Rezension

A must read for physicians and other medical professionals

Also Human - Caroline Elton

Also Human
von Caroline Elton

Bewertet mit 4 Sternen

Dr Caroline Elton is an occupational psychologist specializing in physicians and dentists. She had the unique opportunity to shadow a number of different medical teams in their daily work, and has worked with a large number of physicians during her career. Thus, she is very well qualified to write about this topic. I don't think her book is much suited for the general public, but should be a must read for physicians.

"We take it on trust that the doctor is up to the task, and doesn't feel tired or overwhelmed. We rarely consider whether the doctor (...) is terrified of accidentally hurting us. We simply assume that if they are relatively junior, there will be a senior clinician somewhere nearby to answer their questions and ensure that they're doing their job correctly. (...)"

Elton touches on a number of issues that doctors face today, including getting through Med school, starting work as a junior doctor,
unpreparedness, exhaustion, lack of support, working long hours, leaving the field of medicine and more. I especially enjoyed the first part of the book, as Elton reminded me of lots of experiences I went through in my early career, and still go through. The second part got a bit more difficult to read through as it was more dry, but still enjoyable. Elton mentions a number of resources (books and studies) which sound like interesting reads, but unfortunately the ebook did not include a reference list. This is definitely something I'd recommend for later editions. I would recommend this to every physician and med students becoming junior doctors. As Elton closes, "Perhaps in 150 years' time, society will recognize that, whilst the demands of the job are exceptional, the person inhabiting the role of the doctor is, just like their patients, also human."