What medical students need
- A stethoscope: from the moment clinical skills start.
- White coat and scrubs: in the colour and logo your college sets.
- An iPad with a pencil: for lectures, PDFs and atlases in one place.
- A light laptop: for presentations and research; it does not need to be powerful.
- A watch with a second hand, or a smartwatch: to count pulse and breathing in clinical training.
- Comfortable shoes: for labs and long hours standing in hospital.
Some colleges hand out a kit list in year one, so buy to that list. Watches and shoes at student prices are below.
Do medical students wear scrubs?
It depends on the college and the year. Early years mostly mean a white coat in labs; scrubs become standard with hospital training. Each college sets the colour and logo, so ask student affairs before you buy.
Best laptop and iPad for medical students
Most medical students study on an iPad with a pencil: lectures, atlases and flashcards on one device. The laptop only needs to be light with long battery life, because medical software does not need a powerful machine. More in iPad and laptop student prices.
| Product | Student price | Regular price | You save |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple iPad Air | From SAR 3,299 | 6% | |
| Apple MacBook Air | From SAR 5,499 | 8% | |
| Apple iPad Pro | From SAR 5,099 | 9% | |
| Apple MacBook Pro | From SAR 8,999 | 5% | |
| Apple iMac | From SAR 6,799 | 3% | |
| Apple iPad mini | From SAR 2,599 | 7% | |
| Apple iPad | From SAR 1,999 | 5% | |
| Apple Mac mini | From SAR 3,799 | 12% |
Prices and deals in this article come straight from the tiswa catalogue, so they stay current.
Free and student-priced software for medicine
- Anki: spaced-repetition flashcards. Free on computers and Android; the iPhone app is paid.
- Medscape: drug and disease reference, free after sign-up.
- Saudi Digital Library: medical references and databases for Saudi university students, through your university.
- Office: free with your university email if your university takes part.
And on tiswa, once you verify you are a student:
- Notion: Notion offers Notion Education plan for students to university students in Saudi Arabia for free.
- Google AI: Google AI offers Google AI Plus free for a year to university students in Saudi Arabia.
- Canva: Canva offers Canva Pro free through Canva for Campus to university students in Saudi Arabia.
