This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

Emily May

Rating: really liked it

“So I told them the truth: the hours are terrible, the pay is terrible, the conditions are terrible; you’re underappreciated, unsupported, disrespected and frequently physically endangered. But there’s no better job in the world.”

I devoured this book in a single sitting. It is rare to find a book that can make you laugh and cry in equal measure-- especially, I think, a nonfiction book --but this one managed it just fine.

It's very British, with references to British TV shows I'm pretty sure the rest of the world has never heard of, so bear that in mind if you are a non-Brit thinking of reading this. But it is essentially a publication of the diaries Adam Kay kept while he was a junior doctor working for the NHS. It is a funny, moving portrait of a service that underpays, undervalues, and overworks its doctors, and yet, despite all of this, it is a love letter to universal healthcare.

Kay shares his experiences training as an obstetrician-gynecologist, from the gory stories that made me cringe, to the devastating loss of patients, to the destruction of his personal relationships due to the long hours and last-minute demands. It sounds like a nightmare, but he keeps a good humour throughout. Some parts of it are genuinely very funny. Some parts are genuinely revolting.

It exposes a lot that is wrong with the NHS, but never loses sight of how truly important it is. It wasn't until I came to live in California that I really understood how fortunate we were. I had lived in a bubble where healthcare was taken for granted as a human right and no one was ever told they couldn't be made better because they were too poor. The realization that some countries allowed people to die preventable deaths shook me to my core. It still does.

It bothers Adam Kay, too. He finishes his hilarious and touching tales with a direct plea to the government and to us to take the NHS and its doctors seriously. To respect it and them. To not take the work done for granted. Such a powerful and important read wrapped up in a highly-entertaining package.

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Petra: all work & no play makes you poor.On hiatus

Rating: really liked it
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Ruby Granger

Rating: really liked it
SUCH an important book. Anyone who does not work in the NHS should be obliged to read this.

Jack Edwards

Rating: really liked it
One of the most beautiful, heart-wrenching, hilarious books I will ever have the pleasure of reading. Adam Kay's style of writing is immaculate - so dry yet dripping with witticisms and hysterical anecdotes. I genuinely had to ration my reading of this because I couldn't put it down. I highly recommend this book, and wish it could be dished out as prescribed reading (if you'll pardon the pun).

Sean Barrs

Rating: really liked it
I once met Adam Kay, and he left a distinct negative impression on me.

He was performing at the theatre where I used to work. And I feel like I can write this now, I no longer work there so these words are not a reflection on the business but merely the words of a disgruntled former employee. So, Adam came on a busy Saturday night where we had sold all the seats. His name was popular, and people wanted to hear what he had to say. He and his manager approached me to tell me about their show, the visiting companies would inform the front of house manger about the show’s running times and give details about the content of the performance. This was all standard stuff.

Adam’s manager then told me that Adam had promised eight seats to some of his friends last minute. And whilst Adam skulked in the background, letting his manger do all the talking, she told me that if I didn’t find these eight seats for his friends they would pull the plug on us and not perform. And obviously this would have been disastrous for the theatre and its patrons. Me and my team had to magic up these eight seats in an already full auditorium. Not an easy task. And we could not turn any of our customers away who had already paid for their tickets.

So, my review is getting a little bit personal, but it is still about the book and his work if you let me continue. Fifteen minutes into the show, one of the ushers walked out. She was absolutely horrified at the content of the performance. The case Adam was delivery to the audience, sent her back to a horrific childhood memory involving a close friend. Adam delivered the story with humour and mirth, making light of someone’s medical disaster. And from here I decided I must read his book to see what all the fuss is about and to make up my own mind, separate to the negative impression he had already made on me personally.

After reading it, almost two years later, I can say only one positive thing: Adam can write well. He delivers the stories well, but here I question the ethics behind doing so. In all honesty, should we really be laughing at other people’s medical disasters? And should we really be selling them to make a cheap buck?

I don’t think so.

jessica

Rating: really liked it
this is an overall entertaining read and one that has a massive societal importance. it often goes unrecognised just how difficult it is for a doctor during their residency.

