Residents: The Perils and Promise of Educating Young Doctors [Hardcover]

David Ewing Duncan (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 10, 1996

An expose+a7 of the nation's medical training programs looks at the lives of overburdened medical residents and the intense life-and-death situations they must handle and concludes with a call for radical, life-saving reform. 20,000 first printing. Tour.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Duncan spent four years observing, and sometimes living among, residents in more than a dozen U.S. hospitals. He saw dosages mixed up, drugs given that shouldn't have been, procedures put off for days because a resident forgot or was too busy, and horrific, life-endangering incidents that might never have occurred with proper supervision. He met overworked, pushed-to-the-edge residents everywhere, many suffering severe sleep deprivation, overwhelmed by a system that uses errors as a training tool and purposely places young physicians with minimal training in complex, intense situations. All those he interviewed spent at least 20% of their time-and often 70%-at such basic tasks as finding clean sheets and starting intravenous drips without backup support. Suicides and suicide attempts were shockingly frequent among residents. Duncan (Hernando de Soto) has written a chilling expose that should be read at all hospitals and medical schools. His proposed reforms, including protected sleep time, hands-on teaching, tighter supervision and caps on the number of hospital admissions, seem eminently sensible.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Being a physician is a privilege, but how that privilege is earned is an issue for educational theory and practice that is now being bitterly contested. Nowhere is this more evident than in the training of interns and residents. From William Osler and Abraham Flexner to recent events such as the Libby Zion case (see Natalie Robins's The Girl Who Died Twice, LJ 8/95) and the New York State Bell Commission, reformers have confronted traditionalists in an idealistic struggle. Duncan, a journalist and author married to a pediatrician, has gathered a riveting collection of facts and stories and fairly presented all sides of this vital and complex issue. Advocates of a "total immersion" residency program that they claim has produced the best doctors in the world are challenged by those who are convinced that residency programs are unduly harsh and leave new doctors scarred and burnt out at the beginning of their careers. Of fundamental concern is the question of how severely rigorous and demanding residency programs put patient care at risk by allowing inexperienced residents to learn the art of medicine on real people. Duncan's presentation of the powerful tension in medicine between differing pedagogic ideals is highly recommended for medical school libraries and other medical collections.?James Swanton, Harlem Hosp. Lib., New York
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 304 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; 1st edition (June 10, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 068419709X
• ISBN-13: 978-0684197098
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,830,070 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Trials and Tribulations of Medical Residency Training, April 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Residents: The Perils and Promise of Educating Young Doctors (Hardcover)

Residents : The Perils and Promise of Educating Young Doctors gives a very true-to-life description of the often overworked and abused physician in training. When I read this book I was at the end of a very frustrating political battle in my own residency training which ended sadly with my moving into another field where I could still make use of my medical knowledge and training. In the book there are cases which sadly paralleled my own experience. The most positive aspect of this book is that it can make everyone aware of this often abusive training system which has a very powerful impact on medical training in this country and which ultimately effects everyone's health care. It is important for everyone to know what goes on in teaching hospitals and this book is both informative and very readable. It is unfortunate that it is currently out-of-print since it is important reading for anyone who is concerned about the health care system. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in the field of health care or who cares about those who may need the services of a physician both now and in the future. It is a must read!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars What an eye-opener!!, May 8, 2002

By 

"hnbabe2004" (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Residents: The Perils and Promise of Educating Young Doctors (Hardcover)

I am a fourteen-year-old who someday wants to become a doctor, but until I read this book I honestly had no idea what the medical residency entailed. Although Residents did not discourage me from my dream, it definitely opened my eyes to what I will be facing in less than ten years. However, I feel that this book is also of interest to people who do not have any interest in a medical career, simply because when it's estimated that 100,000 people die every year because of doctors' errors, it's obvious that this issue affects more than just the small percentage of the population going through residency training. A definite five-star read.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Better than NBC's ER!, February 1, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: Residents: The Perils and Promise of Educating Young Doctors (Hardcover)

David Duncan's exploration of the life of residents was fascinating and frightening. I couldn't put the book down. He really made me think twice about the current educational system for Doctors in this country. I can't wait to read another of Mr. Duncan's explorations! Amy Kemp ([e-mail]