me had an Apple watch. Fast forwarding to a guy I know who is in the program, he too has an apple watch. I don't know who told these guys that it was a great deal, but rewinding back to the sports physical thing, I asked the instructor why they have them and I think she said it's because some facilities have monitors that all can communicate to an Apple watch device (maybe even a smartphone?). That's why I want to buy an Apple watch. I guess it makes the workload easier to handle rather than going around to each individual machine.

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Specializes in Emergency/Cath Lab.

22gb is not a lot if you are using cellular as your sole means of data. I have a cable internet and easily push 800gb a month through it, but that is with Netflix, gaming, etc etc. That being said, my mobile plan only has 2gb because I rarely use my phone in places that doesn't have wifi. I like Verizon, they have the best coverage but their prices and tactics are less than to be desired. TMo is certainly climbing the ranks and is not a bad choice.

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I would never ever ever have any patient data communicate/sync to any personal device of mine. Ever. If that becomes the next big thing, the facility can make devices available.

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Specializes in Oncology.

I have an Apple Watch. I like it a lot. I've never heard of patient monitors linking to it. Even if that functionality exists through some platform, you can bet that your average hospital will not have it. Even if by chance you end up in the one hospital in the US that does have that functionality, you can bet that they won't open it up to nursing students. Our vital signs machines don't even link to the EMR.

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Specializes in peds.

Apple watches syncing to patient monitors could be a privacy issue and Any personal device used to access patient records should be encrypted. A lot of nurses doe have apple watches and use them at work for telling time and pedometers but not patient care like your describing. Our nursing school required us to purchase palm pilots or iPod touches to look up meds, and nursing diagnoses and interventions for clinical. So save your money until closer to when you start the program.

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Our nursing school required us to purchase palm pilots or iPod touches to look up meds, and nursing diagnoses and interventions for clinical.

Ok, cause when I did clinical at a facility for my CNA license, they used Ipod Touch's for charting. What if we have Iphone? Can that be used for that stuff you mentioned? Or is it something that had to be used within the facility and not be taken out of the facility for HIPAA?

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Specializes in LTC and Pediatrics.

You don't use your personal devices for charting anything at work. If devices are being used, they belong to the facility and usually stay at the facility. Lots of privacy issues regarding your own devices.

I have an Apple Watch and and iPhone. I like them because they do sync. That calendar syncing is great. I also use the watch because I can not wear normal battery operated watches as the batteries die in less than a month while the Apple Watch, I charge every night and it lasts all shift. I use the face that looks like regular clock with second hand during work.

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Or is it something that had to be used within the facility and not be taken out of the facility for HIPAA?

Likely it was; let's hope so.

I personally don't care whether the company can do something to encrypt information on my device, that's not good enough for me; I don't want to be subject to whatever fallout exists when they start accusing people of privacy breaches related to their personal devices. I'll take myself right out of that loop. More importantly, I purchase tech items for my personal use, not for a corporation's benefit. Having boundaries about these types of issues goes way beyond HIPAA.

ETA: Forgot to mention, the people I know who complete the process of having an app on their phone for doing work on records or accessing pt information - - they have to sign an agreement stating that if the device is deemed by the employer to be compromised, it can be remote-wiped by the employer. So...that is just not happening in my world.

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Likely it was; let's hope so.

I personally don't care whether the company can do something to encrypt information on my device, that's not good enough for me; I don't want to be subject to whatever fallout exists when they start accusing people of privacy breaches related to their personal devices. I'll take myself right out of that loop. More importantly, I purchase tech items for my personal use, not for a corporation's benefit. Having boundaries about these types of issues goes way beyond HIPAA.

ETA: Forgot to mention, the people I know who complete the process of having an app on their phone for doing work on records or accessing pt information - - they have to sign an agreement stating that if the device is deemed by the employer to be compromised, it can be remote-wiped by the employer. So...that is just not happening in my world.

Regarding your last paragraph. It would be nice if technology could remotely wipe JUST THE INFORMATION OF THE PATIENT, or THE APP, not the whole device itself. I mean I can understand where they're coming from where if the nurse or CNA opened up the app, they would be able to read the information, and maybe save the information outside the app. Ok, understandable but there has to be a lot of things you have to do for that. Maybe they could use 3 facial scanners, 3 finger print scanners (both depending on the device) along with cybersecure perimeter where once you leave the facility after a certain number of feet, the information becomes locked up on the device and if you step back into the zone, it's only good between a certain time frame and it can read your hours you are supposed to work and if you're on vacation. I read somewhere on here that facilities require two RNs to check blood bags before a transfusion and they both have to check to ensure the right type goes to the recipient. Something like that. Redundancy. I know it's all rambling stuff but this is 2017. If you can somehow make the work place more efficient, you could improve both care and productivity. For whatever reason people, and attorneys, just can't think flexibly.

You can't win anymore.

You write ideas up to Apple's software engineers or app developers about the ideas you have to maybe improve something for everyone, they look at it and toss it in their little trash bin besides their desk and say "eh, too much work" and goes back to playing solitaire.

If Apple watch can save patient information like that, I have no problem using it for that. Iphone? Maybe a little problem with me because I want my stuff that has nothing to do with patients or hipaa to be backed up. I don't own an Apple Watch so I don't know how much it can hold or do, probably not much hence why I wouldn't have a problem with it being wiped. I mean what could you possibly care about that's on your apple watch that you would never see forever? Lmao

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You don't use your personal devices for charting anything at work. If devices are being used, they belong to the facility and usually stay at the facility. Lots of privacy issues regarding your own devices.

Yeah, our facility had company owned Ipod Touch they used. I personally own an Ipod Touch and you can't play games on it because it just crashes. But yeah, the facility had their own.

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22gb is not a lot if you are using cellular as your sole means of data. I have a cable internet and easily push 800gb a month through it, but that is with Netflix, gaming, etc etc. That being said, my mobile plan only has 2gb because I rarely use my phone in places that doesn't have wifi. I like Verizon, they have the best coverage but their prices and tactics are less than to be desired. TMo is certainly climbing the ranks and is not a bad choice.

Yeah, I don't intend on using convenient social media pleasures while in nursing school except for googling stuff like EKG signs, acid/base electrolytes, etc. Once I'm in, family is blocked out, Facebook is blocked out, friends are blocked out, and anything else sleazly, googly eyed that influences lazy weazle-ness.

Btw, I kinda dislike the unlimited option for Verizon's cellular plan. I think it'll be seperate from the mobile wifi, Ipad LTE, and the Apple Watch LTE. I think they'll all have their own seperate plans.

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Specializes in Oncology.

You're not going to talk to anyone socially ever in nursing school?

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