‘so i told them the truth: the hours are terrible, the pay is terrible, the conditions are terrible; youre underappreciated, unsupported, disrespected and frequently physically endangered. but theres no better job in the world.’

as someone who worked in a hospital for years, i saw just how hard doctors (and all medical staff) work. but its such a rewarding field of work and i wish this book showed more of that - the positives.

i also understand that everyone handles grief in different ways, and AK obviously uses humour, but i would have liked a little more seriousness in tone when talking about certain things. i think it would have made the reflections feel more genuine.

also, side note - AK specialised in OBGYN, which i did not know before i picked this up. so the majority of the commentary is about childbirth and vaginas, which often leads to crude humour. which got old, very quickly, for me.

but again, i think AK does a great job at spotlighting the demanding nature of the medical profession, which i appreciate.

↠ 3.5 stars

Sara

Rating: really liked it
‘Promise me this, next time the government takes its pickaxe to the NHS, don’t just accept what the politicians try to feed you.’

2020 - Listened to this on Audio book, its narrated by Adam Kay and it's every bit as heartwrenching as it was the first time around.

-

This book had me laughing hysterically one minute and desperately trying not to cry the next.
It was heart warming, hilarious and devastating all at once.
Easy 5*s

Abby Sowden

Rating: really liked it
This was a DNF for me, as a nurse working in the emergency room, I can relate to a lot of the references in this book, especially the dark humour - that’s how we healthcare professionals get through the stress of work. However, I could not stand Kay’s obnoxious views on the struggles doctors deal with day to day, yes being a doctor is relentless, stressful and brings little reward, however he seemed to me to be completely disrespectful of other healthcare professionals and actually quite insulting of midwives in particular. Yes doctors have a difficult time, but so does everyone who works for the NHS, from receptionists, to radiographers, to porters - doctors absolutely do not have the hardest time as he would like you to believe, and it’s not all about them!

Emma

Rating: really liked it
A genuinely funny collection of stories from a former doctor; some so horrifying, surprising, or amusing that I had those hard-to-breathe-while-laughing moments, immediately making Audible clips and sending them to all my friends. It's not for the squeamish, be prepared for lots of blood, births, bad language, and assorted 'implements' stuck in places they really shouldn't be. Rarely have I been so impressed (if that’s the right word) by the willingness of individuals to achieve a memorable sex life by inserting objects into orifices and then having to go to A&E to have them removed.

There are, of course, also very sad stories, including the one that led the author to decide he had to leave. It would have been wrong to focus solely on the laughs, denying the inevitable traumas, near misses, and deaths, some of which may have been prevented by having a properly run, well staffed, less overworked team of doctors. If nothing else, you leave the book with the understanding that the NHS is barely getting by. This is the very reason Kay wrote the book, as rebuttal of the politicians' portrayal of junior doctors as money grabbing and lazy, but only in the final section does he address this directly. Instead, he shows you a doctor and other staff worked to the very edge of their ability to cope. It's eye opening and I left it feeling even more grateful for this amazing resource we have. One we need to protect.

In mixing comedy and reality, Kay has found an effective way to show us some truths while making us laugh so hard we have to hold back tears. It's the best kind of learning.

Paromjit

Rating: really liked it
I listened to the audio of this, with the author Adam Kay narrating the diary entries of his time as a junior doctor in the NHS, simultaneously a hilarious and heartbreaking, eye opening, experience. He worked a god awful number of hours that left him with barely anything he could refer to as a personal life, having to constantly drop out of engagements due to his pressing work commitments, whilst hardly ever receiving any recognition for the work he did. He even finds himself having to organise his cover when he is off sick. There are numerous horror stories, the stress of making life and death decisions, and he is rightly left bitter about the way the government treats NHS junior doctors, not to mention the chronic NHS underfunding and staff shortages. Kay goes on to relate what for him is the final straw, a caesarian that results in a dead baby, and the mother having to receive a hysterectomy, for which he blames himself, even though it was not his fault, and which eventually culminates in him leaving the profession.

This is a must read if you really want to know what life as a NHS doctor is like, I should warn you there are parts that are really not for the faint hearted, although there is joy to be found when patients and babies are saved. There is going to be a TV series based on the memoirs coming soon, with the actor Ben Wishaw taking on the author's role, I am really looking forward to seeing it. I recommend this memoir to those thinking of a career in medicine.

