My Review of "The Real Doctor"

Matt McCarthy's The Real Doctor Will See You Shortly:  A Physician's First Year is a wonderfully funny (even if the humor is a bit dark) memoir, that continues much of what Matt began in his Odd Man Out: A Year on the Mound With a Minor League Misfit. 

Two weeks out of Harvard Medical School, and fueled by a cocktail of adrenaline and coffee, McCarthy recounts what it's like to be an idealistic novice who's thrown into the deep end of a bustling hospital.  Working primarily in the cardiac care unit, but dipping his toes into other areas, his days are as varied as sorting through a patient's fecal matter looking for smuggled drugs, or poking and prodding a dying woman until he can find a vein for her IV.

But there's tragedy, too.  Worn down by long hours and his failure to connect with patients on a personal level, McCarthy makes his share of rookie mistakes.

But in the end this memoir is a confirmation of McCarthy's main belief:  "Amazing things happen here".

The humor often comes at McCarthy's expense.  But The Real Doctor is a real treat -- filled with stories that keep the reader turning pages.

I received a free copy of this book as part of the Blogging for Books program in exchange for my honest review here.