How to do you stay organized?

[1nycdoc8]

Hello everyone! Starting MSIII in a bit, was just wondering if you seasoned vets wouldn't mind sharing how you guys stay organized in the wards.

I'm thinking about getting "white coat clipboard 2.0" because it's ingenious and I'm a sucker for gimmicks like that.

However I know that people like to use index cards so I'm thinking about using the ones that have a hole in the corner already and throw on a binder ring so they stay in order and don't fly away.

I'd love to hear of any systems you guys would like to share- I'll probably try all sorts of ways out the first week or so and see which one works best for me and the team I'm on. Thanks for your insight!

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[anony mouse]

Regarding keeping your patients' info straight, I used index cards that were ring-bound in sets of 50, picked them up at CVS. Used a new card per patient per day for presentations, it was nice to be able to flip back a few days to see what their labs, vitals, etc. had been in the past if needed. After presenting I would scribble down the team's additional thoughts on plans for the day. Then, when sitting down to write progress notes you can just flip through your cards and copy all the info down.

That worked for me on medicine, I guess we'll see how it does on the rest of the rotations . . .

 

[drizzt3117]

Moleskine makes little notebooks that are perfect for the wards, they fit in the chest pocket of white coats perfectly.

 

[cushie]

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[nogolfinsnow]

I never had a good system 3rd year but I'm developing a better one during my AI. For day-to-day patient stuff, I use one of the medfools sheets that is double sided and has space for admitting info and 7 days worth of data. We also get a printout each day at sign out with the updated patient list. These two things I hole-punch and throw a little ring clasp through. When my pt is d/c'ed I just move their sheet to a 3 ring notebook to make sure the dictation gets done. This same 3 ring binder I stash on the floor. In there I keep any articles that residents or attendings give us to read for when I have some down time and I keep some blank medfools sheets and a few other various things in there. Last year I looked like an idiot with papers coming out of every pocket. I feel more in control this year.

 

[IMGUSMLEStep1]

I got a mini-binder, about 6x8 inches, and put some hole-punched giant notecards in it. I put a tab on the first page of each new patient, and I can add in a new card whenever I need it in case a patient stays for a long time. I like this better than a notebook, because I like having everything for each patient all together and I was afraid that I might run out of space in a notebook and not be able to reorganize the pages. I also like the binder because I always have a hard surface to write on, and I can store extra papers like schedules or handouts in the pockets.

And yes, I believe I have OCPD

I like this method.

 

[45408]

I always use loose-leaf paper. I fold it in half, so when you have a stack of them, it's thick enough to just write directly on it instead of needing a clipboard. I just came up with my own layout of how to write an H&P, usually like this:

front half of folded page

Pt name - medical record # - room #
age
CC
HPI for most of the page

PMH/PSH/FH/SH on the bottom margin

Backside of the folded paper (bottom half of the page)
Meds
Allergies
Labs
Imaging
pertinent physical findings (I never bother writing down the details of a normal exam)
Plan

Then each day or two I'd round on the same patient, I'd add another page, which I'd write their new labs, vitals, imaging studies on. I did use the Medfools sheets on one rotation (peds step-down ICU) when I needed fairly comprehensive systems-based plans on a daily basis, and they worked well.