Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at Bellevue (ISBN 0807072524)

personal anecdotes:
Dr Ofri has written a moving account of a resident doctor's personal experiences. Residency program is indeed a trial (and training) by fire which can either melt or strengthen the heart of a novice doctor. Being a doctor myself, I have been to "hell and back" with many of my patients. There are quite a few Dr Sitkins in the world of medicine : humane and highly sensitive doctors hiding behind a facade who snap when the reality of the harsh world and its inequalities,espeically, in life and death situations become unbearable.

anecdotes on medical education:
I read this one for a med school discussion group. At first I disliked it, feeling like Dr. Ofri was really trumping up Bellvue, how great the hospital is and likewise everyone who works there. However, then she went on to describe her relative incompetence in her medical performance as she transitioned through the end of medical school and residency. At this point in my education, I can relate to her lack of experience and feelings of inadequacy during her training. This is a great book to read if you are interested in the inner workings of medical education and its impact on patient care, especially if you prefer to read about it via entertaining anecdotes rather than those nasty boring textbooks. A good read for med and pre-med students, as well as those just wanting to eavesdrop on the system of medical education. This part of the review is by Kristi Florek, Matt's wife: I also read this book for a class in medical school, like everyone else reviewing this book. I really enjoyed reading it "for fun" even though it was assigned. Each time I read the assigned chapters I had a hard time putting the book down, and read several more chapters. I found the book to be a good sampling of what life as a med student and a resident is like. Sometimes life is hard: days are long and sleepless, patients die, you don't know what to do, you get stuck with a needle, patients and staff are difficult. But sometimes life is great: you diagnose a difficult case, a baby is born, one of your superiors gives you a word of commendation, you feel like you're succeeding at becoming a doctor. It is an up and down world with huge swings of emotion. One thing I really identified with were her feelings of inadequacy, realizing that I am not alone in thinking that I have no idea what I am doing! Overall, a very good book for anyone with any interest in medicine and medical education.

Remarkably uplifting book:
Singular Intimacies is a wonderful book, full of thoughtful stories, poingnant observations, and insightful revelations from the author about the nature of medicine, healing and the relationship between doctors and patients. It gives me great hope that Dr. Ofri is a leading light in modern medicine, because she exemplifies an honest and heartfelt approach to caring that is sorely needed in our overly technical healthcare system. Having doctors who are willing to be vulnerable at the same time they are competently sharing their amazing learning with their patients bodes well for the present and future of healing in this country. I encourage anyone interested in the changing of the guard in the medical field, or just interested in great stories from the frontlines of medicine, to read this book.

Not as good as it could be:
I read this book thinking that stories written by a doctor would be fascinating. I honestly got tired of hearing the author talk about crying every 10 minutes and all of her self esteem issues. I wanted to hear more stories and less personal musings. The stories were interesting in their own right, but went on WAY too long. I would have rather had a more brief description of events and more of them. (more about the patients much less whining and agonizing by the author).

A look inside medical training:
How does medicine educate its upcoming doctors? When is it okay to let a medical student to do a procedure? Given a choice would you let a medical student do your surgery? In the big picture, young doctors need experience because they are the future. This is just one of the many issues surrounding medical education and the maturation of young doctors that Ofri tackles. Some stories will move you, others will demystify the aura surrounding doctors, other may make you think twice before going to the doctor. Ofri's humbleness and honesty allow the reader an inside look at the decision making process of a doctor as they go through their training, which is sometimes a marvelous progression of logic and efficiency, and other times a shot in the dark at best. A good quick read for anyone interested in medicine or what medical training is like.