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This Is Going to Hurt
This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor | Adam Kay
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 Your Life In My Hands intersperses tales from the front line of the NHS with reflections on the current crisis. The result is a first-hand account of life as a junior doctor in all its joy, pain, sacrifice and maddening bureaucracy, and a love letter to those who might at any moment be holding our lives in their hands.
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nanuska_153
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Pickpick

Junior doctors are asked to keep a diary as part of their practice, this are extracts of Adam's diary depicting his training, the awful working conditions that doctors are put through and the impact on their lives and ultimately the events that took him to quit after completing his training. Adam is so funny that makes this a very easy read while providing a very important social commentary about how do we all treat a very crucial sector of our⬇️

nanuska_153 workforce. Some parts of this book are truly heartbreaking. CONTENT WARNING: Adam specialised in obstetrics and gynecology, so DO NOT read this book while you are pregnant 6mo
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ncsufoxes
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Pickpick

Listened to this one on audio, narrated by the author. Definitely some humorous parts to his stories but also the sad parts of being a doctor, especially in obstetrics. The NHS & US medical systems differ in how they do training as well as private vs nationally funded services (lots of nuances & things that I don‘t understand). Overall the whole system is frustrating. Kay discusses the burnout rates & how the system is exhausting & difficult to

ncsufoxes navigate which makes the system overwhelming to both doctors & I‘m sure patients. #bookspin book 1y
TheAromaofBooks Great progress!! 1y
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jamield1911
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Pickpick

I absolutely adored this. ?

It is packed with dark humour, British sarcasm, and hilarious stories. The footnotes were hysterical. It made me laugh out loud with every page but also made me cry... a lot. Adam is brilliant. He is as funny as he is compassionate. I loved his tales of Obstetrics and Gynaecology or as he lovingly calls it "Brats and Twats" ?

One of my favourite books that I've read this year. It's important. It's a solid 5⭐️

5feet.of.fury Awww love your little Chip! 1y
jamield1911 @5feet.of.fury he's adorable, isn't he? I got him at Disneyland Paris 😍 1y
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jamield1911
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And I've just sprayed the dog with peppermint tea 🤣🤣🤣🤣

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jamield1911
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I've only just started this on my coffee break, yet I know I'm going to love it 😆🤣

Meshell1313 🤣🤣🤣 1y
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Evita
Pickpick

4 out of 5

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MariettaSG
Pickpick

I take my hat off to Dr‘s, especially those in public health, in A&E, and in the years before becoming a consultant. The end.

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MicheleinPhilly
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Pickpick

Riotously funny but also devastatingly sad. As someone who navigated the American healthcare system for months last year with a loved one, it just beggars belief why something so absolutely critical is so poorly run. Public, private - it doesn‘t matter - it‘s all crap. 😒

vivastory As a health coordinator I couldn't agree more 👏 2y
TrishB So true 😞 2y
Suet624 It‘s all so sad. 2y
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Sharpeipup
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I haven‘t seen the show…yet but the book generally is better.
#page2screen

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Smarkies
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Pickpick

All I could think whilst reading this was - this could have been me.
Full of anecdotes and dark humour but oh so real. The Afterword really got to me.
My last #bookspin read for the year and it's a good one.

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stevesbookstuf1
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Pickpick

I'm late to the party with this one, but I really loved it. Full of humor and pain. It follows a young doctor in his first years post medical school. Dark humor and heartbreaking pain, this is a diary of what it's really like to work eighty to ninety-hour weeks in a stressed medical system. Read it straight through. I will have to check out the TV show.

Full review: https://bit.ly/rvw-Hurt

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noseinabookagain
Mehso-so

Interesting and profound in displaying the pressures on NHS staff. However, there was something about Adam Kay that I simply didn‘t ‘like‘. There was a tone of arrogance throughout.

As much as I sympathised, I felt he was also a little out of touch with how life is for working class people. I guess my issues are with the author and not the book.

An eye opening read.

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MatchlessMarie
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August Wrap Up:

I had higher hopes for this month but I ran out of steam. Best book was the tagged one. For some reason it wasn‘t on my radar when it first came out. I happened on it when I was doing #ChristmasInJuly and found ‘Twas the Nightshift Before Christmas. I love how he spins dark humor while speaking devastating truths about life at the NHS. I also finished the TV series today. So good. Also his cameo in ep 4 is great 😅 #BookSpinBingo

MrsMalaprop Did you know there‘s a BBC series on the book? Worth a watch. 2y
MatchlessMarie @MrsMalaprop yeah I finished it yesterday. I screamed when I saw Kay‘s cameo in episode 4 😂 2y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!!! Fantastic month!! 2y
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MatchlessMarie
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Really loving the humor in this book 😆 #AwesomeAugust

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MatchlessMarie
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This had me howling at 4am since I couldn‘t get back to sleep and decided to #audiopuzzle 😂 #AwesomeAugust

julesG 😂😂 2y
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lyledonald
Pickpick

Really good read

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Dragon
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Pickpick

Adam Kay ‘s memoir is full of humour and pathos. His struggle to provide skilled patient care under increasingly difficult conditions is a reminder of how brutal government mandates can be. A quick read full of vignettes written as diary entries. A definite pick especially for health care providers.

