It’s the cusp of a new medical year and there’s no shortage of advice on how to succeed as a house officer.  The White Coat Underground and Wes Fisher will put you in the right direction.  And I love Mary Brandt’s Advice for New Interns.

But just a couple of more points to keep in mind:

Keep you options open.  Medicine is changing quickly.  You’ll start you career training as a 20th century doctor and retire in a place none of us can imagine.  Your ultimate success will be determined by your ability to adapt to a shifting foundation.  Keep an open mind.

Quiet you fingers.  You are the first generation to have publication tools that make it dangerously easy to breach your patient’s trust.  Keep their business off the public forums.  Better yet, find a way to apply all this wonderful technology to really move the chains forward.

Be remarkable.  Medicine desperately needs folks willing to step up and offer something unique.  Those around you will work to mold you one way.  While you need to learn the basics, don’t be afraid to draw your own map.  It’s a new world desperate for new leaders and fresh ideas.   Use your gifts and seize the opportunity.

As far as advice that’s less bold and more concrete: Drink lots of water.   It’s one variable that can really change how you feel.