Sign in with Facebook
Loading...
Confessions of a GP
Benjamin Daniels is angry. He is frustrated, confused, baffled, and quite frequently, very funny. He is also a general practitioner. These are his confessions. A woman troubled by pornographic dreams about Tom Jones. An 80 year-old man who can't remember why he's come to see the doctor. A woman with a common cold demanding (but not receiving) antibiotics. A man with a sore...more
Paperback, 327 pages
Published
August 12th 2010
by HarperCollins UK
(first published January 1st 2010)
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
This book is not yet featured on Listopia.
Add this book to your favorite list »
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
1,616)
Visiting the doctor can be a nerve-wracking business and so, even without ever having had to have a consultation about a condition that would qualify me for Embarrassing Bodies, I tend to prefer to think of my GP as some sort of living embodiment of medical knowledge rather than a regular person who is baffled by my boils or is counting down the minutes until lunch break. With this in mind, I probably wasn’t the idea audience for a book which is very much about the human face of the medical prof...more
I went through a bit of a phase reading these true life occupation-based memoir-style books a while back, and I must have picked this one up at the time. I remember it was very popular in the Amazon Kindle charts for a while but I’ve only just got round to reading it.
It’s quite short, very interesting, and most importantly – not too negative. It’s so easy for these types of books to be depressing, particularly the ones from people in a difficult job. The government troubles and NHS politics can...more
It’s quite short, very interesting, and most importantly – not too negative. It’s so easy for these types of books to be depressing, particularly the ones from people in a difficult job. The government troubles and NHS politics can...more
Jun 16, 2012
Lottie
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Healthcare Workers
Recommended to Lottie by:
My mother (who is also a nurse)
I liked this book, although I do admit to skipping a couple of chapters here and there but then this isn't usually my genre of book (and this explains the three, rather than four star rating). Dr Daniels' experiences opened my eyes to the work that our GPs do and raised my opinion of those working within this field and the complexities they face. I think it is a book that can easily be used as a bit of light (sometimes comical) reading and be put to one side half way through it. As a hospital wo...more
I was struggling between rating this three and four stars, so it would be a 3.5 star rating.
I was eager to read this book as I worked as a Doctor’s Receptionist for several years; I thought it would be good to see it from the Doctors perspective. I think I should write a book from the receptionist’s point of view, I have many a tale there.....
Well this book is very amusing! I was sat on the train and had to stifle a few laughs. I thought the short chapters because it kept each section short and...more
I was eager to read this book as I worked as a Doctor’s Receptionist for several years; I thought it would be good to see it from the Doctors perspective. I think I should write a book from the receptionist’s point of view, I have many a tale there.....
Well this book is very amusing! I was sat on the train and had to stifle a few laughs. I thought the short chapters because it kept each section short and...more
I do like a good, reality-based laugh and whilst not explicitly marketed as humour, with a blurb stating the book is very funny and when linked with books such as Trust Me, I’m a (Junior) Doctor, the reader would be justified in expecting a good few laughs. Unfortunately this is where the book was disappointing, there were a few humorous stories, a patient having pornographic dreams about Tom Jones, to name one, but there was an overall lack of humour. Perhaps my expectations were unrealistic, b...more
I loved the idea of reading Confessions of a GP. It screamed ‘funny’ and ‘interesting’ and it isn’t everyday you come across a book on this subject. When I picked up the book for a great price on the Kindle, I started to read it right away, I wanted to know what secrets the author was willing to divulge to me.
There are a few chapters that are real gems and they are sure to make you gasp, put your hand to your mouth in shock, make you want to read snippets aloud to anyone who will listen as well...more
There are a few chapters that are real gems and they are sure to make you gasp, put your hand to your mouth in shock, make you want to read snippets aloud to anyone who will listen as well...more
As a nurse who has a good supply of humorous work-stories, I downloaded this book onto my Kindle in order to see the medic's side of life. "Confessions of a GP" are presented in short case studies; some comic, some political, and some where you feel the author is warning the reader against bothering doctors too much. To be honest, I was a little disappointed as I had expected more of a GP equivalent of a James Herriot type of book.
