mash Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Hi all! I'm starting a program in the fall and was wondering what school supplies did you: find useful, couldn't live without, or never used? What other items did you find useful during your didactic year (for example: tape recorder, rolling backpack, etc.)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted April 19, 2015 Administrator Share Posted April 19, 2015 It's going to really depend on you--how you study, what you like to do to review notes. Some of my classmates printed out every powerpoint and took notes on the hardcopies; they needed a lot more storage space. I didn't, I took notes directly in my word processor, kept everything on the MacBook that I'm still using to type this. I know a couple of people recorded lectures--I never did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MT2PA Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Probably depends on the school, too. I know that where I will be attending they apparently record and post each lecture so a tape recorder is unnecessary. They are also attempting to go digital with required iPads. Check with your program specifically maybe to see how they do things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will352ns Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 A white board in whatever room you mainly study in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dchampigny Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 a keurig color coated highlighters post it notes Bates' guide to history and physical examination lots of pens lots of notebooks (literally like.......10 5 subject notebooks a semester) Netter's anatomy flash cards medicine recall pharmacotherapy handbook by mcgraw hill First aid for USMLE Step 1 K-cup value packs clif bars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumsden Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Keep a set of good white board markers in your bag. On my campus, there are many whiteboards for study groups, but never enough fresh markers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Topsy Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 What about equipment? Just a stethoscope? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted April 19, 2015 Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2015 flashcards...lots...and lots...of flashcards...great way to learn...transcribe major points from lecture onto cards and review frequently. then you learn the material at several levels....the act of writing it down I think does more for you than just typing it...at the end of yr 1 I stacked up all my flashcards and they came up to my chest. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Administrator rev ronin Posted April 19, 2015 Administrator Share Posted April 19, 2015 What about equipment? Just a stethoscope? Program-dependent. I have three provider-grade stethoscopes: One I bought for myself, one my fire department gave me as a parting gift on my way to PA school, and one was in the required equipment package which every student was required to purchase. That's about $129.95 extra stethoscope which I've almost never used. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted April 19, 2015 Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2015 Program-dependent. I have three provider-grade stethoscopes: One I bought for myself, one my fire department gave me as a parting gift on my way to PA school, and one was in the required equipment package which every student was required to purchase. That's about $129.95 extra stethoscope which I've almost never used. I almost never use my cardiology scope that I bought in school. way too heavy. I have 3 classic 2 SEs now, one at each job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACdan Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Laptop, Laptop, Laptop. Live on the laptop. Preferably one with long battery life, quiet, and a comfortable keyboard. Preferably an Apple. i.e. the MacBook Air - the greatest ultraportable notebook computer ever made. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted April 19, 2015 Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2015 Laptop, Laptop, Laptop. Live on the laptop. Preferably one with long battery life, quiet, and a comfortable keyboard. Preferably an Apple. i.e. the MacBook Air - the greatest ultraportable notebook computer ever made. :) as an interesting aside, when I was in PA school there was 1 guy in our class of 80 who owned a laptop..and he was an I.T. nerd...I think I used a computer all of 2-3 times in pa school and then only as a word processor to write a few papers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACdan Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 as an interesting aside, when I was in PA school there was 1 guy in our class of 80 who owned a laptop..and he was an I.T. nerd...I think I used a computer all of 2-3 times in pa school and then only as a word processor to write a few papers. I think laptops are required at every program now. We do everything on the computer and online. Classes are organized on Blackboard, all the materials and presentations are posted there. Our day-to-day schedule is continually update on Google calendar. Our tests are on the computer through a lockdown browser (in-classroom of course). All 40 of us have computers open, all day. I don't take paper notes, I type much faster than I write and my hands don't cramp that way. I take notes directly on the PPTs. A few of my classmates will take paper notes, but usually just for diagrams or charts. Some people print out PPTs for studying, yet they still have their laptops open for work. 80% of us study exclusively from the screen. Savin' trees I guess. This was actually a switch for me. At my small undergrad college, only a few people had laptops in class. 90% of us took paper notes. We took paper tests. I hauled around huge, heavy binders. And that was just 2006-2010. I think average class sizes of 14-20 students at an old institution contributed to this trend. But I bet if I went back now there would be many more laptops and tablets in the classrooms. It's the new norm. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderator EMEDPA Posted April 19, 2015 Moderator Share Posted April 19, 2015 I still only take notes on paper. I type with 2 fingers, probably 25 word/min. I get by ok (did a 76 pg paper last term), but know I am faster writing by hand. we had very few power points in pa school. PPT was still very new in the early 90s. most folks wrote on slides for an overhead projector and actually interacted with the students...I bring a laptop to conferences, but only for email, pa forum, writing papers, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AliB Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 I type, even things like chemical formulas & equations, significantly faster than I write (& it's one hell of a lot more legible ... even to me!), but I fully expect I am going to writing out some things (whether it be into charts or tables, flash cards, or reference cards of some sort) because of the better retention that comes with writing versus typing. I don't know how it will apply in PA school, but despite being an IT nerd for 25 years, I also 'proof' / review things much better in paper format as opposed to online. It may well affect my understanding and absorption of the material too. TBD! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jlumsden Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 The laptop is definitely useful, but it's absolutely not needed to take notes in class. I bring it, but if I leave it open, I am just too tempted to dick around on the internet instead of concentrating on the lecture. Sometimes I use it as a hard surface to take paper notes on. I only open it up during breaks, or during the rare occasion when the teacher asks us to look at a website. I am trying to figure out if I can avoid bringing it at all, to reduce the weight in my backpack when I bike to and from school. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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