Rounds are Over!

Ready for Rounds

On September 1, 2013, I attended my last clinical morning rounds.  This activity and habit has been a part of my life for almost 50 years.  It has been a method of learning, teaching and caring for patients.  There are certainly other important methods, but this has been a key to sharing information.

This activity has changed remarkably.  In the past memorization was key.  We needed to remember the history, physical and laboratory findings of each patient that we saw.  We then had to be ready to answer questions regarding the pathology and management of the disease.  Today, the patient and disease information exist in the “peripheral brains” (clinical computers and databases) of the clinical team.  What hasn’t changed is getting the clinical history from the patient, family and other team members.  We still need to sit, listen and touch patients.

It is a strange feeling to close these chapters of clinical learning and teaching.  The rounds that would sometime seem endless have stopped.  The reality is that others need to be the “rounders” that learn, teach and care.

Marvin

References:

Gonzalo JD.  Masters PA.  Simons RJ.  Chuang CH.  Attending rounds and bedside case presentations: medical student and medicine resident experiences and attitudes.  Teaching & Learning in Medicine.  21(2):105-10, 2009 Apr-Jun.

Tariq M.  Motiwala A.  Ali SU.  Riaz M.  Awan S.  Akhter J.  The learners' perspective on internal medicine ward rounds: a cross-sectional study.

BMC Medical Education.  10:53, 2010.

Hage, M. L. (2012). Vocation & Retirement. Retrieved from http://healingagents.blogspot.com/2012/07/vocation-retirement.html