This Won't Hurt a Bit: (And Other White Lies): My Education in Medicine and Motherhood Review

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(More customer reviews)I only recently started following Michelle's blog and pre-ordered the book on a whim, but I'm so glad I did. I will be recommending this book to all of my med school friends. Her writing is clever and intelligent and I couldn't stop reading this account of her journey to being a doctor and a mother. As a first year medical student, I've worried about exactly the same issues that she went through. The relentless candor of this book combined with her witty patient stories makes for an entertaining read in which, for the first time, I truly felt that I understood what it's like to be a resident. Her account is inspiring, and brightens the light at the end of the tunnel for those of us who place highest priority on both our family and our work.

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Michelle Au started medical school armed only with a surfeit of idealism, a handful of old ER episodes for reference, and some vague notion about "helping people."This Won't Hurt a Bit is the story of how she grew up and became a real doctor.It's a no-holds-barred account of what a modern medical education feels like, from the grim to the ridiculous, from the heartwarming to the obscene. Unlike most medical memoirs, however, this one details the author's struggles to maintain a life outside of the hospital, in the small amount of free time she had to live it. And, after she and her husband have a baby early in both their medical residencies, Au explores the demands of being a parent with those of a physician, two all-consuming jobs in which the lives of others are very literally in her hands.Au's stories range from hilarious to heartbreaking and hit every note in between, proving more than anything that the creation of a new doctor (and a new parent) is far messier, far more uncertain, and far more gratifying than one could ever expect.

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Forgive and Remember: Managing Medical Failure Review

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(More customer reviews)As a medical student at the University of Chicago, Forgive and Remember helped shape my view of what good, caring physicians need to do when policing their own. I am currently on the quality assurance committees at three hospitals where I practice. I am buying several copies of Forgive and Remember for my committee colleagues who have not read this book.
The temptations of money over our patient's best interest, the medical malpractice environment, and the difficulties of practicing medicine in the era of managed care have made it diffuclt for well intentioned physicians to make a difference in the quality of care provided in our communities. I think this book will help me and my colleagues fufill the responsibilities the hospitals and our commununities have given us.
I truly believe all health care providers, attorneys involved with medical malpractice cases, and people interested in the delivery of healthcare need to read this book. It brings into perspective how all health care providers, from surgeons to orderlies, are human and make mistakes. It also shows how some mistakes are hard to forgive. As physicians we have to take this into account while assuring we always keep the interest of all patients, our own and those of other physicians, are well looked after.
I hope that in my local community all people will trust that their health care providers, despite the outcome of their care, did a good, competent job. Everyone alive, including physicians and our families, will someday become a patient.
In life it is important for all of us to learn from our mistakes.

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On its initial publication, Forgive and Remember emerged as the definitive study of the training and lives of young surgeons. Now with an extensive new preface, epilogue, and appendix by the author, reflecting on the changes that have taken place since the book's original publication, this updated second edition of Charles L. Bosk's classic study is as timely as ever.

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A Not Entirely Benign Procedure Review

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(More customer reviews)I am a biology major/ pre-med student at UCLA, though it is through my English class that I found this book. Simply put, this novel made me think. I continuously wondered, "can i handle 'dog dissection'... will I be able to memorize all of the countless facts about all these rare diseases?" An entire section of the book is devoted to bioethical issues, including one essay entitled, "DNR," (do not resuscitate). I began questioning myself, "is it fair to bring someone back just so that they can suffer longer with the same disease?" If you plan on going to medical school, reading this book is a must, and a joy; it is perfect for pre-meds.

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Diagnosis Review

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(More customer reviews)Every patient would love a look inside her physician's head to glimpse that meticulous moment-to-moment process that yields a great--even life-saving--diagnosis. That's exactly what EVERY PATIENT TELLS A STORY does. Bless Dr. Sanders for having the heart, wisdom and eloquence to lay open the M.D. brain for all of us nervous lay people who, at those moments of health crisis, can only pray we've picked a good doc.
It turns out that the things we patients secretly crave from our doctors--eye contact, focused conversation, LISTENING, the reassuring touch of the physician's educated hands on our painful abdomens or dislocated shoulders--are also the most vital tools of a truly great diagnostician. Of course we're grateful for medical technology, but as Dr. Sanders so brilliantly argues, these technical advancements work best when physicians' own powers of observation--and yes, intuition--are also fully engaged.
The last chapter is a dramatic departure from the rest of the book. Here Dr. Sanders tells us a very personal diagnosis story, one involving the untimely death of her younger sister. The gift of such an intimate conclusion reminds the reader of the humane impulse that so clearly motivated its author on every preceding page.

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A Call to Action Review

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(More customer reviews)In "A Call to Action" Pfizer chairman Hank McKinnell makes the observation that the US has a "sick care" system, not a health care system. While the entitites working within this system may be the best at what they do, the lack of a true health care system will continue to impose a growing financial, social, and quality-of-life burden on all. Additionally, the health issues facing the world, such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, are bigger than any one organization can handle.
Through provocative observations and insightful questions, McKinnell creates a framework for the discussion of this crucial issue. The solution can not lie solely upon private enterprise, governments, NGOs, or individuals, but must be achieved through the concerted efforts of all parties, both public and private. The questions raised in this book provide a necessary framework to both get the dialogue going as well as to organize what may otherwise be considered an overwhelming task. Importantly, this industry veteran shows that there is reason to believe the goal is achievable.
Our healthcare system has profound effects throughout every fiber of our society, from the way we live our lives to the taxes we pay to the role of government in providing for a healthful place in which to pursue our dreams. As such, it is important for all concerned citizens to understand the challenges facing the establishment and maintenance of a true health care system.
"A Call to Action" is a surprising, thought-provoking, and ultimately hopeful challenge to establish a true and sustainable health care system. I strongly recommend this to anyone interested in one of the biggest issues facing the US both today and in the future.

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