Sep
16
2011

The Seven Types of Physicians’ (Bad) Handwriting

I have a doctor friend who swears that her previously tidy, neat handwriting has gone downhill ever since she obtained her medical license. And I cannot — for the life of me — ever remember receiving a prescription that was decipherable.

Perhaps the AMA makes chicken scratch handwriting a requirement? :-P

Via A Cartoon Guide to Becoming a Doctor.

P.S. — For an example of how a doctor’s bad handwriting made me the laughingstock of my then-office, take a look at this post from 4 years ago.

5 Responses to “The Seven Types of Physicians’ (Bad) Handwriting”

  • Sugar Scientist September 16, 2011 at 8:41 pm

    My husband said when he was in medical school, he was under such pressure to take notes so quickly (and then the same with singing charts as a resdident) that you really have no choice but to turn to chicken-scratch writing. Of course, now that more and more hospitals are turning to an electronic format, handwriting becomes less of an issue.

  • Arti September 16, 2011 at 9:51 pm

    This is great! My mom is a doctor and hers is definitely the “teeny tiny” script haha :)

  • Heather September 17, 2011 at 10:15 am

    Too funny. My husband is a chiropractor and has terrible writing. I remember asking him, which came first? Did you have terrible penmenship, so figured you should be a doctor, or did your penmenship become terrible in chiropractic school? Haha.

  • Michelle September 17, 2011 at 11:11 am

    Funny. I am a doctor and I can read most of the above! I do try to print nicely for prescriptions though.

  • Amy September 19, 2011 at 6:31 pm

    I have type 7 (illegible) luckily this is why phone dictation systems and electronic medical records (with typed notes) and electronic prescription filling was invented!



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