Something for the Pain: Compassion and Burnout in the ER by Paul Austin

I just finished this one today. It definitely held my interest (finished it in about 5 days) and I enjoyed the stories from the ER, but for me something about it was missing. Or maybe there was too much, or maybe things were all jumbled together in confusing ways, I'm not sure. Now that I'm doing the same thing to you...

The book is about an ER doctor and the experiences he has in that role, both professionally and personally. Well at least the goal is to capture both parts of his life, but I'm left wondering if he really was successful. I'm not sure how it all fits together, even after finishing the book. Part of me feels like it was more of a diary that was published without thought to how it all fits together and what the message to the reader is supposed to be. For example, there are several passages, some in detail, that refer to Dr. Austin's sexual relationship and encounters with his wife Sally. I felt as though I was peering into someone's bedroom window and found myself skipping those pages because they were so intimate and I didn't understand how they were relevant to the book. He also talks about, but not in enough detail, his daughter who has Down's Syndrome. It's a heavy topic that's glossed over, like many in the book.

All that said, and almost as a result, I am left wanting more. Dr. Austin is a great writer, very engaging and a good story-teller. I want to understand more about his relationship with his wife and family, want to know more about his patients in the ER, etc. I felt as though there were lots of beginnings of stories, but no real endings. If he writes another book, I will probably buy it.

I don't know why I love these doctor books - I've also read "Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance" by Atul Gawande, "Final Exam: A Surgeon's Reflections on Mortality" by Pauline Chen, and "Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science" also by Atul Gawande, and those are just the ones I remember. I've always been fascinated by medicine, but didn't have the stomach to handle actually being a doctor. Maybe this is how I satisfy my curiosity about the profession!