Dr. Appu Sasidharan

Rating: really liked it
Summary (Throwback Review)
This is a memoir of Adam Kay’s life on NHS front line. This book has the potential to make you smile due to Kay’s hilarious writing and also make you cry due to some of the unfortunate events mentioned.

Some interesting topics discussed in this book
Adam Kay was able to discuss almost all the crucial things in Medicine in the short memoir directly or indirectly. If we read between the lines, we can clearly see the Butterfly effect prevalent in Medicine.


It discusses many important topics like Medical economics, Mental health problems and Addictions

My favourite line from this book
“A great doctor must have a huge heart and a distended aorta through which pumps a vast lake of compassion and human kindness.”

Verdict
4/5. This was one of the top five Medical Memoirs I was fortunate enough to read.

Dem

Rating: really liked it
A series of supposedly funny anecdotes that felt more like a podcast than a novel.
Adam Kay was a junior doctor from 2004 until 2010, before a devastating experience on a ward caused him to reconsider his future. He kept a diary throughout his training, and This Is Going to Hurt intersperses tales from the front line of the NHS with reflections on the current crisis. .
This is one of those books that I keep getting asked about "Did you read This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor and when I answer NO! I am told I have missed out the most amazing book and "you have to read This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor and now I can confirm I have read it and YES...... It did hurt!

I really didnt like the book, it felt contrived and cynical and to be honest full of moaning. I listened to this one on audio and the book was narrated by the author. He spoke quite fast and I I didn’t enjoy the experience.

I read 30% and felt that was pretty much as much as I could take. While I didn't enjoy it, it has rave reviews and this review is just my reaction to the book.

Diane S ☔

Rating: really liked it
I so needed this book. Of course in the states we don't have National Health, but many of the snippets of humor are universal. Irreverent humor, spread around. If you are easily offended this book is probably not one you want to read. The many things people can put in their bodies, unreal. Some of the stories are cringe worthy, some unbelievable, but things these young doctors encounter.

The ending though was serious and includes a letter to the National Health service, explaining the many changes that need to be enacted to keep doctors from making mistakes. Too long hours, burnout, trying to do too much with too little. So, the tone does change, but up to them it is narrates by the author himself in a modular tone. I enjoyed this and agree with the changes he would like to see. These changes would benefit all doctors, no matter where they practice.

Liong

Rating: really liked it
Sad and hilarious. If you want to become a doctor, please read this book before you decide.

Sara

Rating: really liked it
I loved this. In part funny and heartwarming, yet also utterly heartbreaking and disillusioned. I think this strikes a particular cord with me at the moment as the author was an obs & gynae doctor, and I’ve recently spent time myself as an inpatient on such a ward.

This is the first book in a while where I’ve read passages out to my husband while laughing out loud one minute and then had to hold back tears the next. It’s a full on rollercoaster of emotions that also seems to very accurately describe what it’s like to work as front line staff for the NHS. I should know, I do it everyday too, and we all have our stories to tell that encompass the best and worst of British medical care. It’s one of my favourite things about the job, hearing stories from everyone about ‘that time a patient shoved a remote control up their rectum’ or ‘remember that night shift a woman faked passing out’. I think it’s what binds and bonds you all together. The camaraderie. Told with a liberal dose sarcasm and self deprecating humour, the author manages to walk that tightrope between friend, colleague and reliable narrator to a finely tuned ‘T’.

My admiration for other healthcare professionals is limitless, and will continue to be so. It’s really the awful and gut wrenching stories interspersed throughout (especially the last chapters) that make you realise how much pressure and guilt our doctors are under. And for little pay might I add. Day after day, night after night they fight to provide the best level of care they can without succumbing to sleep deprivation, depression or worse. There’s a lot of emotion here, a lot of anger and sadness that’s so hard to see, yet is oh so common in the increasingly frequent demoralised NHS worker.

It’s a very bittersweet read, that I devoured in one day, and I’m sorry it’s over. It’s one of the best memoirs of this kind I’ve read in a long time and I loved following Adam Kay on his journey through life as a junior doctor.