But let’s face it. Your work days are also long and the time you have to grab something to eat is short. And at times you want to go out with your friends and colleagues. Fine. We all do.

But then there’s that slightly awkward moment where you get the bill. No one at the table is really in a position to buy food for everybody (and if they are, they probably don’t want to).

Well, here’s an app that solves that problem… and in an elegant way. Billr – hands down the best app for splitting bills when dining out.

Short, but quite needed post today:

I received this piece today from a resident who happened to also be the loved one of a patient. I would like to share this piece of advice with you since (a) it is so true, (b) it needs to be elevated from being “a tip” to being ingrained in every human being entering healthcare, and (c) if you heed this advice you will stand out in a big, big way.

Here is what he/she submitted for you today:

1. Try to approach your patients as if they are, in fact, people…as opposed to “a case”. Far too often people are treated as interesting cases rather than a individuals who need help.

2. Don’t forget to educate your patients. Some physicians get caught up in rounds and teaching residents that they forget to teach their patients! Helping them medically involves educating them as well (Why do you think show’s like Dr. Oz and the Doctors are popular?…people want to know!!!)

Are you a patient, a caregiver, a nurse? Give some advice to young doctors here.

Where you can find more information about Last Wish and Dr. Van Scoy:

• Last Wish: Stories to Inspire a Peaceful Passing – get the book here (& get it now )
• KnowYourWishes.com
• About Dr. Van Scoy
• Follow Dr. Van Scoy on Twitter

Lauren Van Scoy, MD currently serves as the Chief Fellow for Pulmonary and Critical Care in Philadelphia. She wrote Last Wish: Stories to Inspire a Peaceful Passing independent of her work at Drexel University College of Medicine and Hahnemann University Hospital. The opinions expressed in her book are her own and not the opinions of her employer or her training institutions.

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:

You already go on rounds with your attending. You already attend conferences, classes, and morning report. You already go to Grand Rounds. And you might already go to Boards prep courses.

Well, check this out… with one tweak, your learning experience can go from okay to phenomenal.

If you want to get this amazing pen, you can order it from Amazon.

If you are an institution (a medical school, a residency program, etc) and you would like to learn more about how this concept can help your organization go from good to completely awesome, then go to NapkinRounds.com.

By the way, if you haven’t seen the changes yet:

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:

Well, one way to really set a poor tone for the talk is to get there and have the thing not load.

Here’s a look at some ways of backing up your presentations so you don’t find yourself in that situation.

• RookieDoctor.com/dropbox

I thought it appropriate to cover something you will never be taught about your pager… at least not formally, anyway. So here it is:

It’s really quite simple. When wearing scrubs, you only have this semi-thin drawstring that doesn’t really hold a pager too well.

SCRUBS: If you wear your pager on your scrubs, it will flop around and sometimes unclip itself depending on your position.

WHITE COAT (side pocket): If you put it in your white coat side pocket, you will leave it on during conferences or you will not feel it vibrate. You also run the risk of it slamming into a door or wall as you walk.

WHITE COAT (top pocket): If you put your pager in your top pocket of your white coat or of your scrubs, well, that’s just inexcusable… it will fall out when you bend over & it will be impossible to reach if you wear a gown.

So here’s what you do (see the video at http://youtube.com/RookieDoc):

1. Tuck in your shirt – all the way – even in your underwear
2. Face your pager in towards you (not outward like you would if you were using a belt)
3. Clip the pager around your scrub bottoms drawstring AND your underwear

That’s it. I hope it helps

One of the RookieDoc members shot me an email asking me about the pharmacology references I recommend to carry around in your white coat as an intern or a resident.

Here was a portion of our exchange:

Question:
I noticed you recommended Tarrascon Pocket Pharm – which edition is better, shirt pocket or lab coat pocket? I know the shirt pocket is a lot smaller, but will that be enough? It would be nice not to have to tote around a bigger book…if you could let me know what you think that would be great! Thanks again! I appreciate you getting back to me so quickly.

Answer:
You’re right, it’s better to carry around the smaller book.

Whatever you buy, save the receipt… and submit it for reimbursement if you have an education stipend.

I hope that helps

Dr. Tori
RookieDoctor.com