For all you smartphone users: Take your guidelines with you on your phone, and make easy flashcards for on-the-go study!

Equipment used was MacBookPro running OS X 10.6.6, Apples iWork Keynote and an iPhone 4 running iOS 4.2.1, with iBooks 1.2.1 installed. Other hardware and software options should work in a similar fashion.

Flashcards:

1. Create a presentation. For learning my medications, I have the prompts on one slide, and the answer on the following; e.g. Indications / list of indications / contraindications / list of contraindications.

2. Save the presentation as a PDF document (Share -> Export -> PDF). For other programs you may have to print the file to PDF (OS X), or save a file as PDF.

3. Go to your iTunes library, click on ‘Books’ in the left menu bar. Open a Finder window at the location where you have saved you PDF flashcards, then drag and drop them in to the main area (the grey colored file hovering there is me just dragging it from the Finder window to the iTunes window. Be sure to name them properly, so you know what you’re looking for in the heat of the moment.

4. Sync your iPhone/iPod Touch with your computer.

5. Switch to you iPhone/iPod Touch. You should see your imported PDF documents!

6. Start studying to your brains content!

7. Stuck? Send me an email!

Tomorrow: How to easily put your guidelines and protocols on to your smartphone, and keep everything in order. Until then – happy studies!

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EDIT: I received an email from a reader who uses the Flashcards app. I did not know about the app, but also wanted to stay with apps that I already have on the phone.

Thanks though for pointing it out Chris!