A Rose for Dr. Martin

I am the clinical medical librarian at a teaching hospital, who sits in the back during morning report while medical residents tell their tales to the attending physician. It is a time when teacher–physicians fill white boards with chief complaints, physical exams, lab values, and drug regimens and try to coax correct answers out of sleep-deprived residents.

I have sat in the back of the room at morning report for over 15 years at 2 different hospitals in 2 states. My job is to listen to the stories, record the facts to find the supporting literature, talk to residents, and fix an occasional ailing PDA. Mostly, I sit in the back and listen with the pharmacy …