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Does anyone get text messages instead of carrying a separate pager? Or use some other non-SMS based paging system with an iphone? How does it work? Is there an "reminder beep" that you've received a new page, or do you have to check the phone manually.

Our Dr. is considering switching from a separate pager to her iphone, and I'm looking into the pros and cons.

Anyone can send a text message from a computer to an iPhone by emailing. For AT&T you send it to ###-###-####@txt.att.net. The sounds in the i-phone can be set to any available sound alert for incoming texts. I expect it would work fine, but she might consider that pagers are cheap, the battery life is quite long, and they are quite small and robust by comparison.

I think David has it right. Although anyone can send a txt message via email, you'll get more mileage out of a pager as far as battery life is concerned.

If I don't read an incoming text message, my iPhone does a repeat alert once only after five minutes.

I would point out that depending on your location, the pager often works in a different radio bandwidth than the cell, and there is the increasing use of cell-phone jammers, so that is worth considering as well.

Got rid of my pager for my iPhone.

ATT.

Fairly reliable for text and calls.

The biggest issue is the repeat "reminder beep". This can occur, I think, up to 3 times in the native iphone programing. However, if one get a little 3 am beep this will not work. Also, need to be OCD as there is no blinking light as on the old palms and blackberries.

I jailbroke my phone and use a program called intelscreen. This allows repeat beeps for hours and my own set interval. Would not have been happy without this.

To me, the biggest advantage of using my cell as a pager is simply that I only have to carry one device around. The biggest disadvantage is that if you don't hear the message come through, you don't know about it until you check the phone to see if a message is there. I don't have an iphone; I am the only one in my family with a dumb phone, but I don't think it makes much difference for this purpose (though according to Marty you get one "second chance" to hear the text message alert with the iphone).

I have used a "dumb" phone in place of a pager for years. After hours, our office phone number is forwarded to a Verizon voice mail. This can be set to use a function called "special delivery" to dial a phone number when a message is left. It redials 3 times to notify you if you don't retrieve the message. When the cell rings, you can answer it and retrieve the message or simply look at the caller ID, see that it is the voice mail number and use any other phone to call in.

I use a traditional answering service and an iPhone. Haven't used a pager in over 12 yrs. The added cost ($40/mon) for the answering service is a small price to pay for the convenience of screening out some of the dumb calls and the service insures that if a call is missed (rare) another request gets sent out.
As an aside, I once joined a group (before cellphones) that just gave patients their home phone numbers... Don't-EVER-Do-That!
Dave
FP

I am somewhat hard of hearing. I set the i-Phone alert sounds to "Alarm", and there is NO missing that thing, even from the other side of the house when I am in bed. Sounds like a submarine dive klaxon.

The ideal thing would be if she could set the Alarm notification only for text messages from the hospital operator, where she gets essentially all her pages.

Having a blanket Alarm for all text messages (little chats from people) would not do.

And limited reminder beeps (without jailbreaking) sounds pretty bad.

I'm not sure this will work for her. Seems like the right software (probably has to be by Apple) could solve this though.

App called pager looks like could fit bill and on apple download page

With the latest iOS software, you can customize the sound your phone makes when you get texts from specific contacts.

I use a company call DirectPage and the person calls my "beeper" gets a voice message stating the rules and leave a number at the beep (do not leave voice message) and the number is paged (txted) to both my and my NP's phone. Depending on who is covering the "pager" one or the other of us will answer it. If she or I is going out, no need to change anything to cross cover. You can set it up to leave a message, but I don't.

I advance paid so I got it for about $8/ mo but looking on their website it is about $12.00/mo. They do have an iPhone app, but I don't use that. I switched to DirectPage many years ago when all the local places stopped carrying beepers (the other drug dealers turned to phones too, I guess.)

I get a page (and I have it on sound and vibrate, although sometimes my iPhone forgets and goes to vibrate only. I does ring back after a couple minutes if I do no check, meaning if I do not unlock the phone even if I see I do not need to answer it, I will get a second ring.

I don't use an answering service. I have a second pager from the hospital and use that exclusively for hospital business and they too (I think through ATT) have the ability to txt a page. I went from 2 pages and a cell phone on my belt to just a phone. Life is good.

DirectPage.com is their internet site and I have no relationship or kickbacks with them (I wish.)

Oh, the other thing is that all I have to do is tap the number on the message to dial it. I have the "show caller id" section (under settings/phone/show my caller id) turned off so that they do not see my phone number.

The message states that if you do not get a call back in 30 minutes perhaps we did not get the right number. Sometimes it is 10 numbers, sometimes 9 or 11 (without a 1 in the front) I do not try to interpret, unless I know the number by heart

I recently traded in my basic cell phone for an iPhone but can't see myself rushing to trash the old beeper. For one thing I feel better having a backup device for the hospital to get in touch with me. For another, the beeper makes a great watch. I got rid of my wristwatch years ago.

Speaking of iPhones, I am loving the AC app. It's a quick easy way to look up patient meds and other info when I'm at the hospital, nursing home, or on a house call. There are a number of upgrades to the App I'd like to see, but it's a great start.

With the hospital beeper, I could do both, it is in my drawer with dead batteries (I've got to remember to take them out.) With the other pager, I could have DirectPage switch back, but why. I still wear a watch, I could use my iPhone but I'm a bit old school that way