Reviews with content warning for Blood - This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

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This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

184 reviews

scarletkeiller's review against another edition

emotional funny informative sad fast-paced

4.75

As close to five stars as it could get without hitting the mark. This was an exceptional read! Kay’s ability to write about such stressful, life-altering experiences with lightheartedness and wit is unbelievable. Following his journey through medicine and the increasing pressures of the responsibility of his job, I found myself very endeared to him.

He is fundamentally very honest about his thoughts and actions, even when they don’t paint him in the best light, so by the end, when you are reading a recollection of probably the greatest trauma of his life, it is devastating to say the least. The section ‘Aftermath’ had me in fits of tears, and for hours after finishing the book I was still reflecting on what I had read, and how it made me feel, and how special this was as an experience. The only reason I haven’t rated it five stars is that, despite how much I loved the way this was structured and paced, I felt that the ‘bonus entries’ at the end of the book softened the emotional impact of the climax, and took away the harshness of the blow it had dealt. Which sounds like an odd thing to complain about, but up until the final diary entry, despite being able to see the cracks forming in his mental health and his ability to cope with the stress of the job, you can see he still loves being in obs and gynae and he finds value and humour in the job regardless of the monumental toll it takes on his personal life and health. So when he is suddenly thrown into a situation so stressful and so traumatic that it eventually leads to his leaving medicine altogether, this is a huge shock and, naturally, I wanted to sit with the feelings it brought up for a while and really reflect on what I had read. It was clearly a huge deal for him to share this experience, and it was a shame that the extra bits at the end took away from its impact.

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luciferreads230's review against another edition

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challenging emotional funny informative reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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riannamarie's review against another edition

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emotional funny reflective fast-paced

4.25

I am a medical student close to beginning my working life in Australia so this book is particularly eye opening for me. I listened to the audiobook of this where Adam narrates so I felt like he was reading me a funny yet gut-churning bedtime story.

This book is filled with insights from Adam's time in the NHS as a junior doctor where he worked his way up the chain until he became an O and G senior reg. It made me laugh out loud multiple times because of Adam's sarcastic quips about his patient experiences. It also forced me to revise O and G in a fun way (I'll thank him in my graduation speech). At certain points I gasped at the shear grusomeness of some of the stories (and trust me, not a lot shocks me now). The degloving story will be forever burned into my brain.

I approach the next year with excitement and a healthy dose of cautious trepidation after reading this story. In Australia it's not as bad; the working hours and conditions are much better than the NHS from what I have heard. You still hear enough stories that make you slightly wary of what's to come. I just hope stories like this have made a difference for us future doctors.

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fenimore's review against another edition

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funny informative inspiring lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.0

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leaflover's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective sad medium-paced

5.0

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tiredenglishteacher's review against another edition

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funny informative relaxing sad fast-paced

3.75

Some of the humour in here was pretty fatphobic, and also some mild misogyny. Also some medical descriptions (any bodily fluid in the mouth) were upsetting. However, largely a humorous but contemplative exploration of the failings of British public health. Highlights deeply exploitative nature of hierarchical system and the ways in which doctors are forced to work while sleep deprived, hungry, and overworked in emergency situations. Scathing.

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