Your Life in My Hands: A Junior Doctor’s Story by Rachel ClarkeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I was younger, I thought there might be a chance I could be a doctor. The fact that I really don’t like hospitals or doctor’s offices didn’t really factor in to my thinking. Nowadays you will find me watching reality shows about doctors and paramedics just to see what it’s sort of like working in the medical professions.
This book caught my eye as a window into the life I might have had if I’d made different choices over the course of my life (ie. not studying business in school). I did find this book quite an interesting glimpse into the life of an NHS Junior doctor. I lived in London, UK in the early 2000’s and my only real exposure to the NHS was a good friend who was an NHS nurse. Way back then, I decided medicine wasn’t for me, but I should have known earlier considering my mom is a nurse and I was always thinking ‘you give needles everyday and have to deal with death all the time…..no thanks!’ (but the helping part I liked).
Anyways, this pre-pandemic glimpse into the memoirs of a once junior doctor keep me interested. To be honest, while I was listening, I was thinking about how terrible she made the NHS sound towards all their staff and I was glad it wasn’t me. This book focuses very highly on a specific system in a specific country that isn’t really anything like either the Canadian, Australian or US medical systems; the 3 systems I’ve had minor exposure to.
I think you would enjoy this book if you have any sort of medical curiosity but aren’t actually a medical student or currently working in the NHS – then it might be too close to home!
All in all, I’m giving this book 4 stars because the listening time flew by and I enjoyed my glimpse into the life of a different career.
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