Doctor - Softwares need to have?

[A.J.]

Hi,

 

Hopefully some of you are health doctors or some related to it or just someone who knows a lot about them.

 

I just want to ask. What programs do I need to know If I'm going to these kinds of career? What are the softwares I need to learn?

 

Examples: Microsoft Excel?, Word?, Office?, Autocad?, etc. etc.

 

Any suggestions is greatly appreciated. I want to get the softwares now so that I would learn them during summer or in any breaks I have.

 

~AJ

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

I have a feeling you'd want to work on other skills, because technology constantly changes and learning one specific piece of software wouldn't be useful in five years or so.

 

Instead, focus on your communication skills (some highly educated people have surprisingly poor grammar), your handwriting (if you really intend to be a doctor ), and some medical knowledge. Those sorts of things last your entire career.

[Dak]

Instead, focus on your [...] handwriting (if you really intend to be a doctor )

 

you want him to practice wrighting badly?

 

---

 

some basic computer skills would probably serve you better than any familiarity with specific programs. most doctors PCs that ive seen tend to use windows, with bespoke programmes or web-based databases for patient/disease/etc lookup, and whatever's installed for word processing, etc.

 

i'd suggest learning how to touch-type, and getting some basic familiarity with a word processor (microsoft word, openoffice wrighter, whatever), a spread-sheet-thingy (again, matters not which), and a presentation thingy (like powerpoint).

 

knowing how to use a word processor and touch-type will serve you better than specifically knowing how to use MS word, if that makes sence? also, maybe practice looking stuff up on the internet, and in pubmed etc. it's harder than it sounds. that should cover you with basic IT skills for being a doctor.

[Cap'n Refsmmat]

you want him to practice wrighting badly?

Spelling skills are just as important.

 

[Dak]

writing?

 

bah. what retard desided to put a silent 'w' in one rite, and a silent 'gh' in another

[Revenged]

you really don't need to know anything about computers...

[insane_alien]

a general computer knowledge could be useful. enough so you can learn a new program reasonably quickly because they do change a lot.

[A.J.]

Thanks for the responses, everybody! I do write fast and clear. I have good communication skills. I do type fast.

 

It's true that technology constantly changes. That's why you have to keep learning and be updated. You don't want to be left out, right?

 

Off: My dad is an engineer and they have to know a specific software - Autocad. There are many versions of Autocad, because they change every year! Having knowledge of the old versions helps you to understand the new ones.

 

I think every profession have a specific software to know about.

For example, my dad knowing about Autocad and my bro learns about computers so he has to know about Turing or Java. So, I want to learn many programs. I'm a fast learner so I won't waste time.

 

I was also told by another person to learn these things:

Power Doc:

"Word and powerpoint for sure and perhaps excell if you want to do analysis.

So I would recommand to learn office.

 

Word is important for writing articles

Excell will help you if you want to practice statistical analysis

Powerpoint is the main software for presentation (congress and alike)"

 

The world is becoming dependent on technologies.

 

I once read/heard this from an article:

"In the near future, technology would be replacing people..." (something like that)

[blike]

If you're going to do presentations (which you will be required to do many) powerpoint is a good thing to learn (takes about 5 minutes to learn). If you're going to do research, excel or some other data-tracking program might be a nice thing to know. But you'll likely be employing some undergraduate student to do your dirty work anyways.

 

Otherwise you don't need to know anything. PDAs and Pocket PCs are becoming necessary to have, but not till your 3rd and 4th year. Not just for the pocket reference, but more and more hospitals are putting the patient data on the intranet for you to pull up on your palm instead of using a chart. I'm getting one this summer, I start my third year in August.

[Revenged]

Am I right in thinking that in america you have to do an undergraduate course before you can do a medical degree?

 

So it must take ages to qualify...

 

It isn't like that in the UK... but it is a long course - 5/6 years...

[blike]

Am I right in thinking that in america you have to do an undergraduate course before you can do a medical degree?

Most medical schools require at minimum 90 credit-hours of college coursework (3 years), but that's one of those formal "minimum" requirements. Nobody gets accepted without at least a 4 year degree.

[A.J.]

If you're going to do presentations (which you will be required to do many) powerpoint is a good thing to learn (takes about 5 minutes to learn). If you're going to do research, excel or some other data-tracking program might be a nice thing to know. But you'll likely be employing some undergraduate student to do your dirty work anyways.

 

Otherwise you don't need to know anything. PDAs and Pocket PCs are becoming necessary to have, but not till your 3rd and 4th year. Not just for the pocket reference, but more and more hospitals are putting the patient data on the intranet for you to pull up on your palm instead of using a chart. I'm getting one this summer, I start my third year in August.

 

oh i see.

[Revenged]

Most medical schools require at minimum 90 credit-hours of college coursework (3 years), but that's one of those formal "minimum" requirements. Nobody gets accepted without at least a 4 year degree.

 

I see... Very different here... We have an option of taking one year extra to get a BSc... That is why it is a 5 or 6 year course as it depends if you want to do an intercalated BSc year...