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

This book was simply incredible. The writing is funny, witty and sarcastic. The book gives you a real sense of all of the positives and negatives of being a junior doctor, along with a sense that you are really getting to know Adam as he was when he was practicing. Kay's writing is a triumph, and one of the best things I have ever had the privilege to read.

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olivia_21's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring lighthearted reflective sad fast-paced

5.0

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mxss_winterfell's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative lighthearted medium-paced

5.0

An important book that manages to highlight the situation the NHS are in (which has only grown worse since publication) and talk about the real struggles and challenges of being a junior doctor in a funny yet informative way. With witty remarks and pithy comments throughout, Adam Kay's writing makes it easy to read through such a serious book in one sitting.

To anyone who uses, has used, or knows of the NHS service, I would recommend reading this book.

P.S. Grab a little thank you card or gift for your care team after your next hospital stay; goodness knows the government won't thank them

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abipyne's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative sad fast-paced

5.0

I absolutely loved this book. “This Is Going To Hurt” was a brilliant and incredibly important read. With a rollercoaster-fast pace and Kay’s fantastic dry wit and blunt writing, this book had me laughing out loud and welling-up from minute to minute.

Reading this in 2023 and having witness the UK government constituently undermine the NHS and belittle the unimaginable experiences of its staff throughout the Covid-19 pandemic and beyond, this book is even more relevant now than when it was first published in 2017.

In the UK we are very quick to turn our noses up at the prospect of nurses and doctors advocating for better pay or working conditions. This is as a consequence of a bizarre and backwards notion that healthcare is not a profession but some sort of ethereal calling and so all workers should shoulder any hardships and bare them like a sort of martyr. As such, when staff do advocate for better treatment they are painted as selfish; placing their own needs in front of the needs of their patients. For anyone still struggling to feel compassion for our striking NHS workers, I prescribe them this book and a long hard look in the mirror.

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anastasiak's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional funny hopeful informative sad fast-paced

5.0

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rubyrosereads_'s review against another edition

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dark emotional funny informative fast-paced

5.0

“So I told them the truth: the hours are terrible, the pay is terrible, the conditions are terrible, you’re underappreciated, unsupported, disrespected and frequently physically endangered. But there’s no better job in the world.”

Wow, what a phenomenal memoir. This is Adam Kay’s collection of diary entries from his years working as an obstetrician and gynaecologist in the severely underfunded and underresourced NHS.

“The money is utterly out of step with the level of responsibility you have - literally life and death decisions”

For something that covers some severely dark experiences in the workplace, it was hilarious and entertaining. Adam Kay’s humour is on every page and I found myself laughing out loud every time I picked this up. The footnotes explaining the terminology and procedures were really helpful for someone from a non health background.

Another stark reminder of the conditions and abuse that healthcare workers put up with yet continue to show up to their job. My partner is a paramedic and I have so much respect for the tireless work he does, often working long shifts without meal breaks and then ending up on overtime.

“You work yourself to exhaustion, pushing yourself beyond what could be reasonably expected of you, and end up constantly feeling like you don’t know what you’re doing.”

If you like dark humour and are intrigued by the inner workings of healthcare, give this one a read. I also recommend the dramatised tv series on Stan.

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aliced's review against another edition

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dark informative medium-paced

2.5

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