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UF Health University of Florida
Accepted Medical Students College of Medicine
Technology Overview

Technology

ALL INFO IS CURRENT UP TO CLASS OF 2028

The question we are most often asked by incoming medical students is “I purchased/would like to purchase XYZ for most of my computer needs. Will that work?”

Your computer will most likely meet the requirements needed but  you will have to make sure it meets the minimum requirements for testing as well as any other office productivity software you will use. Computers must meet Mandatory Laptop Requirements in order to complete various medical school assignments. Keep in mind that some of the software applications listed below will need higher system requirements when purchasing your computer.

Note Taking

Whether in lecture or small group, most of the notes and handouts you will receive will be in PDF format (many are also released in PPT). The easiest way to take notes on PDF documents is by adding text and comments directly to the file. Some people, instead, prefer to take notes by typing into a text file. Others prefer pen and paper, and still others don’t take notes at all in class. Besides PDF, some file formats you will run into include PowerPoint and Word. Your preferences for note-taking should be the main driver in your decision of which technology is right for you. Some things to consider are whether you like having a physical or virtual keyboard for typing, the ability to use styluses, screen size, and battery life.

Notebook Computer

The vast majority of our class uses a notebook computer to take notes during lecture, small group activities, reviews, and other study times. Below are the main options as of the time of this writing as well as some of the software most often used:

Windows PC

  • Brand/Operating System Versions: See Mandatory Laptop Requirements
  • Software
    • PDF Reading and Annotating – Adobe Reader is free software that will allow you to add text and comments to PDF files. Note that Adobe Acrobat is a paid alternative with more robust features, however most people will find Reader to be sufficient. Non-Adobe alternatives include Foxit Reader as well as OneNote (part of the Microsoft Office Suite) which can be used to take notes in a variety of formats, including PDF files.
    • Office – Microsoft Office is the most popular office suite used by our class. It includes support for PowerPoint files as well as the ability to create presentations, text documents, and spreadsheets. Many versions of Office also include OneNote for note-taking. Microsoft office can be downloaded for free here. There are other alternatives which will be sufficient for your needs and they include Google Documents and OpenOffice.
    • Web Browser – Firefox, Chrome, and Internet Explorer will all work just fine.
    • Media Playback – VLC is a free player that will play just about anything you throw at it. Alternatives include Windows Media Player and XBMC.
    • Antivirus Protection – Antivirus software is required to connect to the Health Science Center’s wireless internet service. Microsoft Security Essentials is free and lightweight and should provide all the protection you will need. Other free alternatives include AVG and Avast. Paid software from ESET, McAfee, and Norton/Symantec will all work, however, we have found that McAfee and Norton cause more trouble than they are worth.

Apple Notebook

  • Model/Operating System Versions: See Mandatory Laptop Requirements
  • Software
    • PDF Reading and Annotating – Most people use Preview which comes preinstalled on Apple computers. You can use Preview to view most file types, and it has a few editing features in its “Annotation toolbar” that will let you add notes, highlight/underline/strikethrough text, and draw on the PDF files themselves. You can also use Adobe Reader for Mac, which has the same features as its Windows counterpart. Your computer’s default PDF reader is Preview, though, so most people find it unnecessary to use Adobe Reader.
    • Office – Microsoft Office is the most popular office suite used by our class. It includes support for PowerPoint files as well as the ability to create presentations, text documents, and spreadsheets. Many versions of Office also include OneNote for note-taking.  Microsoft office can be downloaded for free here. There are other alternatives which will be sufficient for your needs and they include Google Documents and OpenOffice. Apple also offers the iWork suite, which includes Pages, Numbers, and Keynote. They are similar to Word, Excel, and PowerPoint respectively, but have steeper learning curves than the Office counterparts. They do, however, offer a lot of templates and “looks” that are not found in Office programs. You can purchase the iWork suite in the Mac App Store on your computer if they did not come preinstalled on your computer..
    • Web Browser – Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox
    • Media Playback – Quick Time and iTunes are the go-to media playback programs for Macs. VLC player is also a reliable media player.
    • Antivirus – We recommend Avast! Free Antivirus for Mac. Note: If you are running Windows on Bootcamp or Parallels on campus, you will need antivirus software for Windows.

