Book excerpt: "As an intern you will encounter many new challenges. These will range from very simple to most complex. Please remember that you have acquired the tools to address this adversity. And, even when you feel most overwhelmed, you are undoubtedly surrounded by a wealth of available resources that include ancillary and nursing staff, fellow interns, senior residents and attending physicians. Although the year ahead of you may now seem long and daunting, your tasks (other than survival) are quite achievable. The following competencies/milestones were copied from the curriculum for the in-patient general medicine rotation for the internship program at Washington University School of Medicine and Barnes-Jewish Hospital. You can see that not only are the objectives quite simple, but your rigorous work in medical school has well prepared you to master many of your goals. Throughout the year, use these objectives as a checklist to remind yourself of your accomplishments and to guide your learning in potential areas of weakness. - Patient care: o Gather accurate information about patients, including performing a thorough history and physical examination. o Synthesize data into a prioritized problem list and differential diagnosis, and then formulate diagnostic and therapeutic plans. o Prioritize each day's work. o Know the indications, contraindications, and risks of some invasive procedures and competently perform some invasive procedures"--Provided by publisher.