my hobonichi techo in use on placement

Since my Hobonichi arrived, it has seen plenty of use on placement. Tomoe River paper has been a revelation as a fountain pen user and as tempted as I am to consider ordering another when the 2017 ones are released, these diaries are just a bit too pricey for my liking. I'm glad that I've tried them once though!

Daily and Weekly Planning

One of the most important things my Hobonichi is used for is the planning of my days and weeks. This was invaluable on Paeds when each day was unstructured and I had no set timetable.

Making Notes

The day-per-page view has been used for note-taking during teaching and feedback sessions.

I also write in interesting cases on the days where I've been to handover or ward round. This enables me to look things up if I didn't quite understand or ask questions at a later time. 

One thing I also try and do is make a note of all the things a consultant or registrar has said in clinic or of all the cases I saw. It might seem really keen but I've gained so many marks in exams from just drawing on experiences in clinic, on ward round, in theatre, etc.

Blank pages come in really useful for when I need to make notes for future reference. An example is below where I've made a note of the developmental milestones.

The card slots are also really helpful: one holds a card from the Royal Society of Medicine where there are reference ranges for common blood tests and another slot holds some page flags. 

Finally, the back pocket holds various sign off sheets such as my log book, paper forms that need signing during my time on placement and my timetable if I was given one.

All in all, the various pockets and slots that come with the Hobonichi cover have come in extremely useful and the Hobonichi Techo itself has been a revelation. The two page markers are also useful - one for the current date and the other for the first blank page that can be used to make notes on or write up a clerking on.

I'm happy with this system and how it is working out but I am questioning if I am prepared to drop such a large amount of cash on another next year. The answer is that it is very unlikely so I'll need to think about what I'll use instead.

using two planners simultaneously: rifle paper co and hobonichi

This year, I decided to try and keep my university and personal life as separate as possible and to do this, I've opted to use a Hobonichi Techo alongside my Rifle Paper Co planner.

My Hobonichi follows me around the wards and on placement whereas my Rifle planner stays at home on my desk where it holds my home and personal life to-dos and events.

On placement, I used to use an A6 notebook where I'd mock up a schedule for myself and then use the rest of the notebook to take notes regarding what I've seen in clinic, on ward round and in A&E. There are also notes from teaching in there. 

Because the Hobonichi Techo is dated, I don't need to painstakingly draw up my own weekly schedule and can instead fill in the gaps as you can see below:

The amazing Tomoe River paper means that I can use fountain pen in the Techo without fear of bleeding or show through! Later in the year, I'll show how the day-per-page diary is used on placement but for now, this is how I separate and plan my life.

In the Techo, I'll have a brief note (usually in pencil) for when I have personal things scheduled, for example, dental appointments and drinks with friends, etc. This way, I can see what other things are planned but I won't see the more personal and health-related things (ahem, if you're a girl, you'll know what I mean) or inadvertently show them to a colleague. 

I'm going to see how this system works out for me this year because the plan is to note down jobs that need doing whilst on ward round/interesting cases seen in clinic. The only issue I have at the moment is the lack of pages available to me for clerking patients so a compromise may have to be struck (weekend pages are currently an option for this!).

a hobonichi techo as my placement log book

Almost five years ago, I did a summer of work experience with a hospital consultant (the equivalent of an Attending in the States) and back then, I kept a log of the conditions I'd seen each day, the interesting patients encountered and anything else that I learnt (even things such as names of surgical instruments and things like that). Then, when I started medical school, this all stopped. Last year on placement, I did something similar but to a very minor degree so I made it this year's goal to be more thorough with my record keeping. I found it super useful to be so detailed whilst on work experience and can't believe I didn't carry it on when I become a proper medical student!

To combat this, I splashed out and ordered a Hobonichi and cover from Foyles. The student discount lessened the dent made on my bank balance but it was still a pricey purchase. Hopefully it'll mean that I now have a daily diary which can withstand fountain pen ink!

The monthly pages will be used as an overview to my days on placement. I'll write in where I'm meant to be each morning and afternoon so that the actual day pages can be utilised for things seen in clinic/theatre/on the wards.

I have no idea what to use these vertical month spreads for if I'm honest! (Any ideas?)

The dot note pages are perfect for random notes that I may need to refer to from time to time. Examples include contact details of placement co-ordinators, things I still need signed off and elements of the AMTS (Abbreviated Mental Test Score).

I love how there are some information pages about Japanese cuisine and dinner table etiquette. A lot of it is quite similar to my own culture too so it was quite an interesting read.

Before the start of each month, there is a ruled page and I've not decided what to use this for. Possibly for notes taken when I clerk a patient or something? The weekend pages are already earmarked for patient clerkings (anonymised of course) so these will probably serve the same purpose.

This leaflet that came with the Hobonichi is a nice touch too.

Finally, a picture of a day page before it is all filled in. I'll post again in the near future with how the pages look when all filled in and in use :)

All in all, it's exciting to keep track of the things seen and done on placement. A lot of medicine is about experience and my Hobonichi will allow me to keep a record of surgeries where I've scrubbed in and what I did, things seen and done in clinic and also interesting cases on ward round. Let's hope it makes me a better student (and also doctor!) in the future.