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4.41 AVERAGE
4.41 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
fast-paced
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
fast-paced
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
fast-paced
This book is a hilarious, heartbreaking, and out-of-this-world look at the highs and lows of working in the NHS. After reading this, I have the upmost respect for any healthcare professional who compromises their entire life to save the life of a stranger.
Loved the antidotes. They were funny! Not one to read if you a giving birth soon.
dark
funny
inspiring
fast-paced
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
funny
informative
inspiring
fast-paced
challenging
emotional
funny
informative
fast-paced
Would recommend 👍🏻
As it always is with medical nonfiction reads, I can’t say how much someone not in the medical field would enjoy this book. I do think this book sheds light on a lot of the realities of working in a country with free healthcare. While I’m not based in the UK, I see a lot of similarities in the struggles discussed. Needless to say, I felt it was a very worthwhile read.
As someone who has worked in women’s health for a number of years, I really appreciated Adam’s stories. There are some patients you just never forget, especially when you saw them for months on your ward before the end. There are also many deliveries I’ll never forget- some good, many traumatic. It’s upsetting to think that the sad and scary things stick with you more but that’s just the harsh reality of obstetrics.
It’s hard to explain a medical job to people, even harder when it’s in a field most people think is all positive. I would hope no one thinks having a baby is easy, but most people only think about the good outcomes- healthy baby, healthy mom. But in obstetrics, there are so many things that can go wrong every step of the journey and it’s our job as healthcare workers to try to anticipate and prevent those myriad catastrophes. But the reality of the situation is that so many factors are out of our control and sometimes we can only react to the information we have.
I think it was very poignant for Adam to end the book the way he did and I can see how that specific case would’ve changed his trajectory. It’s hard when the highs of your job are so high but then the lows are rock bottom. It’s ever harder when your job takes over your life- it impacts romantic relationships, friendships, your mental and physical wellbeing. It makes it so that when you have a truly devastating outcome, you are no longer able to cope, especially when you aren’t given the time or resources you need.
Healthcare is an essential service. At one point in your life, you will need to access these services. But when the system is broken and there is less and less money going into the system every year, working in healthcare feels like a Sisyphean task. Everyone suffers when healthcare is underfunded, especially the people seeking those services. And if you can’t understand that, read this memoir. It feels impossible to be a drop of water in an ocean of problems.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Death, Gore, Terminal illness, Blood, Grief, Medical trauma, Pregnancy, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Infertility, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Excrement, Vomit