Ah, back-to-school season — the smell of fresh notebooks, the thrill of a new planner, the hope that this year you’ll actually keep your folders organized. As a kid, it was exciting. As an adult? Let’s just say school shopping isn’t quite as fun when I’m the one paying for it, particularly with 3 kiddos.

Still, there’s something about this time of year that makes you want to sharpen your pencils (or at least your skills). For clinicians, that “back-to-school” energy is the perfect reminder that learning doesn’t stop after graduation — and it shouldn’t, if we want to keep our practices strong and our work sustainable.