If there is any similarity between novice medical interns and new parents, chances are that they all make lots of mistakes.

There is so much we don't know about when we become new parents. The same is true for new interns. Of course, they must learn their trade on the job.

As a father-to-be, I haven't the foggiest idea what a parent's life would be. Then I sit back and pat myself, trying to learn the dos and don’ts from the parents' bible, What to Expect: The First Year .

Which brings me to one of the lessons I learned as a medical intern: the way to become a doctor could never have been learned during my medical student's days of reading.