10 must-have apps for nurses and nursing students

While a good memory is essential to excelling as a nurse, there are mobile apps that can help with health care knowledge recall and expediting communications.

For students in online nursing programs, nursing apps can help make you more effective and confident in your coursework and on the job.

Below are 10 great apps for nurses and nursing students.

1. NCSBN Learning Extension – Medication Flashcards

What it offers: This simple app downloads a medication library to your phone. Great for students preparing for exams or nurses who need a quick reference point.

Availability: iOS and Android; free

2. NCLEX RN Mastery – Study Aid

What it offers: Prepare for the NCLEX RN exam with hundreds of practice questions and sample quizzes. When you give a wrong answer, the app gives you a detailed reason why (which helps you ace it next time).

Availability: iOS and Android; free download with in-app purchases: otherwise monthly fees

3. PEPID – Drug and Clinical Resource

What it offers: With versions for different professions, including nurses, EMTs, physicians, students, and more, this app provides detailed information for all elements of patient care. Students gain a credible and complete resource guide for coursework, lab exercises, and clinical practice.

Availability: iOS, Android, BlackBerry, and mobile browser compatible; subscription fee

4. Epocrates – Clinical Care Assistant

What it offers: This app streamlines searches for information on prescription drugs, drug interactions, and pill identification. As a nursing student, you can prevent mistakes on exams and, most importantly, provide proper treatment when providing patient care.

Availability: iOS and Android; free, with an upgrade for disease and diagnostic access, or enterprise subscription

5. Medscape – Informational Resource

What it offers: Published by WebMD, this free app provides access to a medical directory, continuing education, medical news tailored to your specialty, and a clinical reference library. The news aspect of this app helps students stay up to date in the industry.

Availability: iOS and Android; free

6. WebMD – Access full WebMD Resources

What it offers: This is the app version of the WebMD website. Because Web MD’s primary audience is the general public, nursing students can use the available resources on the app to practice describing care to patients with non-medical terminology.

Availability: iOS, Android, and Amazon; free

7. Med Mnemonics – Nursing/Nursing Student Support

What it offers: This app provides over 1,500 acronyms, rhymes, and memory tricks to help nurses quickly learn numerous medical conditions, symptoms, and other medical terminology.

Availability: iOS and Android; nominal fee

8. Taber’s Medical Dictionary – Comprehensive Medical Dictionary

What it offers: This is a mobile version of one of the best medical dictionaries on the market. The app includes photos, videos, audio pronunciations, and functionality to save favorite entries. This dictionary has more than 65,000 definitions to help nursing students study for tests.

Availability: iOS, Android, and mobile browser compatible; annual subscription fee

9. Nursing Central – Comprehensive Reference Resource

What it offers: Nursing Central offers information and reference for diseases, drugs, and tests for nurses, as well as a literature search function. The app includes access to Davis’s Drug Guide, Taber’s Medical Dictionary, Diseases and Disorders, and MEDLINE Search and Journals, among other databases.

Availability: iOS and Android; annual subscription fee

10. NurseGrid – Scheduling and Communication

What it offers: NurseGrid was developed by nurses to help manage the scheduling process. The app lets you schedule across all worksites, view who’s on your shift, message other nurses, and much more. A manager version is also available.

Availability: iOS and web portal; free

Discover Capella University’s online nursing degree programs.