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Dragon
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Just started this ebook and it‘s hilarious and harrowing! Adam is a young doctor thrown into the murky waters of hospital medicine unprepared to face the reality of practice compared to the classroom. The things they don‘t tell you at university- been there 😂

BookLineNSinker Wow! They gave you 18 days for the loan? I only get 14 to start lol 😂 2y
Dragon Thanks 🙏 we get 21 days - I had already had it for 3 days 😂 2y
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BookNAround
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I hit send on a big project and although I still have a lot more work to do, I‘m going to take a minute or two for myself and start this one.

LiteraryinPA Congrats on the project! 3y
CBee I really enjoyed this one! 3y
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Centique
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Pickpick

Ok this made me laugh so hard in places that I cried. And then in one place I just plain cried.
Basically it‘s a series of anecdotes and observations of daily life made by a junior doctor in the NHS who has a biting sense of humour. There are some hilarious patients and staff encounters. His chronicling of the overwork & bureaucracy is shocking but he also loves the job and believes in the necessity of a decent public health system. ⬇️

Centique TW for obstetric and gynaecology trauma. 3y
BarbaraBB Now I want to read it too! 3y
CarolynM I enjoyed this a lot too. I hope the TV adaptation does it justice. 3y
Jeg We did it for book club a while ago. I loved it. Made me laugh a lot. 3y
Rissreads Yes this was good funny and bad funny at the same time! 3y
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rabbitprincess
Pickpick

I laughed out loud and groaned in horror, sometimes both in the same story. And my heart broke for Adam when he left medicine. If you‘re interested in medical memoirs, this is one to pick up.

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ClairesReads
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Pickpick

Absolutely inhaled this very raw, honest, darkly funny memoir of life as a junior doctor in the NHS. It‘s no surprise that Kay wields laugh out loud humour effectively, but the true achievement here is the way it‘s woven into a vulnerable exploration of his own experiences as a junior doctor and a searing critique of systems and funding that endanger the wellbeing of doctors.

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kissmehardy
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Pickpick

Hoo boy. This book is really funny until it's very much not. I understand why he left the profession, but I'm glad he wrote this book and shone a light on what doctors go through! #nonfiction #americannhswhen

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rabbitprincess
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Just found out that This Is Going to Hurt is being adapted into a 7-part miniseries (with the author involved as writer and exec producer), and dreamboat Ben Whishaw is in it 😍😍 That said, I‘m squeamish about medical visuals so I might just stick to the book 😅

squirrelbrain Yeah, loved the book but I can‘t be dealing with bodily fluids visually (or listening to them either!) so don‘t think I‘ll watch this. 3y
rabbitprincess @squirrelbrain I‘m glad you loved the book! 3y
BiblioLitten Strangely I can watch anything but reading about surgery especially labour and delivery makes me feel faint. 3y
rabbitprincess @BiblioLitten There were a few gross bits in this book, but what I took away from it most was the gruelling working conditions and how they burn people out. 3y
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Rachiiebookdragon
Pickpick

A funny interesting eye opening book, gave me many laughs and an insight more into the world of medicine and L & D. Read for #diversifyyourreadingchallenge2022 - January - Memoir #ReadYourBookshelfChallenge #PopSugarReadingChallenge2022 #52bookclubreadingchallenge2022 4/5

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Pia_hb
Pickpick

Laughed so much reading this one but the end leaves a bitter aftertaste.

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Jovy
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Mehso-so

— Unpopular opinion — This started out genuinely funny, and while I can appreciate how it sheds light on what it‘s like to work for the NHS, Kay comes off as obnoxious and disrespectful of some of his colleagues. Maybe it‘s his coping mechanism but I just could not get past it.

Still, kudos to all the healthcare professionals for their hard work day in and day out.

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SilverShanica
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I am posting one book per day from my to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new - don‘t judge me I have a lot of books.
Join the fun if you want. This is day 260.
#bookstoread
#tbrpile
#bookstagram

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Rissreads
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Pickpick

This was an eye opener! It was equal parts shocking and hilarious!

PhyllisH I totally agree. I just finished listening to the Audible version.😁 3y
CarolynM Loved it! 3y
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CarolynM
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Pickpick

Totally hilarious and totally infuriating. It reminded me of my favourite TV show of the 90's Cardiac Arrest which was similarly blackly funny about the experiences of junior doctors in an NHS hospital while pointing out how they are appallingly exploited. There are laws recognising pilots and lorry drivers are dangerous if they're overworked but nothing for doctors. And then there's the administrative interference... #Booked2021 #COVIDHEROES

BarbaraTheBibliophage I definitely want to read this. And now I‘ll look for that show also. 🩺 3y
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Yahui07
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Mehso-so

Unpopular review******

This book did give me some laughs, but over all is an okay book to me probably except form the last two entries.

