eBook vs. paper copy...

[HM2PA]

good day all,

I start PA school in March and plan on starting to build my reference libarary now... any thoughts on eBook vs. paper copy? Frankly I really like the feel of flipping through an actual book. When you need to look something up grabbing a reference book vs a iPad looks less like: "uhh... i dunno, lemme google dat." The obvious and major drawback is that they are huge, heavy, and pretty much need to stay in the office where eBooks go with you everywhere.

 

What has been your expereince/preference and why?

 

 

[parnemt]

It's all personal preference. You likely won't be referencing books as much as you think you will. Netters, Big Robbins, and a pharm book got me through didactic year. The rest of the information came from lecture powerpoints. On rotations you will have to find mobile resources or websites (epocrates, uptodate, ect) to use as reference. With that being said, I wouldn't be too eager to start buying a library (unless you are independently wealthy).

[SHU-CH]

I like books. I can't see myself ever really going electronic. I can sit on the beach and read a good book for three hours. If I did that with a device my eyes would bug out... 

[Planteater]

PAS-2 here (woohoo). I like electronic books for easy reading/ fiction, but some of the medical books are really wonky with their electronic versions. Make sure you download a free sample (kindle on amazon does this for all their books I think) before buying. Also you can't resell electronic books- just something to keep in mind. I only used a few of my books regularly (Current, anatomy atlas, physical exam, pharm). Also, my program gives us access to accessmedicine.com and it has a majority of our books on it. So don't be too quick to order everything until you know.

[winterallsummer]

Tons of ebooks are free if you dig around enough (all the blueprints, case files, pretest series, Merck manual).  I am indifferent, either works.

[dannydude57]

I type all my notes. I love it that when I go somewhere to study, I have a light bag consisting of my tablet and laptop. My classmates who have binders... Monstrosity is word that comes to mind. My school library has tons of resources, so I did not have to buy a lot. I would wait to see what you need before building a library.  

[EMSGuy1982]

I do like the ease of carrying a book on an ipad but I agree that having the book has it's benefits. Problem I have encountered in the last few years of finishing off my pre-req's is finding the book in ebook format. IBooks has a lot of books but seems to never have the one I am looking for.

[jlumsden]

For this one, I will be doing some of my self-study from abroad prior to starting the program at the UW.  My plan is to get the e-book because my computer weighs less than a textbook.

[PAchick]

While I'm not in PA school yet, I've used ebooks the last 2 years whenever possible. I'll admit that it is difficult to juggle multiple ebooks in one session, but I still prefer them.

I type my notes either in powerpoint or documents, and I find it's easy and convenient to insert images from my ebooks instead of typing out certain concepts. It's also possible to search for terms not indexed well and jump to the page.

 

You sound like you have a tablet, but for those who don't I highly suggest an ipad or kindle fire. These both display ebooks relatively well compared to others (ipad is better). You can keep an ebook open in your lab like a book while working and typing on your computer. I got a kindle fire and the savings from ebooks have more than paid for the tablet. Using your computer for both the ebook and your document/internet is a pain.