The Real Life of a Surgeon: Candid Stories Along the Path from Student to Veteran Doctor

by Arthur W. Perry

The first time you have to deliver bad news to a family. The ""routine"" surgery that was anything but. That risk you took on the operating table that saved a coding patient. Every practicing surgeon has stories like these. From med student to intern to practicing specialist, Real Life of a Surgeon traces the careers of these skilled professionals. With the risky nature of surgery, so much can be at stake, and emotions often run high. How do you tell a mother that her child didn't survive his surgery? When do you go against conventional wisdom to save a life? Because they see surgeons much more rarely than their usual doctors, people often perceive surgeons as remote figures, and tend to associate them with bad medical news. This anthology features first-person narratives from the students and doctors who have devoted their careers to this path, and offers an unblinking look at daily life in the field. Other books in the Kaplan Doctors series will focus on internal medicine, psychiatry, oncology, geriatrics, and pediatrics, the most prominent specialties today.

Genres: Medical, Medicine, Nonfiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

Reviews

[Ifedayo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Short stories written by surgeons. Pretty plastic surgery heavy. Which makes sense given the editor. An interesting read.

[Josiah · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my first deep book of this year, I read The Real Life of a Surgeon by Arthur W. Perry. This book is a collection of stories from multiple surgeons and was collected and written by Arthur W. Perry. This makes it hard to describe the life of the author, so I’m just going to focus on the collector of these stories, Arthur W. Perry. Arthur W. Perry is a Cosmetic Plastic Surgeon who specializes in “Helping Women to Look Their Best”. Dr. Perry’s interest in plastic surgery dates to his earliest years in medical school at The Albany Medical College of Union University. After graduation in 1981, he interned in Beth Israel Hospital at Harvard Medical School, where he was also later a resident in surgery. In 1984-85, he was a Clinical Fellow in burn surgery at New York Hospital at Cornell University Medical Center, followed by a residency (serving as chief resident) in plastic and reconstructive surgery at the University of Chicago. He was later a Fellow in Aesthetic Surgery at Baker-Gordon Associates in Miami, where he trained with the renowned plastic surgeons Dr. Thomas Baker and Dr. Howard Gordon. Throughout his career Dr. Perry has done many great things for everyone he has gotten the privilege of working on. All of his patients leave positive reviews and encourage others to see him as well.

In this book, there are a total of 23 stories, each one told by a different surgeon. Each author tells a different story about their professions and experiences. Each of the experiences was special, even though some of them were in similar positions. You can learn something unique from each of their stories. In one story, you will hear about how life as a surgeon will be full of pain and loss but in the end it will be worth it because of all the people you’ve helped. Another one will go further in depth about their difficulties from their first lost patient. Another surgeon will tell you about how they gave a child confidence after plastic surgery. There are much more than just those in this book; it was super fun and interesting to read.

This book also raised some questions that were all mostly answered. For example, what does it take to be a surgeon? There are many things that you need to take into account including, the need to go to Medical School and learn how the human body works and techniques for healing. You also need to have strong mental fortitude, you need to be able to see somebody in a serious condition and think, “How can I fix this.” There was also a question that was left unanswered, “Can you become a surgeon?” That is one you have to answer for yourself, and you may spend a lot of time figuring it out. I personally believe that I can if I truly applied myself to this, I would have to be fully committed though, and I am not sure if I want to commit to that.

After reading this book I became more hesitant about becoming a surgeon. I realized how much stress and pressure I would have to endure each and everyday, and honestly, I’m not sure I could handle it well. You have to be a special type of person to be a surgeon, it says that clear and simple in the first few pages of this book. Overall, this book was a great read, and I enjoyed reading all of the 208 pages of it. There were many cool and interesting stories, from the exciting stories of a military surgeon, to the much more mundane stories of a plastic surgeon, to the story of the woman who pioneered breast cancer surgery and treatment. All of it is super interesting and would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the life of a surgeon or is interested in becoming a surgeon themselves.

[LillyAnn · Rating 4 out of 5]

IM gonna be a surgeon!!!