The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly: A Physician's First Year, gives an intimate, first-hand view of Dr Matt McCarthy's hectic, stressful, heartbreaking, sleep-deprived, exciting first year of internship at a New York hospital. Rather than just being an outside observer, this book takes the reader inside the entire process, and inside the author's head. When he experiences fear and elation and utter exhaustion, we experience it right along with him.
I have always been fascinated with the field of health care, so I picked up this book with great anticipation. It gripped me so completely right from the start that I ended up finishing it over the course of just a couple of days (a couple of days that ironically included an unplanned trip to the Emergency Room)
What I loved the most about McCarthy's story is its honesty. He truly held nothing back. It was raw and beautiful and scary, and so perfectly captured the roller coaster of emotions he faced as he was thrust into that fast-paced and often unforgiving environment of learning as he went along. I laughed and I winced and I cringed.
I feel like I have a deeper understanding of a bit of what doctors go through in their early years, but beyond that I have a stronger appreciation for the human side of doctors as well.... from their remorse at their mistakes, to the euphoria of their first saved life, to the heartbreak of their first lost life, to the bittersweet connections they make with so many of the people who come through their doors.
This was simply a wonderfully written, fast-paced, moving, and often very funny read.
*I received this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.*
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