Are PDA's the same as cell phones?

Question

I just started nursing school and they reccomend getting PDA's for hospital floor work but we arent allowed to have cell phones anywhere near the floor were working on.

SO PDA's arent the same as cell phones?

How do you get a PDA / are contracts involved?

Answer 1

PDAs are personal digital assistants.

Check Palm and HP (among many others). There is no contract involved.  I hear that there are special medical-related databases that can be loaded into PDAs.  Ask your school teachers for recommendations.

These days, high-end cell phones include PDA functions, but you can get a low-cost PDA with no cell-phone.