Intern Blues [Mass Market Paperback]

Robert Marion M.D. (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 1, 1990

The intern year is the toughest time in a doctor's life. Literally a baptism by fire, internship must turn the average green medical school graduate into a seasoned physician. The typical intern is deprived of sleep, confronted with all manner of human misery, and, at least temporarily, driven slightly insane.

Robert Marion was ten years out of his own internship, and supervising a small group of pediatric interns at a major New York medical center, when he asked three of them to keep careful diaries of their impressions over the course of a year.

It is the testimony of these three interns -- Andy, Mark, and Amy -- that forms the core of this book: their real-life lessons in treating very sick children, confronting child abuse and the awful human impact of the AIDS epidemic, skirting the indifference of the hospital bureaucracy, overcoming their own fears, insecurities, and constant fatigue. Their stories are harrowing and often funny, their personal triumphs unforgettable.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

A New York pediatric geneticist, Marion ( Born Too Soon ) bases this thought-provoking, informative account of internship on diaries kept by three pediatric interns, two men and a woman, whose adviser he was at an unidentified hospital. They recall their transformation into experienced physicians, their initial panic, depression and doubts about the profession, their chronic exhaustion and the disruption of their personal lives. They dealt with often-fatal accidents and illness; with fetus-like premature infants and babies infected with AIDS; pregnant, disturbed, drug-addicted or VD-infected teenagers and hysterical, abusive parents; and often-hostile staff members. They criticize the internship program's applicant selection and assignment procedures and rotation system, and the long shifts which they aver adversely affect the intern's efficiency and judgment. At year's end, they mostly express relief that their internships are over.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Using the diary entries of three interns at a medical teaching facility in New York City, the author depicts the rite of passage from self-doubt, frustration, anxiety, and immaturity to personal and professional growth that occurs during the first year of post-graduate medicine. Interspersed throughout are the author's own entries, which provide background information on the interns, medical techniques and advances, hospital organization and politics, and proposed changes in medical education. The diary format effectively dramatizes the often agonizing decisions and compromises that are made in the face of sleepless nights and inexperience. This will be an important book for anyone contemplating the long, arduous task of becoming a doctor. Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
- Erna Chamberlain, SUNY at Binghamton Lib.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Fawcett (July 1, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0449218988
• ISBN-13: 978-0449218983
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (36 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,868,107 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A hauntingly accurate representation of internship, February 22, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Intern Blues (Mass Market Paperback)

During medical school I was given "The Intern Blues" by a friend (we were both interested in pediatrics). I could not believe that what was in the book really happened, because the problems and stresses appeared to be impossible for anyone to undertake. During my internship in pediatrics, however, I reread the book and was amazed to find that it was 100% factual, from the patient AND physician standpoint. As a Chief Resident in pediatrics as a teaching hospital I have recommended it to the interns, to let them know that what they are experiencing is not unusual, and that they are not alone. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in medicine (especially pediatrics), and for the families of medical students and residents, as it can help them understand the many personality and life style changes that accompany internship and residency. This book is a MUST READ for anyone contemplating pediatric residency.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A future intern's blues, June 27, 2000

By 

Katie Donohoe (Duluth,MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Intern Blues (Mass Market Paperback)

Intern Blues, written by Robert Marion, M.D., is a look at the life of doctors fresh from medical school, from the inside. The author asked three interns to record their lives on hand-held tape recorders, compiled the recordings, and offered commentary on their experiences. This exercise is meant to give the reader an understanding of the process of becoming a doctor. The interns Amy, Andy, and Mark begin the year enthused and excited to be finally working with patients of their very own. They explain the work they are doing, their interactions with their superiors, the staff and their patients, and their personal relationships. The interns are eager to learn the skills an independent doctor must possess. The internships start off in a positive light; however, their experiences quickly become much less positive. Through the remainder of the book, their observations and outlook on life become almost entirely negative. All three characters have lost their ability to socially interact, feel deprived of time with their families, and have no knowledge of anything that happens outside of the hospital. Despite their grim outlook on life, the reader can see their skills and abilities progress quite dramatically. They are transformed from timid students, unwilling to act without supervision, to competent doctors capable of supervising others. The conversion is quite impressive. The author ends the book by questioning the worth of the intern year. He leaves it to the reader to weigh the benefits and the drawbacks and to come to his or her own personal decision. I don not believe this is meant to challenge the entire medical teaching process, but rather ask each individual reader to fully understand what a doctor must give up inside of themselves in order to achieve their goal. My main criticism of the book is that the characters primarily record only when really bad things happen, thus there are very few positive events, and even fewer neutral events. So the reader is not sure if all of the internship is truly this horrible, or if only the truly horrible things are recorded. I have a feeling that if a third party had followed each character and recorded ALL the events, the picture would be significantly less bleak. I hope that is true, seeing as in two years, I will be an intern myself. This is a good book for anyone interested in becoming a doctor, or interested in understanding better the sacrifices one must make along the journey to becoming a doctor; Although it should be taken with a grain of salt. The characters all mention that if they knew how bad the internship would be, they never would have done it. However, as the book is closing, amnesia sets in, and upon reflection, they all concede that it "may" have been worth it. In any event, they all choose to continue their training. At first glance, this book appeared to be filled with the whining of interns. Upon further inspection, it is an interesting commentary on the experiences that young doctors have as they gain the skills and confidence needed in the field of medicine.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars powerful account, August 24, 2005

By 

Patricia B. Christian (Buffalo, New York) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Intern Blues: The Timeless Classic About the Making of a Doctor (Paperback)

A powerful account of the first year of internship of three young doctors, you will not forget the stories and experiences recounted in this book. The parts written by the Robert Marion are especially good at placing the accounts in context, and updating the information. Even though these diaries were kept in the mid-1980 and both regulations covering interns' working conditions and medical practice have changed, these emotional toll of internship remains the same.