How Not to Be a Doctor: And Other Essays
£8.70£9.50 (-8%)
Drawn from his popular medical columns over the years, John Launer shares fifty of his best-loved essays, covering topics from essentials skills they don t teach you in medical school to his poignant account of being a patient himself as he received treatment for a life-threatening illness.
Taken together, the stories make the case that being a doctor should mean drawing on every aspect of yourself, your interests and your experiences no matter how remote they seem from the medical task at hand.
How Not to Be a Doctor combines humour, candour and the human touch to inform and entertain readers on both ends of the stethoscope.
***PRAISE FOR HOW NOT TO BE A DOCTOR***
An essential read… It is a gem Dr. Fiona Moss, CBE, Dean of the Royal Society of Medicine
This collection is warm, wise, generous, thoughtful and thought-provoking… imbued with a moving humanity which offers inspiration and reassurance in equal measure Dr. Deborah Bowman, MBE, BBC Broadcaster and Professor of Medical Ethics and Law
‘Witty and wise. Shows how important it is that doctors are allowed to be human’ Kit Wharton, author of Emergency Admissions: Memoirs of an Ambulance Driver
An all-round excellent book, which would appeal to a wide range of healthcare professionals and students… a light-hearted way of looking at serious subjects BMA Panel of Judges
‘I raced through this book, laughing, nodding, highlighting and then read some favourite bits again. Every chapter has a gem of wisdom as well as being so very elegantly written and entertaining’ Jenny Rogers, Co-Author of Coaching for Health
Bursting with wonder and wisdom, this seductively readable book imparts courage and joy in equal measure Dr. Iona Heath, CBE. Former President, Royal College of General Practitioners and author of The Mystery of General Practice
Gets to the heart and soul of current medical practice. Written by a doctor, but incorporates life experience and wisdom, making it an easy, thought provoking read Professor Jane Dacre, President of the Royal College of Physicians
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Additional information
| Publisher | Duckworth (8 Aug. 2019) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Paperback | 256 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 0715653369 |
| ISBN-13 | 978-0715653364 |
| Dimensions | 12.9 x 19.8 cm |
by soovey
Was recommended this as a result of a nightmarish overnight stay at my local hospital in 2022, which felt as if I’d descended into one of the circles of Hell. This helped me gain perspective . Would recommend.
by Mary
John Launer is my kind of practitioner. After 40 years working as a nurse then midwife in the NHS, his stories resonate with me- intelligent discernment coupled with a humanitarian/wholistic relationship and therapeutic use of humour, his observations are spot on. Wish there were more like him. Took my kindle out for lunch and sat contentedly, alternately chuckling then sighing at his compassionate storytelling. Thank you.
by Celestine
Quite a dull read, which was disappointing as I’ve been to several of John Launers courses. This felt as though he had a few interesting things to say and then just padded out the rest of the book with waffle.
by Kevin
Worth reading
by Lucy
I love this book. Full of easy-to-digest thoughtful and very interesting musings and experiences based on the questions of what should make a kind and effective GP.
I pick it up and read through parts of it again — because one always gets something out of it.
I bought it for a friend as well and it was equally appreciated.
by Ian Tindall
The book its author and foreword writer were recommended and it is very enjoyable
by HJA
Having been stuck on a train for almost three hours tonight I took refuge in my latest ibook, and spent the most enjoyable and informative time I could imagine! I love the way John writes, enjoy the comments on story and language (as an English graduate and former teacher of English) but also laughed aloud, smiled and frowned at the variety of comments on medicine and doctors. John easily inhabits a rare world between art and science, drawing on philosophical and psychological perspectives of medicine, all the while (I feel) gently challenging and yet being understanding of colleagues and their various foibles. As an outside observer of many of these foibles, yet (I hope) a supporter of those who possess them, I feel he frequently express in these articles thoughts I have had when working with medics. John’s ability to draw on his own experiences and his rich knowledge outside of medicine in such an eloquent way, whilst being entertaining and educational, is quite magical. I intend to keep this book on my iPad and read and re read it frequently; I hope to be able to use it to inform my work and will recommend it to my masters students.
Now I must get back to it…..I have not devoured a book so voraciously for quite a while! Thank you!
by I Shaw
This book may sound dry in its blurb… essays are not as cool as say “ex doctors tells it like it is” (why “this is going to hurt ” has been so popular, and justly so) But it’s fascinating. And extremely easy to read. They are short essays, each has a straight forward focus on one thing and at the end you are torn between what’s next and reflecting on what you read for a day. Insight into why Drs behave they way they do, helps humanize them for those of us who are not. As a patient I have feared the dismissal they have of context for my symptoms, so I tend to avoid them, but now I see how it’s a coping strategy and one I can break through if I change my behaviour. I work with doctors and find the consultant attitude of “I’m right, others just need to do it my way” arrogant and undermining of my expertise. This window into how so many Doctors become like that so with a bit of thought I can adopt better coping strategies (for me) and handling strategies so together we are more likely to achieve our goals.
If you have read “This is going to hurt” and the “language of kindness” then this make it a great trilogy to shape understanding of why your medic behaves as they do.