SAN MATEO, CA – Medical students consider technology a ‘must have’ for their future practice, according to the fourth annual survey by healthcare IT company Epocrates.

More than 1,000 medical students across the country responded to the survey, which asked about technology priorities, including mobile reference and electronic medical records.

The survey found 45 percent of respondents currently use an iPhone or iPod Touch, followed by Palm and BlackBerry devices. Apple’s mobile devices are especially appealing to medical students with nearly 60 percent of non-smartphone users planning to purchase one within the next year.

Nearly 90 percent of those surveyed view the information available through mobile or online drug and disease references, such as Epocrates, as highly credible, second only to medical journals. Students also indicated they are more than four times more likely to consult a mobile reference for a clinical question than ask their attending physician.

Technology remains a central component in medicine and education. Each year, survey participants are asked to rate their medical school experience, critiquing factors such as clinical training and quality of education. This year, schools saw the greatest improvement in the area of the integration of medicine and technology. Students graded this topic with an “A-,” up from a “B” in 2008 and “B-” in 2007.

Moreover, 84 percent of medical students had experience with an EMR during their clinical rotations, and 90 percent said use of an EMR would be an important factor in choosing where to practice medicine. Nearly 60 percent of the medical students surveyed indicate they use the decision-support software at least twice daily.

Students also have strong opinions on the state of the U.S. healthcare system. Only 28 percent gave it high marks, with 3 percent offering an “A” grade and 25 percent offering a “B,” and more than 70 percent assigned a “C” grade or lower. This is a significant decrease since students first graded the system in 2006, when 42 percent assigned a “B” grade.

Complexities and challenges in healthcare may contribute to students’ belief (53 percent) that medical school is harder today compared to when their attendees were likely in training 25 years ago.

Some schools have restricted guidelines to student exposure to pharmaceutical companies. This may be contributing to their opinion of pharmaceutical sales representatives, according to Epocrates. Ninety percent view information from pharmaceutical companies as not credible. The survey also reveals that attending physicians are the strongest influence in students' opinion of pharmaceutical representatives.