Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Intern Blues : The Timeless Classic About the Making of a Doctor by Robert Marion ISBN: 0-06-093709-2 Publisher: Perennial Pub. Date: 01 September, 2001 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.42 (19 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: A future intern's blues
Comment: Intern Blues, written by Robert Marion, M.D., is a look at the life of doctors fresh from medical school, from the inside. The author asked three interns to record their lives on hand-held tape recorders, compiled the recordings, and offered commentary on their experiences. This exercise is meant to give the reader an understanding of the process of becoming a doctor. The interns Amy, Andy, and Mark begin the year enthused and excited to be finally working with patients of their very own. They explain the work they are doing, their interactions with their superiors, the staff and their patients, and their personal relationships. The interns are eager to learn the skills an independent doctor must possess. The internships start off in a positive light; however, their experiences quickly become much less positive. Through the remainder of the book, their observations and outlook on life become almost entirely negative. All three characters have lost their ability to socially interact, feel deprived of time with their families, and have no knowledge of anything that happens outside of the hospital. Despite their grim outlook on life, the reader can see their skills and abilities progress quite dramatically. They are transformed from timid students, unwilling to act without supervision, to competent doctors capable of supervising others. The conversion is quite impressive. The author ends the book by questioning the worth of the intern year. He leaves it to the reader to weigh the benefits and the drawbacks and to come to his or her own personal decision. I don not believe this is meant to challenge the entire medical teaching process, but rather ask each individual reader to fully understand what a doctor must give up inside of themselves in order to achieve their goal. My main criticism of the book is that the characters primarily record only when really bad things happen, thus there are very few positive events, and even fewer neutral events. So the reader is not sure if all of the internship is truly this horrible, or if only the truly horrible things are recorded. I have a feeling that if a third party had followed each character and recorded ALL the events, the picture would be significantly less bleak. I hope that is true, seeing as in two years, I will be an intern myself. This is a good book for anyone interested in becoming a doctor, or interested in understanding better the sacrifices one must make along the journey to becoming a doctor; Although it should be taken with a grain of salt. The characters all mention that if they knew how bad the internship would be, they never would have done it. However, as the book is closing, amnesia sets in, and upon reflection, they all concede that it "may" have been worth it. In any event, they all choose to continue their training. At first glance, this book appeared to be filled with the whining of interns. Upon further inspection, it is an interesting commentary on the experiences that young doctors have as they gain the skills and confidence needed in the field of medicine.
Rating: 3
Summary: Can it be this bad?
Comment: This was the third medical education book I read this spring as part of a medical school course (2nd year). For some reason, I liked this book much more than "Becoming a Doctor" by Melvin Konner (too analytical and removed) and "House of God" by Samuel Shem (too much shock for the sake of shock). The Intern Blues introduced three interns who were probably typical. As a parent, I empathized with Amy and felt she was getting screwed for being a parent and a woman- but somehow she was still so unlikeable- I can't imagine she can still be practicing medicine with such an anti-everything attitude. Andy seemed like a great intern, but by the fifth time he broke down in tears during the first few chapters I was ready to see him jump off a building. Mark was great- I am a firm believer in using sarcasm to keep you sane. Prior to reading this book I told people I was trying to do well in classes so I didn't end up in the Bronx for my residency. Since this sounds like a high powered and competetive program, I'm tempted to tank my boards just so I DON'T end up in the Bronx. I must say, that my impression from people I've talked to is that things may be slightly better these days than they were in 1985. Let's hope so.
Rating: 4
Summary: 20 years old but still a great read
Comment: If you're entering medicine now you won't have to deal with 36 hour shift (thank goodness!) but it is very interesting to read about three interns who did in the mid-80's. One even had a two month baby going and was three months pregnant by the time she finished!
This isn't an uplifting book by an stretch, but if you're interested in medicine you won't get bored.
 |
Title: The House of God : The Classic Novel of Life and Death in an American Hospital by M.D. Samuel Shem ISBN: 0385337388 Publisher: Dell Pub. Date: 01 July, 2003 List Price(USD): $11.95 |
 |
Title: First, Do No Harm by Lisa Belkin ISBN: 044922290X Publisher: Fawcett Books Pub. Date: 02 March, 1994 List Price(USD): $6.99 |
 |
Title: Becoming a Doctor: A Journey of Initiation in Medical School by Melvin, Md. Konner, Melvin J. Konner ISBN: 0140111166 Publisher: Penguin USA (Paper) Pub. Date: July, 1988 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
 |
Title: A Not Entirely Benign Procedure: Four Years As a Medical Student by Perri Klass ISBN: 0452272580 Publisher: Plume Pub. Date: July, 1994 List Price(USD): $14.00 |
 |
Title: Kill As Few Patients As Possible by Oscar London ISBN: 089815197X Publisher: Ten Speed Press Pub. Date: May, 1987 List Price(USD): $9.95 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
