Doctor’s Advice On Writing Good Notes | Med Students, Residents, Attendings

Documentation follows you through every stage of medicine, and as a hospitalist I've inherited everything from bloated copy-paste novels to one-line notes that help no one. In this episode, I break down the framework I use for every note: who the patient is, why they're here, what's been done, where they are now, and what's next. We also cover why AI scribes don't change who is responsible for your notes, why you should never write "yesterday," and how writing in past tense with real dates gives you a head start on the discharge summary from day one.
This one is for premeds, med students, residents and early-career physicians who want notes that are clear, efficient and genuinely useful to the next person reading them. Whether you're writing an admission or consult note, a progress note, a handover or a discharge summary, these are the habits that make your days, and your colleagues' nights, a lot less stressful.

0:00 Why Good Notes Matter
3:32 AI Scribes and Your Signature
4:47 The Framework Every Note Needs
9:48 Use Dates, Not "Yesterday"
13:13 Admission and Consult Notes
15:52 Progress Notes
18:34 Handovers and Discharge Summaries

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About Me
I am a physician (M.D.) practicing a mix of hospitalist medicine, and urgent care. I learned a lot in my journey to becoming a physician and about more than just medicine. Follow along as I reflect and teach what I wish I knew, which for the most part, is the stuff you don’t learn in school.

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