Intern: A Doctor's Initiation
Author: Sandeep Jauhar
Rating: â 4/5
Date Read: 2014/08/31
Pages: 320
I didnât expect to relate to Dr. Sandeep Jauhar: heâs a physician, while Iâm an (arguably) failed academic who never considered a career in medicine because it didnât intellectually engaging. Turns out, Iâm kind of an asshole, but so is Dr. Jauhar, who got his PhD in Physics from UC Berkeley before becoming a failed academic himself, packing up, and matriculating at Washington University in Saint Louisâ Medical School. His issue with medicine is the same thing that kept me from really thinking about it: he worried about a cookbook career, in which would never really have to do much more than recall some memorized diagnoses. Some reviewers scoff at his existential ennui; I love him all the more for it.
This is probably the appropriate time for me to talk about my unmitigated obsession with medical television shows. I watch them, and then I complain about them because theyâre so ludicrous. I mean, have you seen the story arc on Greyâs Anatomy where they do cutting edge research without training or control groups or informed consent. I mean, really! And then they bang in the on call room. I donât know that much about the lives of doctors, but I can recognize that Greyâs Anatomy is probably not an accurate portrayal.
Anyway, Jauhur doesnât bang anyone in the on call room, nor does he attempt to glamorize his chosen career in any real way. Instead, he deals with the reality of medicine: its structural issues (which are myriad), its occasional futility, and the joy found in its practice despite its flaws. Jauhar published some of the same ideas in the New York Times during his internship and residency, which is a ballsy and incredibly stupid thing to do. He got a Cardiology fellowship anyway, though, and has continued his advocacy for change in the American health care system.
Iâm looking forward to reading Jauhurâs more recent book, Doctored, which considers the issues with health care in more detail. If itâs anything like the detailed discussion of the issues with informed consent in Intern, itâs sure to bring a nuanced argument to the table.