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avid_reader_96's review against another edition
4.0
This an enjoyable and informative read. It was at time slow and repetitive but I enjoyed reading it nonetheless. Dr. Ruggieri did a great job of painting a bleak ending for future surgeons but it’s not hard to imagine with the way things are today . I’m grateful for the peek inside the OR that Dr. Ruggieri has provided in his memoir.
benlundns's review against another edition
4.0
This book was so close to being 5 stars and probably would have been up there for me, if I hadn't read "The Night Shift: Real Life In The Heart Of The E.R." first. Dr. Ruggieri does a good job of describing what a surgeons job is in the current medical landscape, at least in the US. He walks briefly through his training and how things have changed and are changing, both for better and for worse as time goes on. Unfortunately, the book turns more and more to complaining, and lamenting these changes as the book goes on. He also has a habit of explaining a change, why that change is a good thing, and then complaining about why he doesn't like it. While he states that he cares about his patients, it seems that care only extends to the point that it doesn't inconvenience him personally.
I understand that you can have multiple facets to your personality, but it is jolting to shift from caring doctor to control freak surgeon every couple of pages. Dr. Ruggieri feels he is one of the old school surgeons (from before mandated 80 hr max work weeks) and feels he is better for it, but fails to sum up a compelling case on why this is. His complaint in the last chapter of not enough new surgeons seems a counterpoint to his desire to return to "the old ways", which would result in fewer doctors, not more. There are arguements to be made for both sides, but Ruggieri's desire to be "the unquestioned king in his domain" of the O.R. doesn't seem to be the best way of solving those problems.
I understand that you can have multiple facets to your personality, but it is jolting to shift from caring doctor to control freak surgeon every couple of pages. Dr. Ruggieri feels he is one of the old school surgeons (from before mandated 80 hr max work weeks) and feels he is better for it, but fails to sum up a compelling case on why this is. His complaint in the last chapter of not enough new surgeons seems a counterpoint to his desire to return to "the old ways", which would result in fewer doctors, not more. There are arguements to be made for both sides, but Ruggieri's desire to be "the unquestioned king in his domain" of the O.R. doesn't seem to be the best way of solving those problems.
terrimarshall's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. An insightful look at the life of a surgeon. Makes you wonder why anyone would choose such a high-stakes profession.
thriller_chick's review against another edition
5.0
LOVED this book so much!
Full review on insta @thriller_chick
NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH
Full review on insta @thriller_chick
NOT FOR THE SQUEAMISH
pjdas1012's review against another edition
2.0
A surgeon writes about his experiences and frustrations with the job.
The author spends some time talking about his memorable patients, which were interesting stories to hear. But he also spent a lot of time hammering home how he thinks surgery is a dying art and how he considers himself a god in the operating room. It was an interesting perspective to hear but did get old after a while.
The author spends some time talking about his memorable patients, which were interesting stories to hear. But he also spent a lot of time hammering home how he thinks surgery is a dying art and how he considers himself a god in the operating room. It was an interesting perspective to hear but did get old after a while.
valwinski's review against another edition
3.0
Not all it’s cracked up to be, still worth the read to form your own opinion
alyssa2012's review against another edition
3.0
This was a great book. I love how Paul Ruggieri was able to take the reader on an unfiltered look into the world of surgeons. Never before seen accounts of how the toll long hours, fear of lawsuits, and difficult surgeries can age and cause mental fatigue of a surgeon. We are also able to see how surgeons of older generations learned their craft and how med students today aren't getting that same quality of training. This was a fantastic book that opened my eyes to so many things. Paul started out as a wide eyed med student and gradually became more beaten down. Insurance companies and fear of malpractice lawsuits are hampering the medical community and some may argue they are making this community worse. Now doctors and surgeons have to worry about so much other stuff other than the actual surgery that we have seen a shift in med students turning away from becoming surgeons. What does this mean for our future? Will there be enough competent surgeons in the future? Will surgeries become automated? What can be done to change this trend?
anastasiyasa's review against another edition
1.0
The author of the book is clearly an egomaniac. God complex aside, throughout the book, he uses female nurses and female doctors as audiences for his egotistic monologues. All conversations he seems to have in this book go something like this: ‘Erin (not Dr. Erin ) what do you think about this complex issue. ‘ ‘I don’t know, Dr. Ruggieri’. ‘well, Erin, let me go on an entire diatribe about this topic while we do this surgery’. ‘Wow, Dr. Ruggieri! You’re so smart. What will we do when you retire?’ ‘ I don’t know, Erin, but my generation is so much better trained than the next generation. And to think the graduating medical students are mostly women nowadays! They won’t want to go into surgery, because women want families’. Nauseating.
wmatamoros's review against another edition
4.0
Factual info and stats with enough stories to keep you turning pages and keep it from drying up. The book ended with a kind of devastating truth of what’s to come thanks to increasing regulations and the slow decrease of physician autonomy
celinbean's review
3.0
This was interesting for me since i work as a surgical nurse in a different country and im still hoping to become a surgeon.
The narrator of this audiobook was the saving grace for this book though if im being honest. The structure of this book was a mess. There were so many repetitions of themes and stories that i was momentarily confused at times when i picked the audiobook up again. Did my phone fuck up and set me back? But no. The author just repeated something from the previous chapter. It was annoying as hell. But again. The narrator has a nice voice and kept me going despite this.
The ending wasn’t a very hopeful one for the american health system but im not that surprised tbh
The narrator of this audiobook was the saving grace for this book though if im being honest. The structure of this book was a mess. There were so many repetitions of themes and stories that i was momentarily confused at times when i picked the audiobook up again. Did my phone fuck up and set me back? But no. The author just repeated something from the previous chapter. It was annoying as hell. But again. The narrator has a nice voice and kept me going despite this.
The ending wasn’t a very hopeful one for the american health system but im not that surprised tbh