At about half-way through, I began to get a little bored with al...more
At about half-way through, I began to get a little bored with al...more
I'm not sure what to say about this one really. I found some parts of the book really interesting in relation to some of the things that people go to see the Dr about, and it intrigued me that some go just to talk and then when their 10 mins is up they just get up and walk out. I did find him quite patronising in places though, especially when he mentioned something that I had been to the Dr's about and then laughed about the patient. The language is a bit strong in places and I don't know why b...more
2 likes · like · see review
view 1 comment
This book wasn't exactly what I expected. What I had thought would be a fiction-like story encapsulating Dr. Benjamin's experiences as a doctor in England, turned out to be more like a collection of very short essays, with no connection between them and no logical flow. That said, most of the individual stories were interesting, if only for a better insight into the life of a GP. I did learn more about the workings of the NHS, and was amused by some of the patient anecdotes. It wasn't a bad read...more
I had a new Kindle for Christmas and therefore had to find a book immediately to read on it. After quickly linking to the Amazon Kindle best-sellers listings I noticed this book and thought it sounded interesting.
I really enjoyed this book. It is written well and the GP who wrote it didn't hold back on mentioning anything about his patients and some the interesting cases he has had to deal with. Also his opinions on the current state of the NHS are very interesting to see from a doctors point of...more
I really enjoyed this book. It is written well and the GP who wrote it didn't hold back on mentioning anything about his patients and some the interesting cases he has had to deal with. Also his opinions on the current state of the NHS are very interesting to see from a doctors point of...more
I thought this was a great book for a medical enthusiast like myself. I have never ever wanted to become a GP and this book confirms that. It is well written and funny at times but I found Confessions of A Male Nurse hilarious and continually funny. Although Dr Daniels' patients are all very different and their cases individual, the job of a GP still didn't appeal. I think it may be because they sit in an office and see the same people over and over again. Anyway, enough of my personal career is...more
At the risk of sounding old and crusty, Daniels wrote this after only 3 years (I think he said) in General Practice. This gives him the advantage of looking at the job with fresh eyes and seeing things as funny which are going to become mundane before too much longer. There were a few cringe-worthy moments, (as you would expect in a book with the word "confessions" in the title) and some of the supposedly funny stories are pretty hackneyed, but by and large he treats his subjects with respect, a...more
As I work in healthcare like the author, I jumped at the opportunity to get some insight into the life of a GP...
The book is very funny and interesting in parts but it's main problem is that it's a bit all over the place. Just seems like random stories have been collected together and cobbled together for the book.
"Dr Daniels" seems like a decent enough Dr. Certainly he comes across as very caring and passionate about is job in some chapters. Then you will read another chapter, (The chapter on F...more
The book is very funny and interesting in parts but it's main problem is that it's a bit all over the place. Just seems like random stories have been collected together and cobbled together for the book.
"Dr Daniels" seems like a decent enough Dr. Certainly he comes across as very caring and passionate about is job in some chapters. Then you will read another chapter, (The chapter on F...more
What I loved, was how normal this doctor seemed. I loved although obviously don't condone the fact that he was slightly hungover doing ward rounds. I loved the fact that he took a tiny bit of pleasure in his Sunday league team losing when he's away. I loved the fact that he was desperate to get down the pubs with his mates on a Friday.
The book made me laugh, it made me sad. It made me angry, it gave me hope. It also made me slightly hypochondriacal (Don't think that's a word!).
Most of all, it...more
The book made me laugh, it made me sad. It made me angry, it gave me hope. It also made me slightly hypochondriacal (Don't think that's a word!).
