Nurses, an often undervalued and under appreciated career that is integral to our society and healthcare systems. While doctors and specialists are important, nurses are equally as important for everyday patient care and supporting the medical staff of any hospital or clinic, running day to day activities and so much more. Many are also contemplating getting into nursing school to follow the noble path of helping those in need for a living. To do that, you're going to need some of the best laptops for nursing students around to ensure smooth sailing through school, and possibly beyond.
But first, we're going to have to answer an age old question, "do nursing students need a laptop?". Well lucky for you, we're here to tell you exactly why you're going to need one.
Do Nursing Students Need A Laptop?
Our short answer is going to be, yes, you need a laptop in nursing school.
Our long answer is still going to be yes, but I recommend this for any young adult or people looking to pursue a higher education in any field. A laptop in our day to day lives is essential, especially in 2021 and even more so when you're a university student darting around classes on campus. A laptop is going to be the core of what you interact with during your studies. From presentations, essays, assignments, group work, online meetings, etc. you will mostly be using your laptop to help you finish these tasks. Not to mention any extra research on Google, preparing reports and taking notes in class.
Oh, and a laptop is necessary when you're just a student, without a TV or gaming console, your laptop is going to be your outlet for TV shows, Netflix films, YouTube videos, video games, and so much more. You've got to take a break sometime, right? There are so many uses for a laptop in our daily lives, and since some of you may be attending classes remotely on Zoom, it's doubly more important.
Having the best laptop for nursing students will make it easier in the long run. A proper laptop with a powerful processor, plentiful RAM/Storage and a great battery life without weighing too much will make a world of difference in your everyday quality-of-life. It's understated how much stress can occur over malfunctioning laptops, especially when you need it the most. It's an added stress that really isn't necessary for the already stressful nursing school classes, lectures, and more.
All that being said, you still may have your doubts on whether you really need the best laptop for nursing students. You might be thinking you could get away with a tablet or iPad to handle all your assignments and activities as a nursing student. But you'd be wrong.
What About An iPad/Tablet?
Yes, an iPad or tablet setup with a keyboard is for the most part, comparable to their more powerful, versatile laptop cousin. With an iPad, you have the ability to use touchscreen gestures and a digital pen input to help jot down handwritten notes during class. But at the end of the day, most programs, applications and websites are well optimized for laptop and computer usage. Tablets on the other hand may find difficulty using obscure software or even more powerful programs like statistical data software.
I'd only really recommend an iPad or tablet in class if you already have an existing laptop device you can use. A tablet is a great supplemental device to the best laptops for nursing students, but the laptop itself is more of a priority to ensure you don't run into problems in the long run. Now that we've gone through why you're going to need some of the best laptops for nursing students, let's take a look at the minimum and recommended specs these laptops will look like.
Minimum System Specs
The above specs are going to be the minimum of what we should look for in the best laptop for nursing students. There might be exceptions here and there, but for the most part, having these specs is one of the best ways to ensure consistent and reliable performance from laptops. These minimum requirements, are actually the ones stated by one of the most globally recognized medical schools, John Hopkins. While the overall recommendations may vary with schools, we can use this as a guideline to understand what the best laptops for nursing students will be. Our first consideration when looking for the best laptop for nursing students is going to be in regards to the operating system.
mac OS, Windows 10 or ChromeOS?
The operating system is mainly up to your own personal preferences and your history of laptops. Some may be more comfortable with Windows 10 enabled laptops, while some may prefer Apple's laptops, software and ecosystem. Either way, you're going to be well equipped with plentiful of useful features on both mac OS and Windows operating system, as well as frequent security updates, versatility and a great UI.
The only thing I would not recommend is finding a ChromeOS enabled laptop. For an example, I'm going to use one of the more recognized brands, an ASUS Chromebook. Most Chromebooks like the ASUS Chromebook really have lackluster specs for a very affordable price point. I can relate to finding the cheapest laptop around, the ASUS Chromebook, for eg., comes with only a dual-core processor, 4GB RAM and a paltry 64GB storage capacity. Definitely sufficient for the everyday tasks of a nursing student, as well as losing out compatibility with software that may only support macOS or Windows 10.
