The School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences now requires all students to own a personal digital assistant for use in their studies. With professional medical facilities incorporating PDA technology into everyday activities, The Spectrum feels UB's decision will ultimately benefit the school's aspiring health care associates in the long run. A step has been taken towards ensuring that students will be ready for the increasingly technically savvy workplace after they graduate.
According to a UB news release, approximately 15 to 20 percent of national medical schools have developed PDA-supported programs. Because so many hospitals are quickly making use of these high-speed portable devices, Dr. Margaret Paroski, interim vice president for Health Affairs, said she feels this is just another way UB is "training the doctors of tomorrow."
Since many students are new to the world of PDAs, some will need guidance to fully utilize the device, and UB is making sure that all the necessary help and training will be available to all students who require it. Various training sessions as well as program downloads will be offered, to equip students with the basic programs needed for PDA operation. A few programs, however, may need to be purchased if UB Micro does not offer them.
On average, PDAs cost between $50 and $500 depending on the brand and model, and higher end models will no doubt dent the wallets of even the most financially secure students. UB is, however, trying to lessen financial impact by covering the devices through financial aid for those who qualify, and the Office of Medical Computing is looking at various models to recommend one that is reasonably priced as well as up to date.
However, the office does this check and recommendation annually, and though it may not affect the students this term, those in the future may end up having to fork over the cash to constantly upgrade their model or purchase new PDAs entirely. Three $350 dollar purchases will quickly add up, and many students will not be able to afford this when combined with their already stacked medical debts and loans. Though it is possible to sell outdated PDAs like textbooks online, UB needs to make sure that they do not demand that students have the absolute top-of-the-line units every year.
Cost aside, medical students knowledgeable in PDA usage will be a step ahead of the game. There are already handfuls of medical-based PDA programs designed for practitioners, and if students come into the workplace already knowledgeable in these programs, they will not have to take time in their already hectic schedules to bring themselves up to date.
PDAs will hopefully cut down on the amount of physical labor for doctors as well. No longer will they have to search through files and folders for patients' documentation when they can instantly access it through their wireless assistant, and students will carry fewer books since the majority of their necessary information will be in digital format. Many doctors are already stretched thin working long hours - PDA use is a small step in lessening the stress of an already exhausting profession.
Though medical students will have a slightly larger debt, UB should be commended for keeping their students technologically up to date. At the current rate of digital assimilation, PDA use in medical facilities will soon become a standard, and those not versed in the trade will be as unlearned as doctors from centuries past who performed operations without washing their hands.
Photo: Courtesy of Laron Fomby
