Customer Reviews

The Making of a Surgeon in the 21st Century

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Medical memoirs have become a popular genre. Most are quite revealing as to the virtual hell a four to five year resident must experience to become a qualified practitioner. The resident surgeon's experience has to be the most hellish in terms of the amount of hours worked, (100 hour weeks) the pressure brought to bear from the attending staff, sometimes extremely sadistic, abrasive and demeaning, not to mention the continuos mental strain from lack of sleep and the stress on the residents family, some families, unfortunately, disintegrate at some point along the way. Craig Miller's book clearly expresses all these things, however it is the spirit in which he communicates these experiences that makes his memoir worthwhile reading.

A better word would be a colourful account of his experiences as a resident. He not only explains the program in easy to comprehend prose, it is his anecdotes, describing the many characters that make-up this world that is entertaining as well as intriguing. About halfway through the text, I wondered if he had changed the names of the attending staff, nurses, and fellow surgeons that he profiles, because his characterizations are really, for the most part, quite scathing. In some cases the descriptions bordered on the libellous, smelling a legal suit some time in the future. However I'm sure his editors took this into consideration before publication. I certainly hope so.

The most revealing and educational part of the book was Miller's explanation of the standard step-by-step procedure (the Advanced Trauma Life Support protocols) when working in the ER, the initial steps of trauma management. Interestingly it is broken down simply so that the attending staff do not have to "think", but sequentially run through this procedure of "A is for Airway, B is for Breathing, C is for circulation, D is for Disability and E is for exposure." (P. 207) Miller is extremely annoyed how TV dramas as well as `reality' documentaries give the wrong impression to add to the pathos. In fact the ATLS protocols, following the A, B, C, D, E standard procedure avoids the chaos, ensuring the best for the trauma victim. This section of the text was extremely informative.

By the end of Miller's Chief Residency, he had the confidence and the confidence of his teachers to forge on alone, and realized he had truly become a surgeon. Having read the book in an afternoon, his writing was such that I felt his relief and sense of accomplishment by the end of his five-year residency. This has to be one of the most difficult and gruelling training out of all the professions, physically, intellectually and emotionally. In the Epilogue, Miller expresses his ambivalence about the current residency system in terms of its viciousness and amazing effectiveness in producing top-notch surgeons. The system hasn't changed since the 19th century. The process certainly takes its toll but for a price and is the price worth it?

A recommended read for anyone interested in the education of a surgeon.

The world of surgical training has changed tremendously over the past few years. As little as 5 years ago, the rule in surgical residency training was 110-120 hour-work weeks and even some rotations demanded 24 hour in-house coverage for several weeks at a time. This "old school" period is brilliantly narrated by William A. Nolen in "The Making of a Surgeon", but today's reality, significantly different, was captured splendidly by Dr. Miller.

Dr. Miller comes through with what feels like a natural follow-up of Dr. Nolen's work. There are interesting comparisons of several features of our current training as opposed to that of Dr. Nolen's era.

This book was very entertaining, critical and even funny. Suitable for both the non-health system related reader, as well as medical students and residents as a way of comparing our own training. Dr. Miller managed to explain technical terms in a very simple and short fashion that doesn't interrupt his rhythm even for the expert surgical readers.

I highly recommend this book particularly to medical students contemplating a surgical career. If you don't find yourself laughing at Miller's humor, then surgery might not be your most suitable future!

The Making Of A Surgeon In The 21st Century is the memoir of medical research award-winning career surgeon Craig A. Miller, M.D., and presents the unvarnished true story of what it is like to train as an extreme specialist. Presenting a world of gruelling 100-hour work weeks, gallows humor, harsh realities, and severe pressure at every turn with human lives literally hanging in the balance, The Making Of A Surgeon In The 21st Century is an absolute "must-read" for anyone seeking to better understand the world of surgery and the people who perform it, as well as a taste advised for those considering this demanding career path - so that they can better know the challenges they will confront.

As an applicant and medical student, I was instructed to read "Gifted Hands" (Ben Carson) and "House of God." This is much better. As the author is churned through the residency machinery, he meets a seemingly endless number of extreme personalities and situations. His experiences reminded me about the difficult choices in medicine and the humanity behind them.

It is a poignant and up-to-date book with lots of entertaining stories and valuable medical information. I highly recommend it!

Amazing, is all I can say. It's like a diary of hell, that makes you laugh. I'm in the medical field, and everything in this book is absolutely real. I genuinely couldn't put it down. If you want to know what REALLY goes on inside a hospital, this is the book for you.

The Making of a Surgeon in the 21st Century is an honest account of the challenges and satisfaction that many surgeons-in-training could relate to. He explains what surgeons go through in easy to understand language and probably it would be a worthwhile read for the families of surgeons-in-training to give them insight and understanding of the process. Dr Miller is not a particularly entertaining writer - certainly not in the same league as Atul Gawande - but that is possibly one of the things that make the experiences seem more genuine.

For the most part, I really enjoyed this book. It's well written and is an interesting account of the author's experiences in his training to become a surgeon. I've read a lot of these kinds of books and while most doctors have good stories to tell, not all of them are particularly good writers. I would say that Dr. Miller is a pretty decent writer. The text flows easily and his stories are entertaining.

What I don't like is his attitutde toward nurses. On more than one occassion, he calls them "bitches." He apparently had some negative encounters with nurses and therefore seems to group them all into this category. In discussing pediatric nurses, he mentions how nurses believe they need to be patient advocates which he disagrees with. He actually says that they should not be advocates but rather simply caregivers. In other words, just shut up and do what the doctors tell you. He apparently doesn't like nurses descibing themselves as patient advocates because this because it implies that the patients have something they need to be protected from (i.e. the doctors) which he seems to take offense to. I personally feel that nurses should be advocates in addition to caregivers and that sometimes patients do need protection, someone who is looking out for their best needs.

Granted, what I have just said may not accurately describe his true feelings about nurses in general, but it is the impression that he gives in the book. Other then that, it's a great read for anyone in the medical field or a layperson (like myself) who just enjoys reading these kinds of books.

As a layperson, I was hesitant to read this book. I was expecting a medical treatise that was about as interesting as watching a tree grow. I was wrong. Dr. Miller captured my attention on page one and I was truly disappointed to reach the end of the book. He explained medical terms and procedures at a level any layperson could understand. The grueling hours of a surgical residency and toll it takes on personal lives left me with a greater appreciation of what it takes to be a surgeon. The anecdotal details of the residency made me laugh and brought tears to my eyes. I would highly recommend this book to any genre of reader.

Dr. Miller describes in clear cut detail the huge challenges faced by surgeons in training today. Between the arrogance and explosive personalities of the house staff, the cut-throat competitiveness of the residency program and the dreaded weekly M&M conferences, the author presents a stress-filled world that only a chosen few could endure. A great read for anyone interested in medicine.

I agree........this book was very factual and intertaining at the same time. I liked his style of writing and felt like he was right beside me, speaking about his experiences. I cheered in the end. The brutal years that he went through in his training came to a perfect end with the roast! He finally got "his day"!