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Technological Study
Aids In Medical Education
Technology offers medical education enormous
opportunities. Specifically, the Personal
Digital Assistant (PDA) which has become
an extremely valuable tool for the medical
student attempting to master an immense
body of knowledge in the setting of a hectic
clinic or ward. Yet many students know little
about software or hardware for their PDA’s
or don't know where to start when beginning
a search to purchase a PDA. Study Medicine
and Health Sciences Overseas talks to the
American Students Medical Associations PDA
Co-coordinator about the benefits of studying
with a Handheld device.
Why do I need a
Handheld device for 3rd year?
Possessing a PDA during the clinical years
is now regarded to be nearly as essential
as owning a stethoscope. You can put entire
medical books and references all on this
one little device. It also allows you to
store Notes or "Clinical Pearls"
that you make for yourself right there on
the Handheld…no loose papers to keep
up with! Among the various programs available
to you (either free or for pay) are patient
trackers, drug databases, and others that
will make your life easier on the wards.
Standard features on Handhelds include an
address book, calendar, financial programs,
and games.
What are the different
add-on features that I can get for my Handheld?
Any number of add-ons can now be procured
for your PDA. These run the gamut from cell
phones, GPS positioning devices, MP3 Players,
pagers, wireless internet connections, digital
cameras, even bar code scanners! While these
features can be purchased separately for
most handhelds, a few come with integrated
features. The most popular (and upcoming)
features to look out for include the ability
to play MP3s, surf the internet via WiFi,
take pictures with a built-in camera, or
even make phone calls from an integrated
phone.
What’s the
difference between a Palm OS system and
a Windows system?
Palm OS is the operating system first created
specifically for the Palm Pilot brand of
Handhelds. It was then integrated into all
Handheld computers as the operating system.
Based upon the success of PDAs, Pocket PCs
utilizing Windows was released. These handhelds
have provided a formidable challenge to
Palm OS PDAs in terms of memory, processor
speed, and graphics. The Achilles' heel
of the Pocket PC, though, is the battery
life. While they offer a more graphical
interface, the poor battery life means that
recharging needs to occur more frequently.
Recently, the Palm OS PDAs have begun to
catch up with the Pocket PCs in terms of
the available processor speed and memory,
while maintaining a superior battery life.
It is generally regarded that a larger variety
of programs are available for Palm OS handhelds
than for Pocket PCs. When it comes time
to make your decision, test out several
models (makers) for each system to determine
what you are most comfortable with.
Is it possible to
upgrade the memory on my Handheld?
Yes, and in fact, you should NOT purchase
any Handheld that does not have upgradeable
memory! For the purposes of any average
medical student, you will need at least
24-32 MB of memory on your Handheld. The
standard memory for most of the Palm OS
devices is anywhere from 2-64 MB with expansion
slots for additional memory. Most Windows
devices come with a standard 32-64 MB memory
as well as the ability to expand. Since
you will be using this device for at least
2 years (M3 & M4 years), it is important
that you have the ability to expand your
memory to accommodate all the programs you
may wish to use. There has been a trend
over the past years of increasing file sizes
for medical related programs.
Should I get a color
Handheld or stick with the traditional black-and-white
models?
This is really a matter of personal preference.
Obviously the color versions are much more
aesthetically pleasing, but you will pay
for the added benefit. The black-and-white
versions really have more of a gray/green
look to them. If you are going to take pictures
or store JPEG images on your Handheld, you
may want to get the color version. However,
make sure you have adequate memory to store
those photos!
When should I look
toward buying one of these Handhelds?
While opinions vary, there are many students
who purchase a handheld at the beginning
of medical school (M1 year) to help them
stay on top of their coursework and other
activities. Some students purchase their
Handheld during 2nd year, often at the beginning
of 2nd semester. This allows you a full
4-6 months to learn how to operate the device
as well as to become comfortable using it
on a daily basis. This also allows you time
to see what types of files or programs that
you want to purchase for it. Keep in mind
that there are also many files/applications
that you can download for free from a multitude
of internet sites specifically designed
for Handhelds. You can wait until the summer
to get your Palm, but you may not have much
time left after you take Step 1 to really
prepare for your 3rd year. You don't want
to find yourself in the situation of just
trying to figure out how to be a 3rd year
student AND trying to figure out how to
turn on that darn Palm!!
So, what are the
most popular types of devices so that I
can begin looking to purchase one?
Palm OS systems
Handera
PalmOne*
Sony
*When looking at the Palm brand, be aware
that the older versions DID NOT have memory
expansion capability. Therefore, you may
find a really cheap Palm Pilot, but it will
only have 8 MB of memory and you have no
way to increase that---don't waste your
money!!
Windows systems
HP/Compaq Ipaq
Cassio Cassiopeia
So what do I need
to consider when looking to purchase a Handheld?
You need to look at several things:
- Which operating system are you most
comfortable with? (Windows vs. Palm OS)
- Memory expansion capability
- Color vs. B&W
- Additional features (MP3 player, camera,
WiFi, etc.)
To find out which handheld is best for
you, you should do some research into all
of the Palm devices using the criteria listed
above. You can get online to sites like
www.cnet.com
or www.zdnet.com
to do some comparison shopping. These
sites include objective reviews of these
products with pros and cons listed. You
can also get online to price compare many
of these devices. This will let you know
whether you want to purchase the Handheld
locally or through an online source.
So what is all of
this going to cost me?
Well that depends on what you want in terms
of those features listed above. For Palm
OS handhelds, prices run from $100 for a
basic, non-expandable PDA to ~$500 for a
top-of-the-line PDA. Windows Pocket PCs
are a bit pricier with average prices from
$200 to ~$600. Once you have decided what
features you would like to have on your
PDA, you can find a model that will fit
your budget.
Can I get any assistance
from Financial Aid for the purchase of one
of these?
Many schools have financial aid programs
which allow you to request loan money for
the purchase of a computer and/or handheld.
Check you with your school's financial aid
office for the full details.
Is there any way
to arrange mass discounts on handhelds?
Yes! Check out AMSA’s group buy program
on their website www.amsa.org
For more information contact:
The American Medical Students Association
www.amsa.org
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