It's best to be prepared with sufficient power from something like a Windows 10 operating system, rather than the limitations of a cheaper Chromebook. But that's my opinion.. For those really needing the power in class and during assignments, using resource intensive software, you may find yourself lacking with ChromeOS.
So the best laptops for nursing students will mostly be between mac OS and Windows 10. For the rest of the specs, we're going to go more in depth in our recommendations below.
Recommended System Specs
The above specs are going to be my personal recommendations as to what to look for when you're on the search for the best laptops for nursing students. These specs are flexible depending on the price point and other supporting specs on the laptops, but for the most part, we're going to stick to these requirements.
Operating System
Now that we've gone through the reasons not to choose ChromeOS, you may still have questions on whether to choose a Windows 10 or macOS operating system. I would say a majority of users across the world will be more accustomed to Windows 10 than Apple's macOS. This is because Windows dominates most of the consumer market with an over abundance of laptops releasing every year. While with macOS, you're limited to Apple's latest offerings from the MacBook Pro or Apple MacBook Air lineup. Nothing wrong with the MacBook Pro and MacBook Air laptops Apple refreshes yearly, but it's a bit limiting for choice.
Otherwise, you won't find much differences between compatibility of software with macOS and Windows 10 having a wide range of supported software and hardware. It's mostly up to your preferences of the customizability, and in-depth possibilities with Windows or following through with Apple's package of an operating system on a MacBook Air. They both are equally abled with the major changes mostly in the UI, variety of functions and features you might not find on the other. Either way, the best laptop for nursing students will be capable of powerful performance on both operating systems, so it's up to you.
Display
The display is a more standard spec for us to moderate as it's going to be a set recommendation. We're going to recommend that the best laptops for nursing students be a Full HD resolution at 1920 x 1080. Most laptops, be it premium, high-end laptops to mid-range/budget laptops have a Full HD capable display well suited for many a nursing student. It's the best combination of price, clarity, sharpness and vibrancy as you can expect out of most laptops available. You could opt for a higher resolution like Full HD+ or 4K if you were willing to spend a little extra to deck out the screen.
But I would not recommend going any lower than a Full HD display, unless the specs and price are just too good a deal to pass up. In regards to the screen size, it's mainly up to you on how big of a screen you need. For those of you with worse eyesight and want more screen real estate, you should opt for a 14-inch or 15.6-inch display. If you were more keen on a compact, portable laptop then 13.3" or lower will be one of the best you could hope for.
Processor
There are so many different processors and laptops around which might confuse some of you reading here. Simply put, we're going to recommend you find a powerful processor like an 8th Generation Intel Core i5 processor / Intel Core i7 processor or newer as the base recommendation in our search for the best laptops for nursing students. This is as a quad-core, Intel Core i5 processor from the 8th Generation should be the oldest to look for, as any lesser than that and you may run into issues with performance in the long run. Having a powerful processor released recently is one of the best ways to ensure reliable performance.
Something like the 8th Gen quad-core Intel Core i5-8250U is still very capable to today's standards. This processor has over 2.2GHz of processing speed, which is more than sufficient for nursing students and nursing school programs. While the Intel Core i5-8250U is on the lower-end spectrum of what I'd recommend, it's a good base for nursing students to better understand to look for in laptops.
One spec that we're not highlighting but is usually important when looking for a laptop is the GPU. Since you don't need a very powerful graphics card it's not a priority when looking for the best laptops for nursing students. But if you were the kind to play video games, use design software, edit videos/images or any other graphically intensive tasks, it's an important spec for those programs. Otherwise, you can relegate to using the numerous amounts of integrated graphics cards like the Intel HD graphics, Intel UHD Graphics, or Intel Iris Plus Graphics cards available.
RAM/Storage
Two more important indicators of performance on most laptops is going to be the RAM and storage capacity it has. This is because the RAM (Random Access Memory) affects how fast things load up on your laptops as you're multitasking between notes, additional reading materials, and presentations in class for example.
