Locus of order

Medical students should remember this:
You are the locus of order. You are responsible for the well being of your patient. There is no one to count on but yourself.
When your patient has diabetes, you need to know what the sugars are, what the trends are, what the long term plan is and whether all preventive measures have been instituted. You can't rely on a specialist to take care of things. You can't delegate the essence of what you do.
When your patient has a chest x-ray and you're not sure of the clinical situation, you need to look at it yourself. When you order an EKG, you need to read it yourself. Trust no one.
You are the one who will get your patient out of the hospital. You are the one who will make sure the patient's pain is controlled. You are the one who has to ensure that no one overmedicates the patient through misguided therapeutic exuberancy.