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So, with the intern year coming to an end, I would like to pass on a list of advices. Find a system that work for you. Fellow intern, please chime in!
The faster you work, the more time you have off to actually "learn" than just pushing paperwork. Every institution is different so some of my advice may or may not work.
1) GROUP ALL TASKS TOGETHER, BUNDLE THEM UP. I.E. Pre-Round on all of your patients first. Then sit down and write all of your notes at once. Then if no stat orders are needed, carry blank order sheets, wait until the end of round to put them in (your attending will more than likely say "add this, add that, do this additional test, etc...." Then call all of your consults. Grouping tasks will save you mucho time.
2) MUST HAVE BOOK FOR THE FIRST MONTH - LANGE Instant Access Hospital Admissions: Essential Evidence-Based Orders for Common Clinical Conditions By Anil Patel. Full of pre-filled ADMISSION orders and symptoms managements that you will get paged for.
- POCKET SIZED 
2a) MUST HAVE PENS: GEL INK 0.5mm is the perfect pen. My favorite is the zebra sarasa. Pilot G and Mitsubishi (uniball signo) are good too. You can buy bulk on amazon.
3) KNOW WHAT TASKS CAN BE DONE LATER
4) USE PRE-FILLED FORMS AND PROTOCOLS for admissions, DM sliding scales, sepsis, heparin, ETOH withdrawal etc if possible, save you time. If your hospital don't have one, make your own and xerox them.
5) WHEN YOU GET PAGE, ALWAYS ASK FOR THE VITALS FIRST.
6) KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
7) KNOW THAT THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
8) EMPATHY FOR YOUR PATIENTS - probably the hardest thing to do when if your patients are alcoholics, drug abusers, psych, ... try to put yourself in their shoes, their upbringing and life experiences.
9) CONFLICTS MANAGEMENT - read it online, know the techniques on how to resolve them... not that hard, most of the time, it requires more listening than talking
10) BE FLEXIBLE
11) TRY TO SCHEDULE A NORMAL OUTING Q WEEK WITH a NON-MEDICAL FIELD FRIEND OR WIFE even if you're on ICU.
12) ALL YOU REALLY NEED IS YOUR STETHOSCOPE and Pharm Ref. (IPOD TOUCH FOR ME). Throw away everything else in your white coat. Travel lite.
13) GET SOCIAL WORKERS INVOLVE FROM THE GET-GO
14) EXPECT TO BE A SECRETARY when you're on other services... learn to be an efficient/fast scutmonkey with a good attitude, life will be a lot easier.
15) PERSONALITY ADAPTABILITY TO VARIOUS HIGHER POWERS (ATTENDINGS, SENIOR RESIDENTS)... you can probably read this online, you will encounter different personalities whom you will work under, you are on the bottom of the totem pole, each personality require you to adapt your own for pleasant working environment
16) EAT WHEN YOU CAN
17) SLEEP/POOP WHEN YOU CAN
18) START A ROTH IRA ACCOUNT, get some good ETFs or MUTUAL FUNDS, balance it with US, Foreign, Gold/Oil, etc.... www.optionshouse.com is great, only $2.95 per stocks/ETF. use "FREE100" for 100 free trade when you open a new account.
19) KEEP A BUDGET - www.mint.com is great
20) TAKE STEP 3, get it done your PGY-1 year
21) CASE PRESENTATION/ POSTERS are awesome, get some in if you can, they are paid mini-vacations with non-clinical responsibilities.
The faster you work, the more time you have off to actually "learn" than just pushing paperwork. Every institution is different so some of my advice may or may not work.
1) GROUP ALL TASKS TOGETHER, BUNDLE THEM UP. I.E. Pre-Round on all of your patients first. Then sit down and write all of your notes at once. Then if no stat orders are needed, carry blank order sheets, wait until the end of round to put them in (your attending will more than likely say "add this, add that, do this additional test, etc...." Then call all of your consults. Grouping tasks will save you mucho time.
2) MUST HAVE BOOK FOR THE FIRST MONTH - LANGE Instant Access Hospital Admissions: Essential Evidence-Based Orders for Common Clinical Conditions By Anil Patel. Full of pre-filled ADMISSION orders and symptoms managements that you will get paged for.
2a) MUST HAVE PENS: GEL INK 0.5mm is the perfect pen. My favorite is the zebra sarasa. Pilot G and Mitsubishi (uniball signo) are good too. You can buy bulk on amazon.
3) KNOW WHAT TASKS CAN BE DONE LATER
4) USE PRE-FILLED FORMS AND PROTOCOLS for admissions, DM sliding scales, sepsis, heparin, ETOH withdrawal etc if possible, save you time. If your hospital don't have one, make your own and xerox them.
5) WHEN YOU GET PAGE, ALWAYS ASK FOR THE VITALS FIRST.
6) KEEP A POSITIVE ATTITUDE
7) KNOW THAT THIS TOO SHALL PASS.
8) EMPATHY FOR YOUR PATIENTS - probably the hardest thing to do when if your patients are alcoholics, drug abusers, psych, ... try to put yourself in their shoes, their upbringing and life experiences.
9) CONFLICTS MANAGEMENT - read it online, know the techniques on how to resolve them... not that hard, most of the time, it requires more listening than talking
10) BE FLEXIBLE
11) TRY TO SCHEDULE A NORMAL OUTING Q WEEK WITH a NON-MEDICAL FIELD FRIEND OR WIFE even if you're on ICU.
12) ALL YOU REALLY NEED IS YOUR STETHOSCOPE and Pharm Ref. (IPOD TOUCH FOR ME). Throw away everything else in your white coat. Travel lite.
13) GET SOCIAL WORKERS INVOLVE FROM THE GET-GO
14) EXPECT TO BE A SECRETARY when you're on other services... learn to be an efficient/fast scutmonkey with a good attitude, life will be a lot easier.
15) PERSONALITY ADAPTABILITY TO VARIOUS HIGHER POWERS (ATTENDINGS, SENIOR RESIDENTS)... you can probably read this online, you will encounter different personalities whom you will work under, you are on the bottom of the totem pole, each personality require you to adapt your own for pleasant working environment
16) EAT WHEN YOU CAN
17) SLEEP/POOP WHEN YOU CAN
18) START A ROTH IRA ACCOUNT, get some good ETFs or MUTUAL FUNDS, balance it with US, Foreign, Gold/Oil, etc.... www.optionshouse.com is great, only $2.95 per stocks/ETF. use "FREE100" for 100 free trade when you open a new account.
19) KEEP A BUDGET - www.mint.com is great
20) TAKE STEP 3, get it done your PGY-1 year
21) CASE PRESENTATION/ POSTERS are awesome, get some in if you can, they are paid mini-vacations with non-clinical responsibilities.
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