The term "pocket brain" represents a method of keeping track of things that you may forget but want to quickly recall, with something that hopefully fits in your pocket! The idea of a pocket brain is a long standing tradition at Frontier. Originally it was information gathered during coursework that was written down into a notebook for use during clinicals. As technology has advanced, so has the concept of a pocket brain. Mobile technology makes it easy to keep a pocket brain electronically.
All FNU students are required to have a mobile device (see the Technical Requirements section of the catalog). These devices are for use during coursework as well as for clinicals. We encourage you to add information, websites, helpful pearls, etc. to your mobile device while you are working through your coursework. You can then use the information when studying and also have it available later when caring for patients during clinicals. While you may have the best intentions of creating a pocket brain prior to starting clinicals, you will no longer have access to the courses to determine what information to add and you will be busy preparing for Clinical Bound. It is best to add as you go!
There are many programs that allow you to access saved information on multiple devices. Usually you will need to sign up for a personal account on the website and then download an app for mobile access.
There's no one right way to set up a pocket brain - what works for one person may not work for another. You may need to experiment to see what works for you. Be flexible!
Here are two methods of organizing information that you may want to consider.
Hierarchical Outline
Use the Outline view in Google Docs to organize information by topic. Use bigger headings for broad categories and smaller headings for subtopics.
Tagging
If you use an app like Evernote, you can assign subjects to your notes with a "tag," then you'll be able to retrieve notes by the tag.
The video below will show you how to set up and use a pocket brain using the Evernote app.
Whenever you see this icon in your course, it denotes something that your instructor specifically feels should be added to your pocket brain.
Of course, add anything that you feel is relevant as well.
In your courses, faculty may also use the Pocket Brain icon to suggest an app that will be helpful to have in clinical. Once you download the app to your mobile device, you may want to organize your apps so that all of the clinical ones are together. For Apple devices, if you tap and hold any app icon, the icons start to jiggle, and you can then move them. You can also create folders for your apps. While the icons are jiggling, tap and drag an app onto a second app. A folder will then be created with those two apps. You can name the folder and continue to add apps to it. This article explains creating folders in more detail.
When using a mobile website, you can add the site to your device as a bookmark to make access faster the next time you want to use it.
For Apple devices, tap the icon with an arrow coming out of a square. You'll have several options, among them:
For Android devices, tap the three vertical dots and a menu will open. Touch on:
There are multiple ways to save PDF files so that you can easily view them later on your mobile device.
Both Dropbox and Google Drive allow you to save files on your computer, your mobile devices, and their websites. You will need to create an account for each service (note: your Frontier account includes access to Drive). Both have a program that you can download to your computer to more easily manage files.
How to save a PDF from your computer when Dropbox/Drive is installed:
How to save a PDF from your computer using the Dropbox or Drive website:
How to save a PDF from a website on your mobile device:
How to save a PDF from an email attachment on your mobile device:
Once saved, you can open the Dropbox or Drive app and view the file on your mobile device.