Most of all, it...more
Ben Daniels is a young GP who's already amassed a wealth of experience in the NHS, despite the fact that he hasn't been in the job all that long. In his time he's worked in various hospital departments, and at the time of writing this he was working as a GP/locum, while also doing a few shifts in A&E.
The book is divided into lots of short chapters which each focus on a different aspect of Dr Daniels' job. Many of them are concerned with a particular favourite patient, in others he talks abo...more
The book is divided into lots of short chapters which each focus on a different aspect of Dr Daniels' job. Many of them are concerned with a particular favourite patient, in others he talks abo...more
This is one of those type of books that digital-only publishing has become famous for. If it was in hard copy, it would be a paperback that you wouldn't want to pay too much for and would be perfect holiday reading. That isn't to say that it is valueless or badly written, because it isn't. I mean it in the politest possible way in that without self e-publishing, it might never have seen light of day and that would have been a shame.
In essence it is a book of anecdotes, poignant tales of medical...more
In essence it is a book of anecdotes, poignant tales of medical...more
I recently started managing a GP surgery catering solely for homeless patients. Part of my remit is keeping track of 2 GPs (both 10+ years older than me) and decided this book would be fine fodder for me to try and get into their mindset.
The first few lines of the very first chapter had me nodding in furious approval and agreement. It seems that slightly mad, batty, odd patients are littering all GP surgeries in the UK and not just mine. In fact, I was so surprised by the similarities that I se...more
The first few lines of the very first chapter had me nodding in furious approval and agreement. It seems that slightly mad, batty, odd patients are littering all GP surgeries in the UK and not just mine. In fact, I was so surprised by the similarities that I se...more
This book was a break from the normal kind of stuff that I read. Whilst it was generally entertaining it struggled a bit as there was no real flow to it. However, it worked as a collected store of amusing anecdotes. I guess though, that we are all often guilty of forgetting that doctors are human too and this book helps the reader to remember that. There are some really good phrases and descriptions and Dr Daniels writes in an amusing style which helps. So, for a literary detour it amused me for...more
Read this on kindle for ipad as it was 99p and this months book group choice. I really liked it. It was quite political in it's approach which I liked but I also liked the GP's ramblings of how to try and help people when often it wasn't medical help they needed. I'm fortunate enough to be quite healthy and virtually never see a Doctor but can just imagine from his descriptions how he spends his day and the kind of people he helps. Wouldn't choose this myself but glad I read it.
It was a fantastic read. I could relate to many thing stated here, though am not a GP associated with the British NHS. This collection of anectdotes from the life of a GP is written by a currently practicing GP under a pseudonym. All the stories were thought provoking, and most were funny, more the so because it was not intentionally evoked humor. I read this book within a day or so and would recommend this to all in the medical profession. Non medical persons may find it a bit difficult to comp...more
A very witty book full of short tales of life as an NHS GP which are apparently true. Very interesting if you live in the UK, it answered a few of my questions about how GP's work and how the NHS do things. It's not all funny stories about people getting things stuck in awkward places, some of them are sad, some give you the shivers and there are a few that are just general rants about the politics of being a GP (blah blah blah) which you can skip past if you're bored. It's more a collection of...more
This book offers a very interesting insight into the experiences of a GP dealing with a range of patients and situations from daily life. Some parts are light-hearted and amusing, while others are quite moving or simply eye-opening. The author seems to show an admirable balance of humour, realism, and compassion.
I very much enjoyed reading this, and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates a chance to see how the world looks from a different angle.
I very much enjoyed reading this, and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates a chance to see how the world looks from a different angle.
This book offers a very interesting insight into the experiences of a GP dealing with a range of patients and situations from daily life. Some parts are light-hearted and amusing, while others are quite moving or simply eye-opening. The author seems to show an admirable balance of humour, realism, and compassion.
I very much enjoyed reading this, and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates a chance to see how the world looks from a different angle.
I very much enjoyed reading this, and would recommend it to anyone who appreciates a chance to see how the world looks from a different angle.
