Ten years ago I was being trained as a respiratory therapist at the University of Virginia. A preceptor presented this book to me. With obnoxious hubris, I turned my nose toward other avenues of learnin, YouTube, google and Facebook groups. A decade later I picked up Dr. Marion’s collected journals and immediately faced myself. All the missed opportunities I must of had, not having read this book. A must read for anyone considering the medical field. It’ll bring you closer to the struggles interns face and lets face it, interns and residents are the backbones of our medical world.

I’ve always considered doctors to be generally uppity people, especially the men, with a few actual humans sprinkled among them. Now that time has passed I’ve seen a lot more down-to-earth specimens, and I think a lot of it has to do with the changes in medicine since about the late 90s. Almost everyone has an education now; a doctor can’t talk down to anyone since he assumes everyone around him/her is an idiot.
I also have a deeper respect even for the snobby ones now since like many people, I assumed a doctor’s life was incredibly easy, just telling underlings what to do while raking in cash. I’ve worked as a file clerk in a medical office for the past year, though, and even being that far separated from the medical profession itself has given me a glimpse of needy patients ALWAYS wanting more from their doctors and getting called out of a Christmas dinner because your one patient who is non-compliant with any medication just had a heart attack and says it’s your fault and you need to fix it.
This book has only furthered that understanding. It seems doctors walk away from the interning experience with two kinds of egos: the one who is convinced that he or she has earned their “stripes” long ago, come to know that they know everything, and sees themselves worthy of non-stop behind-kissing; and the one who is humbled and a little frightened by the whole experience with the realization that they will never be as perfect as they’d like. The first type of ego is definitely Amy’s. She seems to think the whole world should revolve around what she wants, can do no wrong, and is the kind of person who would grudge someone a $1 loan while endlessly griping about how no one will lend her fifty bucks – basically constantly complaining that no one ever does anything for her while not really giving any evidence that she’s done anything for anyone else. She’s got a real bad sense of entitlement as a parent and a person. Andy is the opposite. He truly struggles with simply admitting that sometimes he has no idea what to do. His cases overwhelm and humble him, even make him completely break down. He goes through the whole miserable experience with a genuine understanding of the humanity among and within him. Mark is somewhere in between, coming off as sometimes hard and uncaring until he loses his confidence and aches terribly after a perceived failure.
My job and this book have given me an idea of the medical profession – the medical life – that I’ve never quite considered before. It’s an eye-opener. My mother is a long- and hard-working nurse who gave me stories of the kind of hell she went through, but up until now, I never really KNEW. I still don’t, but at least I’ve got a fair idea of it.

This book is simply funny. I bought the book to help me in my mid-career crisis. I am currently and Emergency Department nurse and I was feeling bored in my job. After reading this book I had to laugh and appreciate the views of the interns. Interns in the ER are funny and procedure crazy. The “pain and Agony” each of them experiences is very descriptive. If you are looking into a career in medicine it is definitely a must read. I realized that I can’t see myself taking a step back and doing “scut” and re-learning a new frame of mind. The plus side though, when a new intern is the area I make sure I help them out. I recommend this book for anyone.

Love the insight in this book. Perfect book for those high school graduates thinking of pursuing a career as a doctor.

Tells all about what you go thru as a brand new doctor in training. Essential for those interested in medical school. But, beware if you’re overly sensitive – it can be shocking in places – well worth the read. I bought it for my granddaughter who has since decided NOT to be a doctor…

Great book! It’s frightening that it is all true—mistakes happen when new interns are expected to make life and death decisions after working 36 hrs non-stop! The “July Syndrome” is real!

I enjoyed every moment of reading this book. Such an eye opener to what first year interns go through. I thought it was so well written I was actually sad that it ended. It left me wondering what every happened to the doctors and if they continued with their profession. This is definitely a book every person who is thinking about becoming a doctor should read. I really enjoyed it and at times I found I couldn’t put it down.

I read this book after reading House of God and Mount Misery. Same topic, very different voice(s). At times this book was tiresome, at times I couldn’t put it down. Things have changed a whole lot since 1985 in the world of interns, but there are still alot of things I couldn’t believe I heard someone else complaining about besides me! Worth reading but feel free to skip ahead a few chapters if your’e getting bored.