Here are my disorganised thoughts as I prepare for my final week as a houseplant:
Take 15 minutes to pee, drink and eat. It's incredible how much more effective you will be after taking just 15 minutes to do those things.
Bring food and drink on nights - vending machines are overpriced and rarely have nice options.
The jobs list is everything, be flexible with your colleagues and work efficiently so that you're not duplicating eachother's work, or (worse) things don't get missed.
Stay on top of the ePortfolio, it's **** but it has to be done. ARCP comes quicker than you think.
Don't dump on the on call/weekend team. It's not okay to leave discharge summaries and TTOs for other doctors to do out of hours. Same goes for writing up fluids/drugs/leaving out blood forms/vanc or gent levels - all these things can be planned for in advance.
Take the long view - it's the first year of what is going to be a decades long career. You'll probably be doing specialties you have relatively little experience in or may even dislike - house jobs aren't a predictor of what you'll be like in a few years once you've found what you want to do and are being properly educated in it.
Write please and thank you on radiology requests - they do notice and it does make a difference.
The O sign and Q sign are both bad news but you won't have read about them in Macleod's. Sweating is also a bad sign. ABGs and VBGs are super useful. Hypoglycaemia is also more common than you think. Learn about paracetamol overdose.
Remember people's names and use them, it helps to break down barriers. Go out with the other juniors and grumble lots - everyone's in the same boat, it'll make you feel better.
SHOs who you've never met before and who you'll never see again after this year may see that you're stressed or upset and will offer to jobs for you or give you impromptu counselling, despite having their own work/personal crap to deal with. You can't do much except say thank you and resolve to do the same yourself one day.
Be nice, but don't be a doormat. If someone deliberately tries to blame you for something which was categorically not your fault, stand up for yourself. Chances are they were looking to take advantage of your naivety.
If you have the time, discuss referrals or requests in person. People can be surprisingly flexible and helpful face to face vs on the phone.
And for that matter, accept that you'll be spending much of your day on the phone or at a computer. The infrastructure sucks and you'll be on hold for ages. The discharge summary/radiology request you spent ages writing will spontaneously decide to delete itself. It's not your fault, you didn't design the system. Become stoic and accept that lots of things are out of your hands.
Marvel at how much shorter your discharge summaries become over the course of the year.
Get involved in teaching, it'll stop you from de-skilling, it's good ePortfolio fodder and it's fun too.
When making phone calls, introduce yourself as "Hi, it's Dr [surname] calling from ward X" rather than "Hi, it's [first name], one of the ward X doctors". Sound authoritative and official, it stops people from fobbing you off.
They can always hurt you more but they can't stop the clock from ticking - a year goes by quickly and before you know it you'll be fully registered.
Never resent patients for being ill or scared. If you feel like you're losing your humanity, it's time to talk to someone.