1) Book your annual leave Time off is essential; failing to take leave doesn’t make you hard-working or any more likely to get ahead, but making a major error due to cumulative fatigue will have repercussions for both the affected patient and your career. Spend leave doing something you really enjoy with people you really like. If you have fixed leave, at least you'll get what you're owed (hopefully), but swaps can be a pain and take a lot of persistence. If you have to book time off, it will usually be your responsibility to swap on-calls. You usually need to book your leave 6wk in advance and summer is always popular. Sit down early with your team and discuss your leave plans
2) Be organized This is important but difficult when you first start as a doctor. Come in early, keep a list of useful names and numbers (there are pages in the appendix to help you with this, 
p. 622), and pick up hints and tips from your predecessors
3) Smile You cannot cure most diseases, you cannot make procedures pleasant, you cannot help the fact that you, ward staff, and patients are in the hospital, but smiling and being friendly can make all the difference. Above all else, never shout at anyone. Shouting or being insulting is unprofessional. If you have a problem it should be addressed in private. The job rapidly becomes unpleasant if you get a reputation for being rude and reputations (good and bad) travel quickly
4) Don’t underestimate the impact of night shifts on your energy levels and health Consider your plans before, during, and after night shifts carefully to allow sufficient time to sleep and recover. Everyone will give advice on how best to cope with night shifts, so try various approaches until you find the best routine for you
5) Ask for senior help Never feel you cannot ask for help, even for something you feel you ‘should’ know. It is always better to speak to someone senior rather than guess, even if it is in the middle of the night
6) Check in the BNF If you are not familiar with a drug then always check in the BNF before you give it. Trust nobody: it will be your name next to the prescription
7) Look at the obs Acutely ill patients nearly always have abnormal observations. Always remember to look at the respiratory rate as this is the observation most commonly ignored by junior doctors
8) Stay calm It is easy to panic the first time you are called to an acutely ill patient, but staying calm is important to help you think clearly about how to manage the situation. Take a deep breath, work through the ‘ABC’ while performing initial investigations and resuscitation (the emergency pages will guide you through this) and call someone senior
9) Be reliable If you say you are going to do something then do it. If you are unable to do so then let someone know—nursing staff in particular also have many things to remember and constantly reminding doctors of outstanding jobs is frustrating
10) Prepare for the future Medicine is competitive, you need to give yourself the best chance. Over the first 2 years you should: