I write
It is becoming clear to me that physicians’ bad handwriting is a by product of the demands of their occupation, it starts from medical school, where there are just too many notes to be made and your hand cannot keep up with the speed at which you need those notes to be produced. Where you are taught that it is paramount to abbreviate doctor terms to help cut down writing time, time is of the essence, yes even when scribing case notes on the white board during your weekly problem based learning case. Rx, Tx, Hx, Dx, ADR, SOB (a personal favourite, because some young intern- a position which I will find myself in in the not too distant future so I best not say anything mean, used this term while hurriedly talking to my mother when she brought my granny into the ED, “Son of a bitch?!”, no, no… shortness of breath ma’am…)
I used to be the kind of girl who wrote lengthy journal entries in cursive, complete with different coloured pens and the meticulous dotting of ‘i’s and crossing of ‘t’s, penmanship was and still is a huge emphasis in our household. Memories of my father endlessly berating my brother for his ‘chicken scratching’ handwriting still haunt me to this very day, having said that, my father’s militant indoctrination has done a world of good for my brother who now appreciates the fine art of calligraphy and purchases exquisite calligraphy and wax seal sets as a little hobby. His writing is still shit though :p
As I look at my stack of notes, I realise how much my writing has regressed, everything is hurried, scribbles everywhere as long as I put the pertinent information down in ink, but do I care? Not really, function over form, no time to make things pretty anymore. Then I read an article in TIME about the many deaths caused every year by healthcare workers misinterpreting the multitude of prescription forms or charts written by doctors too hard pressed for time and too frazzled to write legibly, and as a result, administer doses of drugs which are too high or completely wrong, I think to myself, no, I can’t let things slip, my bad writing may cause someone’s life one day.
So yes, I must and will improve on my handwriting, but maybe in about 12 days, when the finals are over 
Jen replied:
LOL re SOB!!!!!
Writing needs practice – I used to look back at my pristine notes, and wonder how I could have done it previously haha.
Can you type your lecture notes instead?
October 11, 2009 at 11:37 am. Permalink.
G replied:
Is that Moleskine? Pair that with a good Lamy ballpoint pen, and writing becomes enjoyable again! (I actually prefer my Pelikan rollerball, but the ink seeps through the page).
October 11, 2009 at 2:12 pm. Permalink.
Josephine replied:
Jen: You still keep your notes from uni days!! It’s amazing what we did back then eh, pick up any one of your old essays and when you read them, I bet you’ll think to yourself, wa! how on earth did I ever write things like that before :p well, that happened to me at least. heh.
G: Clever boy! Yes it is a moleskin. Lamy eh! I will check it out. I actually love ink pens and surprise surprise, the new and improved pilot V5 (yes that one) writes like a dream! And no bleeding to other page too!
October 15, 2009 at 4:52 am. Permalink.
G replied:
This is what I use daily:
http://www.lamy.com/eng/b2c/safari/217
and when I need something compact for travel:
http://www.lamy.com/eng/b2c/scribble/285
Yes, I have it all figured out!
October 16, 2009 at 3:18 am. Permalink.
superjupiter replied:
I use parker fine rollerballs, and I love moleskin paper, or muji.
Hold onto your good writing. I take pride in mine, and it’s got me alot of recognition, in a world of bad penmanship (medicine!), and ironically where it matters most.
Not boasting or anything, though sometimes it goes to pot, crazy shifts, or when you actually are so baffled and not adding anything sensible that you don’t really want anyone tracking you down. Ha-ha!
April 9, 2010 at 7:41 pm. Permalink.
Josephine replied:
Oh yes! I love moleskin paper! But I they can be quite costly, so I limit my buy to one or two a year
Having to go through charts this year for our long cases has made me appreciate doctors with good writing. Yay to good writing
April 11, 2010 at 5:24 am. Permalink.