University of Virginia Health System

Third Year Medical Student PDA Requirement

updated 12/6/2007
Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs) are useful tools in a variety of clinical settings. As an extension of your desktop or laptop computer, they provide quick access to reference materials and medical applications. All third year medical students are required to own PDAs. The Family Medicine clerkship requires the use of several PDA software packages. For details see the Family Medicine Clerkship site, and for more resources see our Mobile Medicine site .

PDAs were made a requirement four years ago to make them eligible to be included in financial aid packages. We found that over 90% of all third year students were buying them on their own before the requirement.  By making them required, up to $250 toward the purchase of a PDA may be covered by financial aid.  

If you will be purchasing a new PDA we recommend the following specifications and models:

Standard

• Model: Palm Tungsten E2
• Operating System = Palm OS 5.4
• Removable storage = 256MB card, must be purchased separately
• Approximate cost: $200 for E2, $20 for memory card

Enhanced

• Model: Palm T|X
• Operating System = Palm OS 5.4
• Removable storage = 1 GB card, must be purchased separately
• Approximate cost: $300 for T|X, $30 for memory card

The Major Differences:

 Both models will be fine for medical school use. Try them out side by side at Cavalier Computer, which keeps them in stock and offers an educational discount.

Notes: Wireless (WiFi) is integrated with the T|X, but not required.  You may find it useful for checking your email or browsing the web while on the go. If buying a new Palm brand device, we suggest that you consider purchasing the Palm Care ($45-$50) which extends the warranty 12 months, provides for one free broken screen replacement, and gives toll free phone support.

How about the other Palm models?

The Z 22 doesn't have a memory card slot and won't work with medical applications.  

If you already own a PDA, be sure that it has the following capabilities:

Palm OS

• Operating System = Palm OS 4.x or higher
• RAM = 8MB internal
• Resolution = 160 x 160
• Removable storage = 256MB card

Desktop/Laptop Connectivity

A personal computer with Internet access is required to install PDA software and perform regular updates. See the Palm site for minimum operating system requirements:
Windows:http://www.palm.com/us/support/downloads/win_desktop.html
Macintosh:http://www.palm.com/us/support/macintosh/mac_desktop.html

Where to Buy

PDAs may be purchased from many different suppliers, including Cavalier Computers, a division of the University Bookstore. You are not going to find big difference in price from various vendors, unless you happen to catch a refurbished PDA from Palm's web site (these show up occasionally, but you never know when).

How about Pocket PCs?

Recently we purchased and evaluated side by side the current models from Palm and Dell.  The features and functions are almost identical on the two platforms, as Microsoft and Palm have copied each other's successes. But we found several shortcomings in the Pocket PC:

• They are generally more expensive for the same features compared to Palms.
• The battery life is shorter.
• They require rebooting more frequently than Palms.
• They are larger than equivalent Palms.
• They don't work well with Macintosh computers.

While the Pocket PC platform is getting closer in parity to Palms than they were in the past, there was no advantage that we could find in buying a Pocket PC, especially given the higher cost. As a result, we do not recommend the purchase of Pocket PCs for medical students. If you have a Pocket PC, staff members may not be able to assist you in installing or troubleshooting applications.

How about the iPhone and iTouch?

We have purchased and evaluated the iPhone and iTouch iPod for use as a PDA. Currently Apple does not support any third party software on these devices, which means that there are no medical software packages available for either the iPhone or iTouch. As a result, they cannot be used as a PDA substitute.

Palm PDA-SmartPhones

The Palm Centro, Treo 680, 700p, and 755p combine the functionality of a PDA, cell phone, camera and MP3 player. Carrying one device can be more convenient, but expect to pay about $15/month for unlimited data access in addition to your cell phone plan. A typical plan from Sprint gives you 700 minutes of voice and unlimited data for $65/month. The Palm smartphones can be purchased from Palm or wireless providers for $300-$450 depending on the calling/data plan you select. You will need to add a 256 MB - 1 GB memory card ($20-30) for medical applications. The Treo 700p offers DSL like network connection speeds, but there is no broadband provider in Charlottesville yet (though the 700p will work on the existing Sprint network at slower speeds). There are some disadvantages of the Centro and Treo models over a dedicated PDA:

• Smaller screen size
• Slightly less reliable due to the complexity of the device
• Slower network connection compared to the T/X

Available Software 

Walk-in Clinic for PDA Assistance

Having trouble getting your PDA to "talk" to your home computer so you can install the required software?  Bring your laptop, PDA, and cables to get advice and assistance from our PDA support team.  Or, call us from home at 924-9962 to get your home computer and your PDA back on speaking terms! 

Date: TBA in the HSL Carter Classroom.

Have questions about your current PDA and the requirement?  Contact John Jackson at jjackson@virginia.edu or 924-1528 or come to one of the walk-in sessions listed above.