STL Spotlight Series

Wisdom from our Student Tech Leads

June 7, 2023

We asked our Student Tech Leads for their Number 1 tech tip for med students and faculty—and boy, did they deliver! We hope you’ll learn from their collective wisdom.

Breeanna Messner

I like to live by the phrase “everything is figureoutable”—and I think this applies well to technology! There is one guarantee when it comes to tech: something will go wrong at the worst time. When this happens, take a deep breath, and try the steps that have worked for you before (e.g., refresh the page, close and re-open the browser, turn your device off and on). If that isn’t working, you can ask your friendly STL or the MedTech team. Sometimes it just takes a different set of eyes to figure it out!
Jess Domingo

Move your body while you study! I tend to fidget when I have to sit down and pay attention for long periods of time, so I love to walk at a slow pace on a treadmill or stand while I watch lectures. For those in Spokane, there’s a walking treadmill with a desk in the library!
Erina Horikawa

Explore and try new things. I feel a lot of tech problems can be solved by trial and error. And even if something goes wrong, there’s always a way to fix it. I also think asking for help is equally as important.
Shyla Carr

I would say that my number 1 tech tip is to be comfortable with the tech you have and regularly use. Familiarize yourself with your computer, iPad, etc., because you will use them a lot more than you think.

I would also say it’s worth it to have a device that works for you with the most functionality as well. The first year of medical school was online for me, and I had an old laptop that repeatedly caused me problems. I saved myself a great deal of headache by upgrading the next year.
Conner Rath

My number one tech tip for med students or faculty is to learn how to use the control + F function on your computer! This way, you can quickly and easily search through all those dense medical journals and textbooks like First Aid to find the information you need, without having to waste precious time flipping through pages.
Megan Fine

The Help functions on many of the applications and platforms we use today are excellent as a first resource, but if that cannot help solve your problem, DO NOT SIT IN THE DARK—message the MedTech team on Slack or send an email. Everyone on the team is super helpful and can help you find a solution, or even just point you in the right direction!
Chantell Roberts

Ask for help—or YouTube it! Time is so scarce as working professionals and students, and spending time stumbling though tech or using tech at less then its full potential is wasting your time. Even outside of tech, YouTube can educate and provide answers in a matter of minutes. And of course, when in doubt, cycle the power!
Shelby Koch

Using Notability (or a comparable app) instead of printing forms out. I feel like I have saved so much money from not having to print out piles and piles of onboarding paperwork because I can fill it out in Notability.
Kalkena Sivanesam

Get in touch with the Office of Technology! I feel like a lot of people are unaware of a lot of the free resources the school provides, and they spend a lot of time, money, and effort procuring it for themselves. My advice would be, if you need something—books, an app, whatever—always check with your friendly Office of Technology team to see if we already have it available.
Aivi Tran

Don’t be afraid to phone a friend. The Office of Technology team is only one Slack message away!
Kevin Zhou

Don’t forget to constantly save your work! Especially if you’re working in a web browser, and are filling out documents or forms. There have been numerous times that my internet has dropped, or my page has refreshed that I wish I had saved my progress.
Haoyi Lei

My go-to action when my applications aren’t working is Force quit!
Shi Min Tan, Brian Kim, and Petr Gaburak

If you’re having trouble with technology, turn it off and back on.