Matthew Florek 2007-03-01
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I read this one for a med school discussion group. At first I disliked it, feeling like Dr. Ofri was really trumping up Bellvue, how great the hospital is and likewise everyone who works there. However, then she went on to describe her relative incompetence in her medical performance as she transitioned through the end of medical school and residency. At this point in my education, I can relate to her lack of experience and feelings of inadequacy during her training.
This is a great book to read if you are interested in the inner workings of medical education and its impact on patient care, especially if you prefer to read about it via entertaining anecdotes rather than those nasty boring textbooks. A good read for med and pre-med students, as well as those just wanting to eavesdrop on the system of medical education.
This part of the review is by Kristi Florek, Matt's wife:
I also read this book for a class in medical school, like everyone else reviewing this book. I really enjoyed reading it "for fun" even though it was assigned. Each time I read the assigned chapters I had a hard time putting the book down, and read several more chapters. I found the book to be a good sampling of what life as a med student and a resident is like. Sometimes life is hard: days are long and sleepless, patients die, you don't know what to do, you get stuck with a needle, patients and staff are difficult. But sometimes life is great: you diagnose a difficult case, a baby is born, one of your superiors gives you a word of commendation, you feel like you're succeeding at becoming a doctor. It is an up and down world with huge swings of emotion. One thing I really identified with were her feelings of inadequacy, realizing that I am not alone in thinking that I have no idea what I am doing!
Overall, a very good book for anyone with any interest in medicine and medical education.