I think that I better manage my expectation of the high rating books.

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Beccacraft
Pickpick

This was a funny and great read. I read it in one day - it is quick, witty, interesting, and eye-opening. Anyone in the medical field will especially love it, but I think it‘s a great read for anyone. It takes a look at some of the journal entries of a junior doctor in the UK working for the NHS. Highly recommend.

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jenniferw88
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Pickpick

4.75 ⭐

Very funny in places, but also accurate re comments on doctor's bedside manners.

#bookspinbingo @TheAromaofBooks

My pick for #covidheroes #booked2021 @Cinfhen @4thhouseontheleft @BarbaraTheBibliophage

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 3y
BarbaraTheBibliophage Great job! 3y
Cinfhen Great pick ♥️ 3y
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Jeg
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Pickpick

Finished this morning in time for book club tomorrow. I had 1 laugh out loud moment and a few chuckles. I was a bit reluctant to read as I have health anxiety . Luckily he was working in obs and gynaecology and I am way way way past all that. 😏. Feels like our health system suffering similar to what he describes. Should be interesting discussion. This book picked by a nurse who works very hard .
#joysbooks2021
@MrsMalaprop

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MrsMalaprop
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Pickpick

Dr Adam Kay used his diaries as the basis for this book about the British NHS. I found it engrossing, revealing and entertaining, but I didn‘t appreciate some of his humour. Interesting that he‘s gone on to write successful comedy for tv.

Look forward to discussing it at book club later this month.

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MrsMalaprop
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Friday night done right. This book feels like a bit of a #guiltypleasure. It‘s my book club read for this month. #currentlyreading #friyay #cheers

CarolynM Nice🙂 4y
Cathythoughts The wine will help ( will help the hurt I mean 🙃 4y
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Allthebookclubs
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Pickpick

Just finished this hilarious book! It‘s kinda gross sometimes but my sense of humor is dark given my career field.
Book 22 in 2021

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charlotteamber
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Pickpick

This might be the quickest I‘ve ever flown through a book! Certainly not for anyone who is squeamish 💉. I found it a very entertaining, interesting and eye-opening read about the life of a junior doctor working in the NHS. Whilst it‘s very clear that (as we are already aware) the NHS is seriously underfunded, I tried to keep an open mind that this was just one person‘s account of their experience. ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

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TheEllieMo
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I am posting one book per day from my extensive to-be-read collection. No description and providing no reason for wanting to read it, I just do. Some will be old, some will be new. Don‘t judge me - I have a lot of books. Join the fun if you want.
This is day 103
#BooksToRead #TBRPile #TBRMountain

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yvo_about_books
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I literally flew through this medical memoir! SO good. 👌

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Simona
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Pickpick

A collection of anecdotes from the life of a young doctor who works in the hospital. Some stories are funny, some sad and tragic, but they all show sacrifices and humanity that are needed in this profession. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ #Booked2021 #Nonfiction2021 #DoctorsAndNurses #DoubleSpin

Cinfhen Great choice and wonderful review!!! #ChallengeSlayer ⚔️ 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
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SanjanaGhosh
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I'm not a doctor but this is the general feeling I have most days nowadays!

Caroline2 Me too!! 4y
Bookwormjillk Same! 4y
thegirlwiththelibrarybag 😅 also same 4y
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Allylu
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Pickpick

This is my choice for the #BOOKED2021 prompt: #COVIDHEROES. As a fan of Grey‘s Anatomy and with much respect for doctors and nurses, especially right now, I liked it a lot. It was irreverent in places but definitely portrayed the long hours, weird injuries, and the relationship things a doctor misses because he/she cares about his/her patients. So, show them you care how they‘re doing. #BookSpinBingo #20in4 #BFC21 #JUMPSTART2021 #SHUTDOWNRound2

DieAReader 👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻 4y
Andrew65 Well done 👏👏👏 4y
Clwojick Awesome!! 4y
Cinfhen Great review 💚 4y
TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 4y
25 likes5 comments
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lelangson
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A nice easy read so far. And learning a few things along the way as well! 😄

EarthwormJim58 That looks so cosy! 😍 4y
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Bookishgal71
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Pickpick

This book brought me to tears - at times I was laughing so hard I was crying and at times it was heartbreaking.Such is a career in medicine. Worth the read and also surprising how little doctors get paid in other countries.

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Monyca
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Pickpick

I loved this book. I laughed, I grieved. I regretted not following my pre-med dreams, I rejoiced in not following my pre-med dreams. I felt even more grateful to those doctors that sacrificed for my health and my family's health. CW: infertility, pregnancy loss, maternal death, and all of the complications that an ob-gyn has to work with.

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Monyca
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Still reading this, usually when I can't sleep at night. I have to try to keep my laughter quiet and not wake up my husband! 😂