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:

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:

You see, I have 5 kids – 4 girls and a boy. A few minutes ago my wife forwarded me a link to this YouTube video. I’ve heard this song a thousand times… but it’s like I was hearing it for the first time.

Why am I posting this here? Why now?

Well, many of you are on rotations right now where you might be reluctant to ask for time to spend with your family at this time of year. I’m putting this here as a reminder… 20 years from now your chief resident won’t matter… 20 years from now the attending on the rotation you’re on right now will be an afterthought.

Now, of course, you do have responsibilities to your patients, so fulfill them. But it doesn’t hurt to ask or to suggest a different schedule to afford your family some important time with you.

It’s going to happen from time to time, that you miss important family events, sure. That goes with the territory. But there’s a difference between missing something and neglecting someone.

The key is balance.

And too many of us in the health professions are missing it. Don’t be one of them.