Having sufficient Random Access Memory will help keep things loaded up for you to use, making it much more efficient at handling multiple programs and files open at any given time. For the best laptops for nursing students and nursing school, we're going to recommend at least an 8GB RAM capacity. 8GB DDR4 RAM is a good combination of price, performance, and speed which you might find lacking with any lower than this RAM capacity.
Next up, we're going to be talking about the storage capacity the best laptop for nursing students will need. Our recommendation is going to a base 256 GB SSD as this is the most cost effective, while providing sufficient storage capacity for most users. This will make things like start up times, loading programs and files much fast compared to older, slower hard drive storage options. A hard drive is acceptable if it provides over 1TB of storage capacity, but otherwise, I'd suggest sticking to a speedy SSD for your storage .
And that's pretty much everything you're going to actively search for in the best laptops for nursing students. There are a few more specs that'll be helpful for nursing students, but we'll go through it as we go in the list. That being said, let's get straight into the search for one of the best laptops for nursing students, for you!
The Best Laptops For Nursing Students
1. Apple MacBook Air
We're going to start off the list of the best laptop for nursing students with a staple university student laptop, the Apple MacBook Air 2020. This is the latest from the Apple MacBook Air lineup and it comes with a sleek, compact and attractive design without compromising on the internals specs. This MacBook Air comes with a 13.3"Retina display at a 2560 x 1600 resolution, True Tone technology to automatically adapt the display to environment, and up to 500 nits of brightness. On the laptop chassis, the MacBook Air comes with a elegant Rose Gold trim, oozing 'premium' and 'Apple' all together.
On the internals, the Apple MacBook Air comes with dependable internals including the Apple M1 Chip, 8GB RAM and a standard 256GB Solid State storage capacity. There's a reason the MacBook Air is one of the best laptops for nursing students, as it's the whole package without sacrificing much power. No need to worry and fidget with settings/specs when it comes pre packaged like this from Apple. A simpler experience.
A few more great specs the MacBook Air comes with includes a Magic backlit keyboard, Touch ID, Wi-Fi 6 support, 2x Thunderbolt 4 USB Type-C ports, and up to 18 hours of battery life. The laptop is also pretty easy to carry around, weighing in at a lightweight 2.8lbs. All these great quality-of-life specs makes this laptop a solid best laptop for nursing students with just the right features.
2. Microsoft Surface Pro 7
The next laptop is going to be a 'unique' entrant to the list as it's technically a tablet. But the beauty of this laptop, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7, is that it's a 2-in-1 laptop making this one of the most well-equipped, and simultaneously portable laptops around. For nursing students, the 12.3-inch PixelSense touchscreen will make for a more versatile laptop with the capability to type with the included Surface Type Cover, as well as a digital pen input from the Surface Pen. Though the display isn't the biggest screen size, the Surface Pro 7 makes for in clarity and portability.
Under the hood, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 features a dependable 10th Gen Intel Core i5 processor, 8GB RAM and a minimal 128GB Solid State Drive storage capacity. Considering how thin and small the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 really is, this is a pretty admirable package. If you were looking for more power out of the Surface Pro 2-in-1 laptop, there's also options to upgrade in the provided link above.
A few extra specs the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 comes with includes Windows 10 Home, 1x USB-A, 1x USB Type-C, Wi-Fi 6 support, 10.5 hours of battery life and weighs in at onl7 1.7lbs. A great option as the best laptop for nursing school students looking for a portable, reliable tablet/laptop device. And considering the price point, the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 is also pretty affordable for most nursing students.
3. ASUS ZenBook 13
Our next laptop on the list is going to be the mid-range ASUS ZenBook 13 with a combination of capable specs and a stellar aesthetic all around. The most eye-catching feature about the ASUS ZenBook 13 has got to be the 13.3" Full HD display which comes with a 4-way NanoEdge bezels, which makes the screen pop with razor thin the bezels are. The rest of the ASUS ZenBook design follows suit of the display with a brushed metal silver color scheme on the rear and on the palm rest.
For the internal specs, the ASUS ZenBook 13 continues its impressive run so far with a 10th Generation Intel Core i5-1035G1, 8 gigs of RAM and a standard 256GB solid state storage capacity. To accompany the great performance on the ASUS ZenBook laptop, its best, hidden feature is the included NumberPad on the trackpad. It makes the ASUS ZenBook a little more desirable with the hidden ace in the sleeve, which many laptop brands forgo.
