Learn more about the pearls available in this program that one person called “an oyster farm”. This is the RookieDoc Mastery Orientation Program for interns, residents, and 4th year students who want to get a jump on internship.
Go read this letter I drafted… it’s a little long though, and a little salesy, but with good reason. There’s a ton of stuff – so it’s long. And I’m really, really excited about the program. I wish there was something like this around when I was feeling my way through the darkness of the first few months of internship. I still don’t know why this stuff is not taught (I’m rambling), but you get the point.
Most people know that the RookieDoc Membership site goes live on Monday, but this is ridiculous Some people just have no clue about the power of the internet. This announcement about the sign-up for the RookieDoc membership site has gone way too far… Check it out…
Get yourself on the priority standby list. The signup for RookieDoctor.com Exclusive Members Area will be opened up to this list a full day before everyone else.
Why should you care?… Because there are some amazing bonuses that will be first-come-first-serve. Sign-up for the standby list now…
After you sign-up for the standby list, you’ll be redirected to some of the pre-release videos (in case you haven’t seen them yet). And in the meantime, you will get an email asking you if you really want to be on the standby list. You must click the link in that email to be included.
Walking by the nurse’s station, I heard the ward secretary complaining about “these residents nowadays”. She named a few, but for the most part, grouped all residents together – as if all house staff are cut from the same white coat.
She had some valid points, but the way she blurted them out – the tone, the implications, the facial expressions, and the volume – all somewhat discredited her concerns. It was just someone complaining at work… that’s all it was to most.
Nearing the end of the tirade, she turned to me and said, “Dr. Tori, somebody’s gotta do somethin’ ’bout these new residents. Somebody’s gotta get to ‘em before they get this way.”
I asked, “What’s the problem?” (even though I heard the whole thing from beginning to end)
She replied, “I don’t know. They just don’t have no sense.”
“About what?” I asked.
She said, “You know, the way they talk… manners… etiquette. It’s all about them.”
I said, “OK, here’s what I want you to do: Write it down. Tell me what residents need to do. Give me specifics.”
Here’s her list
The way you ask a question – Start with “Good morning” or “Good afternoon” or any greeting. Then start your question like “May I have…” or “Do you have…”
If there are three or four unused phones at the nurse’s station, don’t grab the one right in front of the secretary.
Greet me first, before you ask me which nurse has your patient.
When you page someone, please let us know.
Not unreasonable, huh?
I would probably add:
Write legibly
Put your pager or phone number after your signature
Identify yourself and team/coverage when returning a page
Greet the one who answers the phone
Go over complicated orders with the nurse and/or secretary before leaving
Tell someone when you put stat orders on a chart
Add any more that you can think of in the comments…
At first, I was skeptical. Something inside of me said that sending only very small ‘tweets’ of information would be useless and distracting. But after hearing about a bunch of people I respect using Twitter, I looked into it a little more – a lot more actually.
I found that by reading my friends’ ‘tweets’ about what they were doing, I learned some things about them that I didn’t know before – even though we were friends. Actually, I’ve hit some of them up for advice in those areas after learning their interest in them. Twitter is like text messaging on steroids.
So, I decided to do it for RookieDoctor.com. Rather than wait until there is a collection of good links or a bunch of useful articles before sending a RookieDoc FAQ or making a new RookieDoc PDF report, I can just tweet them, as I find them.
Likewise, if you find something you think other med students, interns, or residents might find useful, you can ‘tweet’ me directly. Go check out Twitter now and look it over. If you happen to sign up, then start “following” me (RookieDoc) and send me a personal message to let me know you’re on board.
Be cautious about what you put out there though. As a physician, the world holds you to a different standard – sometimes rightfully so, sometimes not. Certainly, you should never, ever put patient information or even institution information online in any way… not a web page, not a blog, and not Twitter.
If it’s not something you would shout across a crowded room, then don’t even think of putting it out there. It will come back and bite you.
Okay, I’m starting to get psyched. I’m teaching a couple of classes at a residency program in Maryland next week and the following week. Since I’ve already prepared material and tweaked the last class’ material, I’ve decided to make a bunch of cool videos.
As I make these videos, I’m including a ton of stuff I wish I had been told (or that I wish I had been told earlier in my internship or even 4th year of medical school). I just have to improve the audio quality and put some finishing touches on PDF downloads that go with the videos.
To get ready for the release of the videos, MP3s, and PDFs you can do two things…
Go to the RookieDoc Survey and ask me any questions you have (maybe I’ll be able to include some answers right there in the videos)
Go to Internship-Tips.com and sign up there after watching that first (choppy, somewhat-hard-to-hear) video. If you’re on that list, you’ll get early announcements about the materials as they come out (Plus Residency Startup Checklists, How to Choose a Call Room, and 23 Must Know Tips for Interns & Residents)
I posted a survey where you can ask me anything about internship and residency. I’ll answer some questions on the RookieDoc FAQs – these are occasional phone conferences for RookieDoc fans and members where I discuss a hot topic or answer questions.
I may not get to every question directly, but may be able to post important answers here, in special RookieDoc reports (PDF), on the RookieDoc Squidoo lens, or in the Audio Tips series.
Okay, I just spent almost the entire day putting some finishing touches on something that will really help you out… but indirectly.
It’s really cool, but in a way, it’s sad that I had to do it.
The fact is that because of your career path, and because of the current stage in that path, your relationships are in for a change – a shake-up. You are going to face stress from angles you never really thought of. Although it is all manageable, it is not easy. And unfortunately, our family and friends are usually the ones that bear the brunt of it.
So, I created tips and strategies for them – for your friends and family. No charge, no gimmick, no catch.
Very simple… They sign up with their name and email. Then every so often, I send them a little message – audio and written – only a few minutes long – but full of great info and ideas for maintaining your relationships (and sanity).
Having an excellent bedside manner is ultra important. If you master having a good bedside manner, you stand to make your patient feel better, potentially heal quicker, and certainly complain less. Your patient will trust you more, and you’ll be able to extract a better history.
If you have a good bedside manner, your patient will tell other people. Your patient’s nurse will tell other people. And guess what? It will absolutely impact how your attending evaluates you.
You will be sued less, get paged less, and be respected more.
1 – While sitting a patient up to listen to their lungs, just say, “Hey. While I have you up, let me flip your pillow to the cool side.”
2 – When you plan to order some medications, don’t just tell them you’re ordering them. Explain that it will take a little while for them to come up from the pharmacy.
3 – When you’re all done in the room, put things back the way you found them. Put the call bell in reach, move the phone closer, and, if their allowed to eat/drink, move their tray closer to them.
Some people just have no clue about the power of the internet. This announcement about the sign-up for the RookieDoc membership site has gone way too far… Check it out…
