Resident Season...ugh.

Rabbit Season!
Duck Season!
Rabbit Season!
Duck Season!
Resident Season! Damn...

We all have to learn somewhere. You would think that hospitals that get new crops of residents every year would be on the ball and have some sort of procedure in place to make sure they have everything they need to start working there.

Perhaps A New Hire Orientation Program for Experience (A New HOPE) that explains what information they need to have when writing prescriptions. Maybe provide them with the link to the NPI registry with a disclaimer that states they cannot work until they can provide this number.
It's not as if it's required. (It is.)
It's not as if other professionals can't do it (I did.)
Actually, though, I think the schools should implement this. It's like pharmacy students being responsible for their own intern licenses.
Same for the DEA#. Assign their suffixes and make them accountable.
Give them special pagers and pager numbers. Teach them they are accountable for all prescriptions they write. Test these pagers at all hours of the day for their first week. If they do not respond within 30 minutes, discipline them.
Give the hospital staff a memo, or calendar with each new resident's name and photo on it.
Pharmacists have enough trouble tracking down known prescribers.
Resident Season is enough to ruin even most optimistic person's rosy outlook on life.

Pharmacists have to call the hospital operator.
The operator can't find the resident.
The ER doesn't even know that person's name.
The Person In Charge of Residents can't be located and has no idea who the patient was or why they were seen.
The nurses and staff don't recognize the names of these residents.
It's a known issue. It happens every summer. Hospitals should be prepared.
Words of advice: Don't get sick during Resident Season. Expect your prescription to take longer if there is anything wrong with it.
Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night.