Customer Reviews

The Most Unfeeling Doctor in the World and Other True Tales From the Emergency Room

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This is a great collection of essays in the vein of Montaigne--a personal reaction to the world, which leads to a reflection on larger issues.

Yuan-Innes is funny, witty, dry, and compassionate. She's harder on herself than anyone, and the essays are by turns wry, reflective, and startlingly poignant.

A window into the realities, joys, frustrations, and contradictions of Canadian medical training and practice.

I purchased this wonderful book on my Kindle at the end of a tour of China.
It was not a cliche` medical thriller, thank God.
Dr. Yuan included realistic stories about her relationships and challenges as an emergency room
physician. She talked about endless hours of paperwork and care of medical problems with low acuity,
punctuated by moments of stark terror. I am a retired doctor and enjoyed this reflection on my own experiences. I
especially enjoy her comparison of modern western medicine with traditional Chinese healing.
This is a quick read but packed with gems about the rewards and challenges of a dedicated young physician.

I really enjoyed these stories. Sometimes I was laughing out loud. Even in a very different medical field, I identified a lot with the author and what she has to go through. I think that it might not be half as entertaining for people not in a medical background.

I purchased this book in hopes of reading more about the bizarre true tales of patient/doctor interactions in the ER. What I got was a book that was a collection of essays--not many involving patients. These essays included-what snacks I typically pack for my shift, finding time for my family, and how I manage my personal finances. I don't mean to insensitive--but I really don't care. This is not why I bought this book. Also--WARNING--only half of this book is dedicated to the titled book--the other half is a fictional "preview" of this authors new book. What a waste. If I am only going to buy half of a crappy book--then only charge me half the price. Don't charge me for crappy advertising of an upcoming book. This book is such a disappointment. I want my money back, if only to burn it.

This has to be one of the worst books I've ever read. It has almost no content about this Drs. intaction with her patients. It's nothing more than a rambling essay. I'm assuming this was a self-published book, if not, then whoever told this woman she was a writer did both her, & anyone who buys this, a great disservice. I would give it a lower rating if it were possible.

I find this book quite enjoyable. Not to the point of unable-to-put-down level (I actually forgot I bought it at some point), but it's pretty light and give quite a bit insight into a medic's life. One important lesson I learn from the book is that doctors are humans who can get tired too.

Anyways, I've read the previous reviews before and one said it might not be very funny for people with no medical background. I agree with the reviewer. A lot of phrases are very medical and I had to stop reading occasionally trying to figure out what they are (Kindle's Oxford dictionary is very useful). I never actually laugh while reading it, but medics might, if they're reading it. The only part I can fully connect with is the 'Type A/Type B' people.

It's also true that a considerable part of the bought book is review for the author's romance novel, which I didn't read completely.

This book is okay but it could have been better. The stories had great potential but often fell short of what I expected. As a nurse, I have experienced some very bizarre family situations and unusual patient scenarios. I was hoping to find a kindred spirit when I purchased this book. I found some of the stories to be amusing but most left me feeling blah. I remember thinking "and you're telling me this why?..." at the end of some of them. It didn't capture my interest and my involvement as much as I anticipated it would.

Nice first effort....

I love reading all these true story medical books. This one was pretty decent. It was a pretty fast read and took me under a day to get through.

To read this book, you have to have a medical background (which I do) because a lot of the terms in this book would not translate over to the lay person. I stopped reading about half way through the book because it just was not what I had expected.

I knew I would like this book the instant I read the words: "Whenever I meet new people who are not doctors and I mention that I work in an emergency room, they usually say: 1. Are you a nurse?" As a nurse of many, many years, including intensive care where I experienced much of what is related in this book, I so enjoyed the light-hearted tone and humor. We need more of this in medical literature. Kudos!