Customer Reviews

Becoming a Doctor: A Journey of Initiation in Medical School

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(5)

 

 

By the time I had read about 1/2 of this book, I realized that the same thought kept occurring to me over and over....'Konner is writing about everything that I despise in medicine and medical education'. Everything he said and every story he told simply reinforced the old stereotypes of big hospitals, residents, and medical students.

Thankfully, my experience with medical education thus far is not representative of what Konner is writing about, which is what enabled me to take the things he said with a grain of salt and remember that I was only reading his opinion. He writes well and I found his stories entertaining and engaging, even if they were a bit discouraging at times. I appreciated his comments regarding being upset that patient care did not always seem to be a top priority of those he was working with, and that this bothered him. It is true that this book may be eye-opening and a little taste of reality for anyone anticipating a career in medicine, however, it is important to remember that his is experience is not necessarily universal.

I was also turned off by the arrogant, self-promoting approach that Konner took to presenting this information. He certainly took advantage of this public forum to promote himself and remind all of his readers of his accomplishments and how he smart he is (as though I cared that he applied to 18 medical schools including Columbia, Cornell, Yale, Harvard, etc.).

In the end, I actually think that reading this book was a valuable experience. Although I have written about disagreeing with Konner, and not appreciating some of the things he has to say, there are things to be gained from having read his stories. It is valuable to be reminded that in spite of my idealism, the embodiment of the negative stereotypes still exist and I will most likely run into them and have to deal with them in the not-so-distant future. It is also important for me to be reminded that I can be thankful for a positive experience in my medical education to date, and to be able to explain to others that not all of medicine is as Konner reports it to be. I will do everything in my power, both now and in the future, to be a catalyst of positive change regarding issues in medicine that continue to frustrate students and professionals in this field.

Konner does a good job balancing the intricate details of his third year in medical school with the broader meaning of medicine from his well-learned sociological and anthropological perspective in "Becoming a Doctor". He lets you in on the medical "culture" that arises from the intensive year of training--the language used by doctors and students (see the Glossary of House Officer Slang), the sleepless nights in the hospitals, the life and death decisions/actions that take place. I highly recommend this book to someone who is looking into a career in medicine. It provides insight into the different areas of medicine, including Emergency, Obstetrics, Pediatrics, Psychiatry, Neurology, Surgery. But more importantly it probably provides a realistic peek into western medicine so that prospective students do not necessarily enter medical school bright-eyed and bushy-tailed!

I will fall into the camp of reviewers who found this book to be insightful and valuable. People who see Konner as arrogant, pompous, and overly critical of the medical field are missing the point. It is Konner's prior experience as an anthropologist that allows him to analyze the social and cultural dynamics of medical workers. I don't know where Konner's arrogance is being perceived. Konner certainly judges actions and deeds according to his own values, but those values are neither elitism or pomposity, but empathy and humanism.

The premise of the book is such: at Harvard Medical School, the "best" in the country, one should receive the finest medical education and be exposed to medicine at its best. Read the book and find out what it's really like.

This book does have a few redeeming qualities; it has some excellent descriptions of the different rotations (although the medical info itself is about 20 years out of date), a useful glossary of "House Officer Slang", and goes into detail about the "ugly underbelly" of medical rotations... residents who spend their time mocking patients behind their backs, etc... but I had to fight my growing disgust of Dr. Konner, and my basic dislike of his personality, to finish the book.

His arrogance oozes from the pages, even as he attempts to paint a portrait of himself as a humbled by his experiences. He tells the reader how firmly he believes in the equality of women, while panting over a gorgeous 15 year old girl, whom he fervently hopes will show up in his exam room. In fact, he spends much more time discussing the various female patients he finds himself attracted to, than he spends discussing his small family. I really wanted to hear more about his attempts to balance a family and young children with the hectic pace of medical school, than about his rampant hormones.

In short, if you want to read the book, check your local library. It does have useful discription of clinical experience, if you ignore Dr. Konner's often ludicrous, outdated asides. But, if you are looking for a GOOD book on medical school, written by an insightful doctor, with more recent medical info, read "White Coat: Becoming a Doctor at Harvard Medical School" by Ellen Lerner.

This book was an excellent read. I am a pre-medical student, and Dr. Konner gave me a realistic view of the medical field and medical school. I have talked with and shadowed doctors, and their sentiments and observations closely match his. His views on what makes a good doctor influenced the way I feel about my future profession. I would recommend this book to any considering a career in medicine.

I hate to say it, but this book just annoyed the heck out of me. I found Dr. Konner to be smug and arrogant, and was irritated by his repeated observations that it was his "mission" to write this book and let the world know what the medical profession was really like.

I'll be the first to admit that medicine isn't perfect, but I don't consider it necessary to subject a reader to every detail of my medical training. This book was much too long, and in my opinion rather boring. If you want a book about the emotions and experiences of medical training, I have two recommendations. The first is Rotations, by Robert Marion. The second is the timeless classic House of God by Sam Shem.

Dr. Konner meant well, I assume. His memoirs are interesting to read, but they seemed to gloss over the true feelings experienced by third and fourth year medical students. His self confidence oozes from the pages ("I only applied to the 'best' schools, and you should know that I AM a PhD"). If he were my classmate, he would have been despised by the other students and residents.

I've been through the whole works so the book was a little read to me as things are familiar. First, it really hit home on some chapters especially the surgical rotations. But as you read further and further into the work, I feel that the author has little positive things to say about medicine in general. Maybe he just want to bring up all the negative aspect of the field so that we are aware of the problem and address it. On the other hand, every rotations in the book has the author been [angry] about this or that resident or attending. I begin to wonder if Dr. Konner's attidude contributed to it. It doesn't go well for one's ego being advance in age and having to take orders from residents who are much younger then yourself. If you read inbetween the lines he does some brown-nosing himself.
I recommend this book for anyone who is in the process of deciding whether to go into medicine (but leaning towards the "no" side).

Although I did enjoy portions of this book, I was also particularly annoyed at his constant misogynistic tone -- women, be they patients or fellow physicians -- are often first described physically, with particular note paid to their attractiveness. It seems that Konner clearly believes he is superior to many of his co-workers, as he repeatedly interrupts the medical narrative to mention his status in the anthropological field. This isn't a terrible book, but it certainly isn't a book I'd recommend to very many people.

This is an especially good book for any non-traditional medical school prospects. If you're going to be doing your clerkships in your thirties you'll identity with Mr. Konner. And for those just interested in learning more about medical school, you could do a lot worse than this book.