During my first year of PA school, I gained a reputation with my classmates as someone who is “tech savvy.” My classmates would come to me with their computer problems, and when people started considering hand-held devices for clinical rotations, they’d ask me what I thought about various platforms. Yes, I had a reputation as somewhat of a tech geek.
Hey, that’s okay, because it’s kinda true!
Because I couldn’t afford the service costs associated with an iPhone, I bought an iPod Touch for my clinical rotations, and I have LOVED it. The medical programs I use most often are Epocrates Essentials, Skyscape OCM, and now Medscape. Other fun ones are eponyms and Diagnosaurus.
Some of these apps were free, but others like Epocrates Essentials are quite pricey. I was lucky and found a 50% discount code, but unfortunately, it is no longer active. (Students – check with your school to see if they have a group discount.)
I have neither the time nor the expertise to do a thorough review of each of these applications, but I’m just sharing that these are my favorites for clinical rotations. If you want full reviews on medical applications for the iPhone/iPod touch, please visit iMedicalApps.com.
Until a couple of days ago, I had been a content user of Apple’s Safari for web browsing. I had no idea why people thought firefox was so cool until one of my professors introduced me to the world of firefox add-ons.
Oh. My. GOSH. How have I LIVED without this?? 
Specifically, my professor sent out a link about a free program called Zotero, which is a research tool. Instead of butchering it with my own feeble explanation, I’ll let them advertise for themselves:
[Click to watch the demonstration video on their site.]
I haven’t started actively using it yet, but when I think about the tedium and research that my thesis is going to require, I get excited by the idea of something this helpful. I whole-heartedly plan to use it to write my thesis paper.
What are your favorite medical applications, reference sites, and research tools? Please share!
OsiriX is a great iPhone app for visualizing ultrasound, CT, and MRI images in their native format. OsiriX is DICOM compliant and allows you to receive images from any DICOM imaging device via Wi-Fi. A great tool for delivering effective and efficient patient care!