This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

I purchased this book as a juxtaposition to a very "deep" book illustrating a need to balance storylines and not get too high or low, but to have options to redirect my focus. Well, I had no idea this comedic writing would be so deeply moving and sad, and at times, simply tragic. I thoroughly enjoyed Mr. Kay's depiction of the daily grind, the unparalleled sacrifices made to a healthcare provider's personal life, and the perceived glamor of it all. It is often that those who don't experience it firsthand have a skewed view of the reality, and after reading this book, it feels as if I should go apologize and thank many healthcare personnel. I am very sorry that it ended this way for him but also thankful he's found an outlet to embrace the experience and educate the public. It is a very good book that's easy to read and difficult to put aside!

I enjoyed reading this recounting of what it’s like to be a Dr. I knew it was hard, but this book opened my eyes to a lot of things I never imagined. I loved the humor and sarcasm used since it so closely matches my own. Some of the stories were shocking in revealing what strange or awful things people will do to themselves. Be prepared for some off the wall, yet totally believable stories about patients. Several are pretty gross though fascinating nonetheless. The author was easy to relate to even though I gave no medical background whatsoever. The prose is well written in an every man’s voice. At least we see that America has no solitary ownership of mistreating the doctors that we depend on for our very lives. Sad state of affairs there. I do recommend the book though you might need a strong stomach to read several all too descriptive passages.

A truly enjoyable, sometimes hilarious, and always informative read. One caveat, though, regarding the Kindle version: The book has dozens and dozens of footnotes, most explaining or further explaining medical terms and often adding importantly details to the story. But in the kindle version, they all are at the back of the book, making it somewhere between awkward and impossible to read them as you go along. Each footnote, no matter its length, takes up a whole page. That means that the actual book ended at 88 %, making it more than abrupt for anyone used to books going until around 98 or 99 %. I read some of the footnotes, but they were no longer attachable to the reference in the body of the book. So this does subtract from the enjoyment of this otherwise entertaining book. I didn't want to subtract a star based on this structural problem.

Wonderful book. Adam Kay is good writer, but sounds like an even better doctor. What a loss! My daughter is a pregnant Obstetrics resident. Not sure if this would make her even more proud of the profession she has chosen, or worry more about the difficulties of pregnancy. It would be nice if everyone knew how hard a profession this was. And that pregnancy is not easy for many women. But again, separate from those issues, it is a very well written book. And well worth the read.

First of all, read the footnotes. I'm a little OCD, so when I see an asterisk, I always have to click it so I don't miss anything. But THESE footnotes...yes, you will miss some great humor (and if you don't have a medical background you'll learn something too) if you skip the footnotes. I really appreciated this book. I enjoyed each story. I enjoyed the sense of humor. I enjoyed how well written this is. I enjoyed how real and honest this was. I learned quite a bit I didn't know about the NHS. (I'm from the USA.) I just flat out enjoyed every bit of this book. If I could give this more than 5 stars I would. Wonderful read!

A laugh out loud book as well as a peek into the unusual private habits of the human race. I have seen similar things while working in Law Enforcement. 50% of people are just stupid or weird. This guy is a saint. A good read in any case. Government health care turns good doctors into slaves and allows bad ones to have job security. Do you want to have surgery from a person who has been awake for 30 hours straight? Not me. This would have been a four star if it had not been for the medical jargon and British colloquial phrases. The Doctor included a lot of numbered notations that are in the back of the book. However, with an Kindle book you know how impossible that is to go back and forth without losing your place.

A lot of humor amidst personal struggle to maintain oneself and keep going. I'm a retired ER nurse. I enjoyed the humor re the human condition, but not that it was primarily OB/GYN--just too narrowly focused for me. I have no idea how a non-medical person would receive this book, but it has great reviews from the same. My general impression: Lots of humor. Lots of personal stress of the author--very justified stress from loss of all kinds. And then a sudden, heart-wrenching conclusion. The author warns us at the beginning that he left the field. Still, after so much humor, the conclusion was jarring. Perhaps because there was no forewarning--no thoughts of leaving prior to it happening. And, after all the humor, the sudden ending of disaster leaves the reader searching for an overall emotion to ascribe to the read. The ending makes the book something 360 degrees different than what I thought I was spending hours reading. It's a good book, I'm just not sure whom I'd recommend it to.

I haven't finished it yet, but I'm enjoying "This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor" so much that I feel duty bound to tell the world about how hilarious this book is so that more can share in the pleasure. I am 70% of the way through, and I only started it yesterday. I'm finding it difficult to put down despite having many other things that I really should be doing instead. I can see myself reading it again and dipping back into it whenever I need a good laugh. What's so funny? The endless stream of eye-opening and gob-smacking anecdotes from this expressive former doctor with the ability to appreciate , communicate and magnify the humour in the many crazy situations in which he, his colleagues and patients find themselves. However funny it is, it doesn't fail to convey a very real and sometimes heart-wrenching side to life as a junior doctor, as well as the flaws and wonders of the NHS in equal measure. The only downsides to this book for me are that sometimes it over-simplifies and pokes fun at some things that are close to my heart. I can excuse that because of how funny it is. The many long footnotes rather annoyed me when I first started reading because of how disjointed they made it, but I soon adjusted to that as I realised that some of the funniest and most interesting nuggets were contained in them. I can also excuse the annoying way it jumps around as a result of being a diary. Never have I laughed so hard. My eyes were so full of tears I could not read on at one point, and I was cackling and squealing so hysterically that my 8-year-old son came in to check I was OK. I don’t think you can really beat that!