does the pen matter?

[marie337]

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Here's a light topic for you. I always use a fine point pen. I write small, but very legibly. My attending yesterday said I write good stuff, but I should use a bigger pen and write more assertively. I love my pen! Do you think I should give it up and waste more paper🙄?

 

[Law2Doc]

Here's a light topic for you. I always use a fine point pen. I write small, but very legibly. My attending yesterday said I write good stuff, but I should use a bigger pen and write more assertively. I love my pen! Do you think I should give it up and waste more paper🙄?

I think you should do what the attending asks during the course of that particular rotation if you want a good evaluation.

 

[Samoa]

Did your attending actually mean the size of the writing? Because that's a somewhat ridiculous thing on which to offer criticism. Are you sure s/he didn't mean to write with more assertive words?

 

[Ypo.]

Do you think I should give it up and waste more paper?

Yes.


Annoying, I know.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Here's a light topic for you. I always use a fine point pen. I write small, but very legibly. My attending yesterday said I write good stuff, but I should use a bigger pen and write more assertively. I love my pen! Do you think I should give it up and waste more paper🙄?

Write big.

Actually, I was given a compliment by my attending for my Montblanc (which matched his). Kudos to my mother for buying one for me!

Related question: they always ask us to write our notes/orders in black, how come?? I prefer the soothing touch of blue... but am resigned to using black.

 

[marie337]

Did your attending actually mean the size of the writing? Because that's a somewhat ridiculous thing on which to offer criticism. Are you sure s/he didn't mean to write with more assertive words?

Yes...she said I should write darker and more assertive! This attending is about 75 years old. She's a very cute old lady, so I figured she couldn't read my notes because of the size. But, she just said that she used to write with a fine point until she realized it was more assertive to write with a medium point 😀. I used my same old pen today. I have a box of 20 that I don't want to waste!

 

[AlternateSome1]

Write big.

Actually, I was given a compliment by my attending for my Montblanc (which matched his). Kudos to my mother for buying one for me!

Related question: they always ask us to write our notes/orders in black, how come?? I prefer the soothing touch of blue... but am resigned to using black.

Black tends to copy better on those cheap clunker copy machines that hospitals love. That is the sole reason I have been given for black over blue ink.

 

[FutureInternist]

I did a rotation at a psych hospital where they insisted on using blue so they could tell what was an original note & what was a photocopy. (It makes sense in light of the recent thingamajig about that lady dying on the hospital floor while her medical record says she was somewhere else at the same time)

 

[Samoa]

Yes...she said I should write darker and more assertive! This attending is about 75 years old. She's a very cute old lady, so I figured she couldn't read my notes because of the size. But, she just said that she used to write with a fine point until she realized it was more assertive to write with a medium point 😀. I used my same old pen today. I have a box of 20 that I don't want to waste!

Odd, but whatever. I'd at least give it a try.

I'm a fine point person myself, and write as tiny as possible on my own scut lists. But I do like the medium points for writing orders. They write faster, and as your attending notes, the writing is a little harder to ignore. For notes we use EMR, so no pens involved.

A lot of places don't actually have a rule about black vs blue ink (some might, but I've worked in a lot of hospitals, and usually both are acceptable although black is preferred). They just tell you to use black, and leave you to infer that blue is not an option. As for me, sometimes I write in blue. But the only time I actually have to rewrite orders is if I accidentally wrote them in red.

 

[Tippmann]

Yes...she said I should write darker and more assertive! This attending is about 75 years old. She's a very cute old lady, so I figured she couldn't read my notes because of the size. But, she just said that she used to write with a fine point until she realized it was more assertive to write with a medium point 😀. I used my same old pen today. I have a box of 20 that I don't want to waste!

I have a solution.

Passive-aggressive? Perhaps.

But I guarantee you your attending will cease offering you "constructive criticism"

Win-win.

 

[Law2Doc]

Black tends to copy better on those cheap clunker copy machines that hospitals love. That is the sole reason I have been given for black over blue ink.

Some hospitals actually require that anything written in the charts be in black ink for this reason. (The point above about blue ink being useful for knowing what is an original was truer before color copiers got so good.)

 

[lord_jeebus]

I have a fountain pen with a nice broad italic nib. The line variation (thick downstrokes, thin horizontals) makes my ugly handwriting look big and bold.

Paper is cheap so I don't hesitate to write large (helps legibility quite a bit).

I get lots of compliments on my writing - perhaps it compensates for my idiotic notes.

Black ink, because it's required where I am.

As an aside, when I was in Japan, everyone used those 4-color pens. They had a system - red for the most important points like med changes and abnormal labs, blue for instructions given to patient, and a few other things, etc. It made the charts much more accessible at a glance.

 

[45408]

Does anyone else think that the black penis mightier?

