Customer Reviews

The Intern Blues: The Timeless Classic About the Making of a Doctor

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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.

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.

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.

I am currently finishing my pediatric residency at a large, urban academic center. I agree that we may not have to work the 36 hour shifts as described in this book (post 2003 federal legislation), but I've done many a 30 hour shift on no sleep at all, and could very much relate to the fears, anxieties, and stresses of being an intern. I recommend this book to all my non-medical friends and family as a real-life look into a turning point in a young doctor's education.

This is a great book for the family, friends, and loved ones of those who are about to embark on the dreaded one-year internship. Marion acknowledges the book is aimed more for this type of audience, as a way to explain the stresses, strains, fears, and lives of interns.

The only downside to the book is that the book isn't nearly as "journal-like" as I would've preferred, and the reader does, after time, get a bit bored with the constant "I'm so tired" and "Why do the nurses hate me" comments continually made by all 3 interns. We also never hear from the significant others and family members of the interns, and these accounts might've helped make the accounts more lively and 3-dimensional.

Potential readers should also be warned that the interns survived programs prior to the recent attempts to overhaul and humanize internships, so the accounts may be somewhat outdated.

Still, a great look into the training of our physicians. It is especially interesting to read the brief updates as to where the interns wound up in their lives and careers.

This book, as it states in the introduction, is a good book for spouses, friends, and family to read. It will give them an idea of what we will go through and the immense demands on our time. It is true that legislative changes have been made since these interns went through the experiences they chronicled; however, it is still an exhaustive process.
It is too bad that the book did not also go through the preclinical experiences of these three. Or maybe that's a good thing! I recommend reading it and passing it around the family, as well.

This book is simply funny. I bought the book to help me in my mid-career crisis. I am currently and Emergency Department nurse and I was feeling bored in my job. After reading this book I had to laugh and appreciate the views of the interns. Interns in the ER are funny and procedure crazy. The "pain and Agony" each of them experiences is very descriptive. If you are looking into a career in medicine it is definitely a must read. I realized that I can't see myself taking a step back and doing "scut" and re-learning a new frame of mind. The plus side though, when a new intern is the area I make sure I help them out. I recommend this book for anyone.

I'll preface this review by saying my knowledge of the medical profession is minimal at best. However, Marion's book was among the best I've read in a long time. The story of how three interns struggle to make it throught a year is emotionally draining and exhilarating at the same time. Marion does an excellent job of describing all medical terms and summarizing the stress that the interns are going through. After having read this book I have a greater respect and understanding of what current doctors go through to get to their positions. "The Intern Blues" is well worth reading for doctors and non-doctors alike.

This was the third medical education book I read this spring as part of a medical school course (2nd year). For some reason, I liked this book much more than "Becoming a Doctor" by Melvin Konner (too analytical and removed) and "House of God" by Samuel Shem (too much shock for the sake of shock). The Intern Blues introduced three interns who were probably typical. As a parent, I empathized with Amy and felt she was getting screwed for being a parent and a woman- but somehow she was still so unlikeable- I can't imagine she can still be practicing medicine with such an anti-everything attitude. Andy seemed like a great intern, but by the fifth time he broke down in tears during the first few chapters I was ready to see him jump off a building. Mark was great- I am a firm believer in using sarcasm to keep you sane. Prior to reading this book I told people I was trying to do well in classes so I didn't end up in the Bronx for my residency. Since this sounds like a high powered and competetive program, I'm tempted to tank my boards just so I DON'T end up in the Bronx. I must say, that my impression from people I've talked to is that things may be slightly better these days than they were in 1985. Let's hope so.

I read this book after reading House of God and Mount Misery. Same topic, very different voice(s). At times this book was tiresome, at times I couldn't put it down. Things have changed a whole lot since 1985 in the world of interns, but there are still alot of things I couldn't believe I heard someone else complaining about besides me! Worth reading but feel free to skip ahead a few chapters if your'e getting bored.