Best laptop for a student taking nursing?

[TickleMyElmo]

I have a friend that is going back to school for nursing and she wants to know what the best laptop would be. All her friends are saying a macbook, I told her they were overpriced and overhyped. She would like to spend under $650. What do you guys think?

 

[EarthDog]

I think most any would do... what size is she looking for?

 

[TickleMyElmo]

15 inch.. would a chromebook suffice or no?

I was thinking this. https://www.microcenter.com/product...b_ig4vbG0GS9-x241HiwwQ93TBF0W1N9hGoO8VW9LLL3Q

 

[EarthDog]

Chromebook would be ok for basic word processing, spreadsheets, web stuff...but that's it (horsepower wise, iirc). A windows based OS is likely more familiar (gui) and gives more options and likely has a more powerful processor with a bit more flexibility.

How will she use it?

 

[TickleMyElmo]

I dont know.. nurse stuff?

 

[EarthDog]

I dont know.. nurse stuff?

Ask and find out.

Either way, the laptop you linked should be fine.

 

[custom90gt]

I would check with her school and see what the requirements are. Some nursing schools require a windows based PC to run their exam software and it may not play nice with Chrome.

 

[freakdiablo]

First thought would be a Lenovo Flex or Yoga (one hit on NE, doesn't look too bad spec wise). Mainly as it can be a full fledged laptop then she can flip it to tablet mode if she's walking around with it during labs.

 

[EarthDog]

Basically, if the OP really wants to help the person who asked him, he needs to ask the right questions in order to do so.

 

[Robert17]

15 inch

I was thinking this. https://www.microcenter.com/product...b_ig4vbG0GS9-x241HiwwQ93TBF0W1N9hGoO8VW9LLL3Q

This is what I gave my granddaughter for Christmas. She wanted it for school, caught it on sale on Amazon for $300.

 

[Zerileous]

Yeah the school should list specific requirements. I had guest lectures online using mediasite and silverlite 7-8 years ago in nursing school. Also the standard word processing, power points, and blackboard. How does she plan to take notes? I would download a PDF of each lecture (powerpoint note slides) to a tablet and then make notes on that. I'm sure a lot has changed in 7 years, but they will for sure have specific things that they want the laptop to be able to do.

Also tell your friend congratulations, nursing school can be pretty difficult to get into, especially with a shortage of educators and clinical slots. It was the best / worst time of my life for sure. It is of course super stressful as you are studying constantly and then applying what you are learning clinically in a simultaneous manner. Have her be ready to know nothing when she graduates as well. Nursing school teaches you the basics of how to understand what is going on in medicine, but not how to be a nurse. Even working as a CNA doesn't fully prepare you for the time management, data overload and recognizing important/relevant data, and communication challenges of working as a nurse. On top of that you're working 12 hours straight, sometimes without a break (unless you're in a Union state, if not in a union state, don't talk about unions, it will cause you to not get hired / lose your job).

 

[custom90gt]

Also tell your friend congratulations, nursing school can be pretty difficult to get into, especially with a shortage of educators and clinical slots. It was the best / worst time of my life for sure. It is of course super stressful as you are studying constantly and then applying what you are learning clinically in a simultaneous manner. Have her be ready to know nothing when she graduates as well. Nursing school teaches you the basics of how to understand what is going on in medicine, but not how to be a nurse. Even working as a CNA doesn't fully prepare you for the time management, data overload and recognizing important/relevant data, and communication challenges of working as a nurse. On top of that you're working 12 hours straight, sometimes without a break (unless you're in a Union state, if not in a union state, don't talk about unions, it will cause you to not get hired / lose your job).

Agreed, my better half is a nurse and it's a rewarding but also sometimes thankless job. I am lucky as a resident to have amazing nurses who really look out for their patients and let me know what is really going on. It takes a big heart and a lot of desire to get into the field and stick with it, that's for sure.