It’s been a good decade since the phrase “there’s an app for that” started being used in everyday conversation—and Apple registered to trademark it. The phrase is more true today than ever before with apps for just about anything you can imagine, including nursing.
Regardless of where you are in your nursing career, whether you are a student or an experienced healthcare professional, there are apps that can help with everything from healthcare knowledge recall to communication improvement. Prices run the gamut from free to pricey, and we’ve included some nurse favorites here, in no particular order.
Epocrates
This app makes it easy to review drug prescribing and safety information for thousands of prescription and over-the-counter drugs, drug interactions, manufacturer, and approximate retails price.
Price: free, with a $175 upgrade for disease and diagnostic access, or enterprise subscription
PEPID
This app provides information all healthcare providers rely on, with different versions available for nurses, EMTs, physicians, students, and so on. Clinicians can easily access the clinical and drug resources they need to improve patient care.
Price: subscriptions start at $215 for one year
Pill Identifier by Drugs.com
This app provides a searchable database with more than 24,000 over-the-counter and prescription pills included. Practitioners can search by shape, color, strength, and more.
Price: 99 cents (available only in the Apple store for iOS devices)
Medical Spanish
If your Spanish could use some work, you need to have this app to help avoid language barriers with your patients. This Spanish assistant provides help with audio and common phrases.
Price: $5.99
MediBabble Translator
With non-English speaking patients, it can be difficult to take a medical history and recommend treatment. This app provides a real-time communication solution no practitioner should be without.
Price: free (available only in the Apple store for iOS devices)
Medscape
Published by the folks at WebMD, this family of apps provides professionals with access to a medical directory, continuing education, medical news, and clinical reference library. There is no cost to keep the latest medical information at your fingertips.
Price: free
Taber’s Medical Dictionary
With this mobile version of one of the best medical dictionaries on the market, you’ll have access to 65,000 definitions at the ready. The app includes photos, videos, audio pronunciations, and functionality to save favorite entries. This 23rd edition is perfect for nursing students.
Price: $49.95 for 1-year subscription (currently on sale for $39.95)
PediSTAT
This quick reference is a must for nurses, paramedics, physicians, and other healthcare professionals in pediatrics or critical care environments. It lets practitioners quickly calculate medication for smaller bodies, analyzes symptoms, and describes procedures.
Price: $4.95 (available only in the Apple store for iOS devices)
NurseGrid
This schedule management app was designed specifically for nurses, letting them schedule across worksites, view others working the same shift, and message other nurses. It syncs with personal calendars so you can balance your entire schedule. A manager version is also available.
Price: free (contact company for pricing on manager version)
