Leading Internal Medicine Rounds

Finishing my 38th year of internal medicine ward attending, I wish I knew then what I know now.  Hopefully, these notes to myself will help some newly minted ward attendings.  The job is quite difficult and multifaceted.

Understand the various responsibilities of the ward attending
Help your learners growMake certain the patients get top notch careBe a good role model for the learnersStay healthy, both mentally and physicallyNever lose your humanity
What distinguishes ward attending from private practice is consistently combining teaching medical learners  with patient care.  While we have a great responsibility to our patients, we also have a great responsibility to our learners' future patients.

 [WLL(1]One could argue that private practice teaches patients. :0)