ffir's review
4.0
Witty, down-to-earth, truthful; an interesting description of the life and work-load of a young doctor. Also afforded an interesting view into the various problems with hospitals these days, mainly in the form of budget cuts and what a hospital is forced to do just to stay open, as well as the implications on patients that these actions have. Well worth the read.
kfquarium's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Death, Child death, Dementia, Blood, Medical content, Homophobia, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, and Terminal illness
megfitz's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
4.0
raelovestoread's review
2.0
I'm being a little mean here. This is an amusing and well-meaning collection of anecdotes from a fellow junior doc. Certainly a lot of the material is familiar and Dr Pemberton captures some of the frustrations experienced in hospital life.
Critically speaking though, there was a lot that irked me. The whole text needed a good proof-read for a start. Without meaning to, his character comes off a bit opinionated and smug. He tries to overcompensate for this by professing his humility at every opportunity.
I read Trust Me, I'm a Junior Doctor before starting my first job and it gave a light and entertaining insight into the job. There was one anecdote (that I only half-remember) that had especially troubled me when I read the book; his character witnesses in theatre what amounts to a mild sexual assault of a patient under anaesthesia - and doesn't report this behaviour in any way. Having this niggling in the back of my mind could have coloured my perceptions of this sequel a little.
I didn't quite like it enough to give it a 3-star rating.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Dr Pemberton is a compassionate, kind and reflective doctor. I feel his writing style is more suited to blogs, opinion pieces and perhaps even short stories, rather than the 'novel/memoir' format.
Critically speaking though, there was a lot that irked me. The whole text needed a good proof-read for a start. Without meaning to, his character comes off a bit opinionated and smug. He tries to overcompensate for this by professing his humility at every opportunity.
I read Trust Me, I'm a Junior Doctor before starting my first job and it gave a light and entertaining insight into the job. There was one anecdote (that I only half-remember) that had especially troubled me when I read the book; his character witnesses in theatre what amounts to a mild sexual assault of a patient under anaesthesia - and doesn't report this behaviour in any way. Having this niggling in the back of my mind could have coloured my perceptions of this sequel a little.
I didn't quite like it enough to give it a 3-star rating.
There is absolutely no doubt in my mind that Dr Pemberton is a compassionate, kind and reflective doctor. I feel his writing style is more suited to blogs, opinion pieces and perhaps even short stories, rather than the 'novel/memoir' format.
samstillreading's review
5.0
Max is back for another adventure as a not-so-junior doctor. This year, he’s back at the same hospital he spent his first year at. Only this time, he’s got a rotation closer to his final specialty (geriatrics, with some psychogeriatrics and some general medicine). There is still plenty of room for odd presentations to the ED (one for example, involves a circular device being used a little too long, nudge nudge wink wink) and funny things that patients say and do. Max’s experiences are also tinged with sadness at times- at the end of life care for older people as well as the state of the NHS (National Health Service, that’s the public health service in the UK. You can easily apply the issues anywhere though).
The great thing about Max’s writing is that he has a fantastic ability to explain things, whether it be disease, treatment or bureaucracy, in easily understood terms. Even though I’m not in the UK, I was able to understand the cost-saving measures put in place for the building of hospitals and services offered. Max also wrote the clearest explanation of what a prion is and its effects on the human brain – not an easy task. This ability to put into plain words limitations of today’s healthcare (such as chemical sedation for demented patients, locking of ward pantries to restrict food after hours, shutting emergency departments) strengthens his argument – what about the patient? Isn’t the aim of healthcare profession to do what’s best for them?
Please don’t let the above paragraph detract you into thinking the book has a preaching tone. It doesn’t. There are laughs, sadness and frustration aplenty. We also see the return of Flora, Ruby and Lewis, who each have stronger storylines in this book. There is also the return of the Three Marys (secretaries) and Trudy, supplier of cakes and knowledge, along with some new characters. Max and his friends also get time off to go on holiday and attend a wedding, even if everything doesn’t turn out as planned…
I’ll be interested to see what Max does next. He is an excellent writer who always makes reading about medicine a fascinating subject. If only he could rewrite some of my textbooks!
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
The great thing about Max’s writing is that he has a fantastic ability to explain things, whether it be disease, treatment or bureaucracy, in easily understood terms. Even though I’m not in the UK, I was able to understand the cost-saving measures put in place for the building of hospitals and services offered. Max also wrote the clearest explanation of what a prion is and its effects on the human brain – not an easy task. This ability to put into plain words limitations of today’s healthcare (such as chemical sedation for demented patients, locking of ward pantries to restrict food after hours, shutting emergency departments) strengthens his argument – what about the patient? Isn’t the aim of healthcare profession to do what’s best for them?
Please don’t let the above paragraph detract you into thinking the book has a preaching tone. It doesn’t. There are laughs, sadness and frustration aplenty. We also see the return of Flora, Ruby and Lewis, who each have stronger storylines in this book. There is also the return of the Three Marys (secretaries) and Trudy, supplier of cakes and knowledge, along with some new characters. Max and his friends also get time off to go on holiday and attend a wedding, even if everything doesn’t turn out as planned…
I’ll be interested to see what Max does next. He is an excellent writer who always makes reading about medicine a fascinating subject. If only he could rewrite some of my textbooks!
http://samstillreading.wordpress.com
thequietgeordie's review
3.0
An entertaining and quick read. I found the sections on patients with Alzheimers difficult though.
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