My Top 5 Tips to Writing a Shadowing Journal

Journaling is an excellent way to record your experiences in medicine. I have been journaling for years and today I would like to share 5 tips to making a great shadowing journal.

1. Keep it organized. Journaling can be done in multiple styles such as stream of consciousness, story telling, etc. but regardless of style make sure to mark: date, specialty, and number of hours somewhere easy to see (I normally put this at the top of my entry) this way I can quickly flip through and find exactly which entry I was looking for etc.

2. Highlight key events. This can be done not only in the way you write and what you write about but it can also be done litterally with a highlighter or some distinguishing mark so you can easily look back at the key points in each experience you may want to reference later on or ground breaking or important moments in your medical journey.

3. Don't forget HIPPA. I always make sure to abide by HIPPA guide lines when ever I write about things I see in the hospital, it is kind of like a filter I put on my writing and I never want to slip up so I keep it on all the time. Remember you signed a legal document.

4. Keep it genuine. Be honest when writing about what you see and feel as well as things that you have learned. This journal is for you to record your thoughts and development as a future medical care provider and person, the pages of your journal will not judge you.

5. Have fun! Journaling can be a lot of fun if you give it a chance and it is also a nice way to wind down and solidify knowledge and reflect on events after a long shift or even a short one.

Journaling has been a great part of my life since I was really young. Journaling enabled me to explore my creativity and document my growing understanding of my passions and the world around me. My first journal was in fact a sketch pad, my mother among other things is an artist which means sketch pads are a staple in our house hold. I used my sketch pad to record life event, things I loved and even try my hand at the great Picasos artistic style on my own self portrait (I was 7y/o when I did that). Later on while on mission trips I began recording my blooming passion for medicine and my love for people for helping them in ways I had only dreamed of. Now in the early years of adulthood journaling is still an ever present pass time in my life I have a special shelf on one of my many book shelves with my journals some held together with tape and glue others worn from where I held the pages open with one hand while writing and sketching with the other. 

If you decide to take up journaling I hope it is as wonderful an experience in your life as it has been in mine. 

Good luck and happy journaling!