As of this semester, all UB medical students must own a personal digital assistant, better known as a PDA or a Palm Pilot. Last year only first-year students faced this requirement, but it was extended to all students this year.
Dr. Margaret Paroski, interim vice president for Health Affairs and interim dean for the School of Medicine and Biological Sciences, said the decision to mandate PDAs was a result of rapid technological progress in the medical field.
"We are requiring PDAs because they are going to be an increasingly important part of medical practice in the future," said Paroski. "We are training the doctors of tomorrow."
The cost of a PDA ranges from $50 to over $500. According to Paroski, the Office of Medical Computing looks at different PDAs each year and picks one model to recommend based on capabilities and cost efficiency.
However, it is required by the school to calculate the cost of the PDAs into the students' financial aid, so students unable to purchase their own PDAs are able to receive funding and still meet the requirement.
Natasha Perez, a junior undecided major, sees familiarity with PDAs as a necessary skill for employees in the medical field.
"They do use PDAs in hospitals, so when you do orientation you'll know how to use one," Perez said. "I need to get one."
Some students expressed concern about the price.
"Considering that most doctors spend years paying off their loans, this is just one more cost for the med students that they probably can't afford," said Josh Miller, a junior English and classics major.
Nathan Nedopak, a junior business management major, disagreed.
"It is expensive," she said. "But if it's going to benefit the student, it's a good idea."
About 15 to 20 percent of national medical schools have created programs to support student use of PDAs, according to UB News Services.
UB now offers training sessions, creates electronic calendars for course and school events and designs a software program to connect third-year students with their clerkship directors during rotations.
Paroski said this immediate connection is another benefit of PDAs.
"The PDAs can be synched at stations in the hospitals, so students can get updated information on their calendars and assignments on a daily basis," said Paroski. "It also allows students to send their clerkship directors real time information about their clinical experiences, so that any gaps in their educational experience can be addressed while the student is still on that rotation."
In addition to immediate contact with clerkship directors, medical school officials said PDAs provide a substantial source of easily accessible data.
Applications like UBMobileMed use programs like Patient Encounter, which allows students to input patient information in their PDAs and send the electronic reports right to their clerkship directors with Internet technology.
Many of the necessary PDA programs can be downloaded for free or given to the students like the Tech Tools CD all students receive. Programs not available from UB or the Internet are available for purchase from software retailers.
Paroski said that the integration of PDAs will strengthen all facets of the UB medical school.
"PDAs improve quality of information, quality of care and the quality of the clerkship experience," she said.
