Tag Archive: rounding

Internet based paging system

howstuffworks.com

If you need to send numeric or text pages to medical students, residents, or attendings Telepage Web Pager is the best website. Most hospitals have a built in method to text page anyone with a hospital affiliation. However, this web based paging system allows you to page anything you want to any pager in the country.  Try it, it’s free!

http://www.telepagewebpager.us/

Epocrates: Your brain in your hand

Did anyone actually enjoy studying pharmacology during the 1st and 2nd year of medical school?  One of the best resources you can have during your 3rd year rotations and into 4th year, internship, residency, and beyond is solid pocket medication and prescription reference.  Epocrates is the most widely used pocket reference and I can say from personal experience, it is a MUST HAVE.  There are many other apps, and some are good (LexiComp) but none are as good as Epocrates.

Set up is simple, download the app to your hand held device and the rest is self explanatory.  There is a free version and a pay version.  Even the free version is very good. However, your school likely has a tie in with Epocrates which will allow you to obtain the full version for free while you are in school.  Ask your administrators to provide this service if they do not already do so.

The Epocrates site provides the free download for Apple, Blackberry, Palm, Android, and Windows Mobile devices
http://www.epocrates.com/products/rx/

Medscape: The Most Downloaded Medical App

Medscape (now part of webmd.com) has produced the most widely used medical apps on the market.  The best part is, they are all free.  The main app links you to a database of review articles, disease definitions/physiology/pathology, and management guidelines.  It provides very quick access to important information: you could look up first line medications for community acquired pneumonia in the 15 seconds before you get pimped!

Their main site provides free app downloads for Apple, Blackberry, and Android users.  I have to admit, I use this ALL THE TIME right now during internship.  It is amazingly useful and user friendly

http://www.medscape.com/public/mobileapp

In order to download the app you will need to register with the website (here).  This will not only open the door to all their free apps, but also to all their online resources including free articles, text books, and reviews.  It will also allow you to view their annual physician compensation survey, one of the best ways to learn about how much physicians in each specialty earn.  See my dedicated post on this subject.

 

 

 

 

 

Uptodate: How to impress on rounds

Throughout your third and fourth year of medical school you will frequently be told to “read about your patients.” Uptodate.com is one of your best resources for succinct, up to date, and easy to manage medical information.  The site contains  review articles written by experts in the field and covers nearly all important topics in medicine.  Most large hospitals and medical centers have access to the database through their network.  There is a useful app too, but you may not be able to access it through wi-fi even within the hospital, due to some site restrictions.  But, DON’T PAY for it.  More than likely, there is a way to access it through your medical school.

http://www.uptodate.com/index

How to Use:

Read about your patient before rounds or at night.  Learn the ins and outs of the disease process well to better treat your patient and to better answer questions when you are pimped.  See if your team is doing everything suggested by the review article.  If you find something to add, mention this on rounds or to your residents and mention where you learned it (uptodate).  Everyone in medicine respects the review articles on uptodate.  If you mention that your information comes from uptodate, everyone will now it is reliable.  In the same vein, NEVER admit you learned something from wikipedia…even if it is a great resource sometimes.