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

Does anyone else think that the black penis mightier?

I see what you did there.

 

[indo]

write assertively? Maybe just use exclaimation marks throughout your soap notes.

+Flatus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111

 

[anon-y-mouse]

write assertively? Maybe just use exclaimation marks throughout your soap notes.

+Flatus!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111111

Haha, I caught some minor flak for writing "mr x feels fantastic!" in a note from a chief, but my resident (who shares my quirky sense of humor) didn't care.

Of note, I have ALSO been told to write my *prescriptions* in NON-BLACK ink to prevent forgery. Of course I have largely been writing for Percocet and MS Contin so that may be part of the impetus (?)

 

[DickyV]

Of note, I have ALSO been told to write my *prescriptions* in NON-BLACK ink to prevent forgery. Of course I have largely been writing for Percocet and MS Contin so that may be part of the impetus (?)

Was there any reason for this? I worked at a pharmacy before going to med school and seem to recall nearly 100% of prescriptions being in black ink. I think I would be more suspicious of an Rx written in red, blue or green.

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Was there any reason for this? I worked at a pharmacy before going to med school and seem to recall nearly 100% of prescriptions being in black ink. I think I would be more suspicious of an Rx written in red, blue or green.

I was told photocopying, but again, that's probably pretty stupid of someone to try to do.

 

[secants]

Slightly off topic but,

Awhile ago I was reading on thread somewhere here on which pens people use/prefer and it was a thread with many posts but I can't seem to find it with the search function. If anyone knows what thread I'm referring to, I'd really appreciate it if you could post the link for it =).

 

[45408]

I see what you did there.

Shut it, Trebek.

 

[DickyV]

I was told photocopying, but again, that's probably pretty stupid of someone to try to do.

Agreed - especially since many prescription pads are coming out with tamper features (including those that show up when photocopied).

As to using colored ink to prevent photocopies, it only works if the pharmacies know to expect a blue/red/green/purple Rx.

 

[Tippmann]

Shut it, Trebek.

"It's not a product. It's not a Penis Mightier, Mr. Connery. There's no such thing!"

 

[anon-y-mouse]

Agreed - especially since many prescription pads are coming out with tamper features (including those that show up when photocopied).

As to using colored ink to prevent photocopies, it only works if the pharmacies know to expect a blue/red/green/purple Rx.

Well, one of my attendings had to take a 'prescribing skills' course (which he was super pissed about), and they told him "non-black if schedule II".

I wrote for Marinol today!! 👍 AIDS patient with a CD4 count of 4, major lipodystrophy, etc.

 

[PeepshowJohnny]

"It's not a product. It's not a Penis Mightier, Mr. Connery. There's no such thing!"

I want to start signing my notes as "Turd Ferguson".

 

[45408]

I want to start signing my notes as "Turd Ferguson".

only if the prescription is for anal bum covers.

 

[iTennis2609]

Slightly off topic but,

Awhile ago I was reading on thread somewhere here on which pens people use/prefer and it was a thread with many posts but I can't seem to find it with the search function. If anyone knows what thread I'm referring to, I'd really appreciate it if you could post the link for it =).

Found it!
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=398877

I hate to admit it but I read the entire thing. I didn't know pens were such a big deal haha

 

[Law2Doc]

Found it!
http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=398877

I hate to admit it but I read the entire thing. I didn't know pens were such a big deal haha

I say go with a Bic. You can get about a dozen for $1.50. Pens have a nasty habit of walking off in the hospital so you want something cheap in your white coat so that when a resident says "can I borrow your pen" and walks off with it forever, you don't miss it. Eventually you will snag some cooler drug rep pens to replace the cheapo ones -- these are much better because they are free.

The Mont Blancs are a mistake. Hopefully med students will continue to make this kind of a mistake when I'm a resident so I can start a nice collection of good pens.😀

 

[anon-y-mouse]

The Mont Blancs are a mistake. Hopefully med students will continue to make this kind of a mistake when I'm a resident so I can start a nice collection of good pens.😀

Clearly you have never worked with someone as anal as I am about the location of my pen (and other belongings) at all times

 

[subtle1epiphany]

Here's a light topic for you. I always use a fine point pen. I write small, but very legibly. My attending yesterday said I write good stuff, but I should use a bigger pen and write more assertively. I love my pen! Do you think I should give it up and waste more paper🙄?

I think these "criticisms" are definitely strange, but kinda funny.
On my ambulatory IM rotation one of the comments I received (verbally, not written, thankfully) was that while he didn't mind my appearance in his office, some attendings might rather that I shave more often. He recommended that I find a better razor.
If he had tried to pitch me a new one then and there, I would have been crying with laughter.

Seriously though, look at it as a compliment in disguise...they think enough of you to help you look better in the future...or at least they couldn't find anything else to complain about...