First book read on my Kindle!!!
It was ok, I was glas to be able to download it for 99p becasue I don't think I would have been happy paying the £8.99 for it.
Basically it is a collection of tales from a young GP. It has no flow to it and you leap from one subject to the next. Although it does contain some amusing ditties on patients he has encountered along the way, nothing really made me laugh out loud and I was quite glad to get to the end.
It was ok, I was glas to be able to download it for 99p becasue I don't think I would have been happy paying the £8.99 for it.
Basically it is a collection of tales from a young GP. It has no flow to it and you leap from one subject to the next. Although it does contain some amusing ditties on patients he has encountered along the way, nothing really made me laugh out loud and I was quite glad to get to the end.
Gloriously entertaining at the start, however, it gets a bit boring towards the end.
An insightful documentation of the mundane, everyday life of a GP. Filled with funny anecdotes and serious "Eye Openers" into what seems to be an alarmingly DULL life.
A little biased against the working class "sick note" society (he should bear in mind that no work for these people often means no pay), but over all a funny, light hearted read.
An insightful documentation of the mundane, everyday life of a GP. Filled with funny anecdotes and serious "Eye Openers" into what seems to be an alarmingly DULL life.
A little biased against the working class "sick note" society (he should bear in mind that no work for these people often means no pay), but over all a funny, light hearted read.
This book allows you to get into the head of a GP to find what he really thinks of being a doctor and it seems he gives a very unadulterated account of how it is.
Yes he comes across as opinionated, if he didn't there would be no basis of this book.
It is easy to read and requires no great concentration but it does give you an interesting view into the head of a doctor.
Funny at times, truthful but perhaps hard to swallow at other times.
Yes he comes across as opinionated, if he didn't there would be no basis of this book.
It is easy to read and requires no great concentration but it does give you an interesting view into the head of a doctor.
Funny at times, truthful but perhaps hard to swallow at other times.
This book started off so promisingly funny but then I found I started to lose interest and in the end only finished reading it because I had paid for it. The opening chapters are funny causing me to laugh out loud however it then goes onto more serious issues like targets and money and I found myself rapidly losing interest and skipping chapters. It doesnt have much flow to it either which i found rather distracting/
As someone who worked in a GP surgery, and still is in the nhs I really looked forward to reading this. It was very good, I liked the small snippets of stories - would have loved more but I guess the worry would be saying so much that you breach confidentiality!
Good book to dip in and out of.
Especially liked the story of the inexperienced wife worried about the white discharge after sex :)
Good book to dip in and out of.
Especially liked the story of the inexperienced wife worried about the white discharge after sex :)
Mar 09, 2012
Dee
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
kindle-ebooks,
non-fiction
It's taken me almost 2 days to read this book, and I found it absolutly hilarious at times.
Downloaded it from kindle for 99p, a bargain.
I started it yesterday when I was in the waiting room at the hospital while my OH was having tests done. The others in the waiting room must have thought me mad as I kept giggling to myself reading some of the very comical stories.
I'd recommend this.
Dee x
Downloaded it from kindle for 99p, a bargain.
I started it yesterday when I was in the waiting room at the hospital while my OH was having tests done. The others in the waiting room must have thought me mad as I kept giggling to myself reading some of the very comical stories.
I'd recommend this.
Dee x
I have just shelved this book. If I had a paper copy I would have thrown it away. The authors callous & desensitized language towards some of his patients and colleagues appalled me, in particular his admission that he "wasn't sure he would have the emotional strength to hack the arm off a dead baby at three in the morning." in the chapter 'Africa'. Shame on him.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“I hate it when this happens. You meet someone you think is nice enough and they turn out to be a raging bigot. It’s so much easier to hate racists when they fulfil my expectation of being all-round arseholes.”
—
3 people liked it
“Regardless of the country it is practised in, most of hospital medicine is painting over the cracks rather than fixing the wall.”
—
2 people liked it
More quotes…
