This is a great habit to get into when you really need to remember/understand the material. I have worked at several science and engineering labs; when someone

This is a great habit to get into when you really need to remember/understand the material. I have worked at several science and engineering labs; when someone demonstrates a procedure, you better have a damn good memory if you aren't writing it down! It hadn't previously occured to me do this in the doctor's office, but it's a good idea - the info a doctor gives can sometimes be (or should be) fairly involved. It's worth writing down. Furthermore, taking notes allows you to process the information on two levels. The technical details (names of things, etc) can be relegated to the notepad and forgotten. Important general concepts can then receive your greater attention. A doctor who gives more involved advice to a note-taker is a doctor who knows that you can handle more information if you're writing some of it down.