A few more great features the ASUS ZenBook laptop comes with includes the ErgoLift hinge, backlit keyboard, weighs in at 2.45lbs and comes with a long battery life of 22 hours. Overall, this laptop is a great companion for most students in nursing school with a potent combination of performance, aesthetics, and affordability.
4. LG Gram
The next laptop we're featuring has got to be one of the best in terms of raw performance, taking a step into the premium segment: the LG Gram. This laptop has probably the best specs against any other laptop on the list, but we'll get to that shortly. First, the LG Gram laptop comes with a Dark Silver color scheme with 2 others to choose from, and a 15.6" FHD LCD touchscreen for the display. It's not the best considering the LCD, rather than an LED but it should keep up considering the resolution.
For the performance, the LG Gram isn't pulling their punches as the laptop features a 10th Gen Intel Core i7-1065G7, 16GB of RAM and a towering 1TB SSD. If you were the type who wanted the best out of their laptop purchase, the LG Gram is one of the top contenders with impressive performance capabilities.
The LG Gram features a few more great extras such as a fingerprint reader, backlit keys, Thunderbolt 3 ports, and a long, long battery life of 22.5 hours. All in all, this laptop is definitely one of the best we've seen thus far with formidable specs and sleek design. You will have to pay quite a premium for it, but the laptop is well worth the price.
5. ASUS VivoBook
Bringing things back down to a more affordable price point, the laptop we're featuring is the ASUS VivoBook which comes fully packed with features to help you get through nursing school. The ASUS VivoBook laptop comes with a 14-inch Full HD NanoEdge Bezel display similar to the ASUS ZenBook we saw earlier. This lets the ASUS VivoBook retain the stunning display frame with a 87% screen-to-body ratio. Other than the display, the laptop comes with a pretty simple, minimalist design aesthetic.
On to the performance, the ASUS VivoBook truly starts to shines with a powerful AMD Ryzen 7 3700U, comparable to an Intel Core i7's performance capability. The rest of the specs on the laptop are equally impressive with a 12GB RAM capacity and a generous 512GB SSD for the price tag. Considering what you're getting for the price, this laptop is another solid performer with some of the best internals on the list.
The laptop comes with a few more extras to complete the package including a fingerprint reader, a full array of ports, back-lit keyboard, and up to 12 hours of battery life. While 12 hours isn't as impressive next to the rest of the battery life capabilities we've seen so far, it's still going to last you all day.
6. Acer Aspire 5
Our final entry to the list is going to be another premium laptop for those looking to futureproof their laptop as best they can. This time, we're bringing on the Acer Aspire 5 which is one of the most souped out versions of the laptop I've ever seen. The Acer Aspire 5 features a standard 15.6" FHD display with reasonable bezels around the four corners of the frame.
On the internals, the laptop comes with probably the best processor we've seen on the list, with an 11th Generation Intel Core i7-1165G7 powering the show. With this processor, you can get up to 4.70GHz of processing speed, which will make things feel much faster on your laptop. The rest of the laptop specs are up to par with a solid 16GB RAM capacity and a humble 512GB SSD storage. Considering the price, I would've preferred a little extra in the SSD storage department, but it's sufficient for most users at the very least.
The last few features peppered in the Acer Aspire 5 includes Wi-Fi 6 support, a fingerprint reader, back-lit keyboard, a full array of ports and up to 8.5 hours of battery life. While the price tag may make this laptop unattainable for some, it's still got a solid array of specs with the latest Intel Core i7 processor and supporting specs. It's a simple package, but isn't that what a laptop should be? Simple?
Conclusion
We've gone through plentiful of laptop brands and price segments, and we're here to finally crown just one as the best out of the best laptops for nursing students.
Our winner today is going to be the ASUS ZenBook 13!
This beastly performer not only comes with dependable specs on the inside, but is one of the most attractive we've seen so far. That followed by the reasonable price point, makes for the best laptop for nursing school with sufficient power, an eye-catching design, and affordability.
