Here’s a glimpse of an email from a RookieDoc graduate:

On my first rotation of my third week my attending told me she had never had an MS3 like me. She said that I was performing at the level of a PGY2. The last day of my third week of my third year I diagnosed a patient with a rare disease that all the attendings & residents missed. The patient is still alive he would have died within about 24 hours without intervention. I had the courage to state my opinion. Thanks Dr Tori!
- Trish – Miami, FL

Of course, I’m not saying this is what your results will be like when you join, but it does mean that it, at least deserves a sneak peek inside. So go ahead… Check it out:

Well, this is the first step in that process. If you are a nurse, a patient, a caregiver, or really anyone who comes in contact with physicians, this is your opportunity to offer some advice. Over time, depending on the response, I will make this into a more robust, far-reaching project. I will select the best of them and redistribute them.

A word of caution… This is for sincere advice only. This is not a mouthpiece for attacking specific individuals, the healthcare industry or for lumping people into groups and labeling them. (There’s plenty of that in the news media) This is for sincere advice from one human to another.

If you want to know how your progress notes, your H-and-Ps, your discharge summaries, etc can impact your evaluations, your future job offers, your letters for fellowship, the likelihood you will be sued, and more importantly, your patients’ lives, then check this out. It’s short, but it’s not sweet:

The answer is a big “YES, BUT…” It will only help if you are doing an observership in the US, if you are in an offshore med school and now doing 3rd/4th year clinical rotations in the US, or if you’ve been accepted to an internship coming up and you want to get ready. If you are an international grad and you fall into one of these categories, I think the Survival Skills Audio CD has the potential to help you immensely.

So, I’ve done a couple of things…

I have made the Survival Skills CD available for direct purchase – $27 (US and international orders).

And, I have re-opened the digital-only RookieDoc Membership portion (US and international orders).

Here’s a short intro video to show you some of the things that are part of membership. If it sounds interesting or useful, click the link below the video to find out more.

The images of CDs, books, and DVDs in this video correspond to downloadable products.

Well, when this mentor pulled me aside, she gave me a new perspective on things. So, it was better than an individual tip or a single pearl… She gave me a strategy. And I’m giving that same perspective, that same strategy, that same insight today. Here’s the link:

So… if you’re not on the Priority Notification List, you might want to get on it. You’ll want to know early before I run out.

Internship and residency application season is in full swing. I’m gearing up to do interviews myself, in fact. And I’ve been reading the med student forums, for some reason reliving the stress of it all. At the same time, I was getting excited and pumped for something I’m going to do this year…

Now this might sound strange on a blog dedicated to giving you tips, pearls, and strategies for your training… but I need to vent, sort of.

Today, I was all psyched because according to the USPS tracking numbers, your package was supposed to arrive at my house today. But it didn’t come, despite that whole web tracking thing saying that it would. It turns out that today’s the day that the county decided to install a new pipe in the creek/bridge that leads to my driveway…. meaning… that the mailman didn’t come today. Nor will he come tomorrow.

Why does this matter to you? Well, I’m testing something that will involve a bunch of people (you) getting something free from me in the mail… something perfect for 4th year med students and interns. But I can’t send it out to you until I review it to make sure it turned out okay.

So…

You’ll just have to wait.

… more in the next few days.

Major changes are coming to the Membership area & other RookieDoc services.

I am making it even better, of course. And in a few more days, depending how long it takes, I’ll have a special surprise that you won’t want to miss.

But here’s the thing… I can use your help. In order to make sure that I cover all of the bases, I made an ultra-quick 2+ question survey. It basically just asks for the kind of thing you think absolutely MUST be taught/given/answered.

Here’s the link to those questions:

Oh… And if you’re not on the Priority Notification List, you might want to get on it. Some of the stuff coming out will be limited in quantity… You’ll want to know early. Judging by the response to RookieDoc stuff lately, I’m sure this stuff gonna go fast.