As I reflect on today’s insightful topics, what impacted me the most was the idea that to make mistakes is to be human. We are imperfect physicians, but that’s okay. What is not okay is to hide these mistakes and live in a reality where we believe we are flawless. We must own up to our imperfections, strive for excellence, and be transparent. We should be the examples of honor and integrity. This is how we build trust among our patients, and as leaders, this is how we make steps to change misguided attitudes toward transparency and full disclosure within our healthcare institutions.

We know all too well how chaotic residency can be at times. Between rounding, new admissions, documentation, discharges, social work, academics, and the inevitable decompensating patient, it can be easy to forget to ask oneself, Is there anything I am missing? Honestly, I find I don’t ask this question enough. Chaotic days are a given in medicine, and this chaos can potentially create an environment where many things can be missed or over looked. Therefore, mindfulness must be intentional and practiced in every patient encounter. Our mindfulness must be as inevitable as the chaos.