Tablet Computers

Apple iPad

  • The iPad has become fairly popular among medical students. Leveraging the App Store, the iPad can be used for most of your computing needs. Its battery lasts for around 10 hours, so it has great portability and can serve as your one study resource if set up properly. Many still enjoy the use of a physical keyboard, and there are many Bluetooth-based keyboards that can be used if desired.
  • Software
    • PDF Reading and Annotating – PDFs can be read in your browser window, in the email client, iBooks, or in a countless number of third party applications found in the AppStore by using the “open in” function. Many students save textbooks and lecture notes/study guides as PDFs to iBooks or apps such as GoodReader, and study with them offline this way. Apps such as iAnnotate, GoodReader, NotesPlus, and Noteability allow you to directly mark-up PDFs and create new files using text and/or a stylus. iAnnotate has full Dropbox integration, allowing you to seamlessly sync the lecture notes you take by hand on the iPad with your laptop, desktop, or mobile device.
    • Office – Right now, Microsoft Office is not available for iPad, but Apple’s Keynote, Numbers, and Pages have been optimized for iPad. Quickoffice Pro is a popular third-party productivity suite capable of viewing and editing all Microsoft spreadsheet, document, and presentation formats.
    • Web Browsing – Apple Safari, Google Chrome and Dolphin Browser.
    • Media Playback – The iPad has built-in audio and video players. There are not many alternatives at the moment.

Android Tablets

  • There is an ever growing number of Android tablets in a variety of sizes ranging from 5” up through 10”. Some tablets feature a specially designed stylus and interface on the tablet that greatly increases the accuracy of the stylus during markup for those who may be interested in high fidelity digital notetaking. Like Windows PCs there are a wide variety of features that may suit one user better than another. Most have the ability to use a physical keyboard through Bluetooth. Websites such as The Verge, Engadget, and CNET provide reviews of the many devices.
  • Software
    • PDF Reading and Annotating– Apps for viewing and editing PDF files are Adobe Reader, ezPDF Reader (which supports most styluses), Google Play Books, and the office programs listed below.
    • Office – There are many apps that can handle viewing and editing Excel, PowerPoint, and Word documents on Android. Google Drive is one of the free options, along with Documents to Go, QuickOffice, and OfficeSuite, which all can be found in the Google Play Store. Android supports File Browers as well to better organize your files on your tablet, a few examples are Astro File Manager.
    • Notebooks – There are also a wide variety of notebook type apps for Android tablets such as EverNote, Notes Mobile, Microsoft OneNote, Quill, and WritePad Stylus. These have a different capabilities and one may suit your needs better in terms of syncing, browsing, or editing.
    • Web Browsing – There are a variety of browsers available for the Android operating system including the stock Android browser, Google Chrome, Mozilla FireFox, Dolphin Browser, and Opera Browser.
    • Media Playback – Android has a built in media playback system for both audio and video. One good alternative is MX Player.

Giving Presentations

  • Almost all HMEB classrooms are equipped with televisions or projectors and screens that can be accessed via AirMedia or a floor box. Many of the HMEB classrooms are also equipped with HDMI and VGA connections.
  • Apple Notebooks can connect to the VGA system using an adapter which can be purchased online for only a few dollars.
  • iPads can also be connected via an Apple dock-to-VGA adapter
  • Many newer Windows PCs and some Android devices have HDMI-out capabilities which will also require the use of an adapter in most facilities.

Watching Lectures Online

One capability provided by UF is the ability to watch lectures online. The system has a synchronized view of the slide or document being projected as well as a video feed of the lecturer.

This is what the Replay lecture playback system looks like
  • Lecture videos can be viewed online using almost any web browser including Chrome, Internet Explorer, and Firefox.
  • The updated player now works on Apple and Windows computers, as well as iPads, iPods, and Android devices.
  • Both Windows and Apple machines can now take advantage of the increased speed options through Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer, and Safari.
  • Mobile devices can watch videos, but do not have the ability to accelerate the videos currently.

Reading Lots and Lots of Emails

Any Web browser will allow you to retrieve and respond to emails, however some students prefer a dedicated email client due to the number of emails received on a daily basis.

Windows PC

  • Outlook: This is part of the Microsoft Office Suite. Note that the entire MS Office Suite can be downloaded for free here.
  • Mozilla Thunderbird: A free alternative to Outlook

Apple Notebook

  • Mac Mail is a great program that comes preinstalled on Apple computers and contains many of the same features as Gmail and Microsoft Outlook. In order to set up your Webmail account on Mac Mail, make sure to follow these instructions.

Android Phones and Tablets, iPads and iPhones

  • The E-Mail clients that comes with most Android devices and iDevices work with both the legacy UF webmail system as well as the new Microsoft Exchange-based email.” Rather than “The E-Mail client that comes with most Android devices and iDevices work with both the legacy UF webmail system as well as the new Microsoft Exchange based email.