Hot Lights, Cold Steel

Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years

Nonfiction, Health & Well Being, Health, Health Care Issues, Biography & Memoir, Reference
Cover of the book Hot Lights, Cold Steel by Dr. Michael J. Collins, St. Martin's Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Dr. Michael J. Collins ISBN: 9781429903073
Publisher: St. Martin's Press Publication: April 1, 2007
Imprint: St. Martin's Press Language: English
Author: Dr. Michael J. Collins
ISBN: 9781429903073
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication: April 1, 2007
Imprint: St. Martin's Press
Language: English

When Michael Collins decides to become a surgeon, he is totally unprepared for the chaotic life of a resident at a major hospital. A natural overachiever, Collins' success, in college and medical school led to a surgical residency at one of the most respected medical centers in the world, the famed Mayo Clinic. But compared to his fellow residents Collins feels inadequate and unprepared. All too soon, the euphoria of beginning his career as an orthopedic resident gives way to the feeling he is a counterfeit, an imposter who has infiltrated a society of brilliant surgeons.

This story of Collins' four-year surgical residency traces his rise from an eager but clueless first-year resident to accomplished Chief Resident in his final year. With unparalleled humor, he recounts the disparity between people's perceptions of a doctor's glamorous life and the real thing: a succession of run down cars that are towed to the junk yard, long weekends moonlighting at rural hospitals, a family that grows larger every year, and a laughable income.

Collins' good nature helps him over some of the rough spots but cannot spare him the harsh reality of a doctor's life. Every day he is confronted with decisions that will change people's lives-or end them-forever. A young boy's leg is mangled by a tractor: risk the boy's life to save his leg, or amputate immediately? A woman diagnosed with bone cancer injures her hip: go through a painful hip operation even though she has only months to live? Like a jolt to the system, he is faced with the reality of suffering and death as he struggles to reconcile his idealism and aspiration to heal with the recognition of his own limitations and imperfections.

Unflinching and deeply engaging, Hot Lights, Cold Steel is a humane and passionate reminder that doctors are people too. This is a gripping memoir, at times devastating, others triumphant, but always compulsively readable.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

When Michael Collins decides to become a surgeon, he is totally unprepared for the chaotic life of a resident at a major hospital. A natural overachiever, Collins' success, in college and medical school led to a surgical residency at one of the most respected medical centers in the world, the famed Mayo Clinic. But compared to his fellow residents Collins feels inadequate and unprepared. All too soon, the euphoria of beginning his career as an orthopedic resident gives way to the feeling he is a counterfeit, an imposter who has infiltrated a society of brilliant surgeons.

This story of Collins' four-year surgical residency traces his rise from an eager but clueless first-year resident to accomplished Chief Resident in his final year. With unparalleled humor, he recounts the disparity between people's perceptions of a doctor's glamorous life and the real thing: a succession of run down cars that are towed to the junk yard, long weekends moonlighting at rural hospitals, a family that grows larger every year, and a laughable income.

Collins' good nature helps him over some of the rough spots but cannot spare him the harsh reality of a doctor's life. Every day he is confronted with decisions that will change people's lives-or end them-forever. A young boy's leg is mangled by a tractor: risk the boy's life to save his leg, or amputate immediately? A woman diagnosed with bone cancer injures her hip: go through a painful hip operation even though she has only months to live? Like a jolt to the system, he is faced with the reality of suffering and death as he struggles to reconcile his idealism and aspiration to heal with the recognition of his own limitations and imperfections.

Unflinching and deeply engaging, Hot Lights, Cold Steel is a humane and passionate reminder that doctors are people too. This is a gripping memoir, at times devastating, others triumphant, but always compulsively readable.

More books from St. Martin's Press

Cover of the book Let the Dead Speak by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Vigilante by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Critical by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Fallen Crest Nightmare by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book The Borgia Mistress by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Untying the Knot by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Bite-Size Franklin by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book The Pursuit of Other Interests by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Business Class by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Modern Classic Short Novels Of Science Fiction by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Soft Spots by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Travels in the Greater Yellowstone by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Thomas Jefferson - Revolutionary by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Death in Dark Waters by Dr. Michael J. Collins
Cover of the book Between the Lies by Dr. Michael J. Collins
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy