The age of the Internet has brought the human race a number of conveniences that were not even remotely possible before the birth of the worldwide web. Technology has indeed made human life easier, more interesting and exciting, and, according to Internet-dependent people, more livable. One of the thousands of conveniences that the Internet offers people is the availability of a printable doctor note.

Doctor’s notes ready for printing form the Internet can indeed come in very handy. They are generally required by schools and companies when students and employees miss out on school and work. Doctor’s notes basically serve as excuses for the absences. Without printable doctor’s notes that can now be found in several websites, it would be hard to skip out on school or work without risk of being reprimanded or some other consequence. But what exactly is a doctor’s note?

A doctor’s note, or doctor’s excuse note, is in fact a legal document (not just any random note) that excuses the bearer from school or work. A doctor’s note must include four elements, namely the following: the date the note was generated; the name of the bearer of the note or patient; the contact information of the doctor, such as his or her name, phone number, and address; and the certification of the supposed medical consultation. This last element (the certification) must show that the patient was actually seen or advised by the doctor on a specific date and/or time.

The certification may state that the patient was recommended to take some time off from school or work. It may include doctor’s orders or instructions as to when the patient should return to school or work, as well as under what conditions the return to school or work may be done. All these bits of information are only secondary details and are not really necessary. In fact, experts can tell that a doctor’s note is fake based on the amount of information included. More information allows a bigger room for error, and volunteering too many details is a common sign of guilt.

These days, the use of a printable doctor note is not just limited to excusing absences from school or work. In some cases, a doctor’s note can’t even excuse an absence but at least allows the bearer to access some form of leave for rest without actually having to get sick and losing pay. Nowadays, a doctor’s note can also be used to get smaller lumps of homework at school or lighter responsibilities at work. In cases where the bearer has a job and suddenly suffers from sickness, a doctor’s note can allow him or her to go back to work and prove to his or her employer that he is well enough to do so.