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On Call begins with a newly-minted doctor checking in for her first day of residency—wearing the long white coat of an MD and being called "Doctor" for the first time. Having studied at Yale and Dartmouth, Dr. Emily Transue arrives in Seattle to start her internship in Internal Medicine just after graduating from medical school. This series of loosely interconnected scenes from the author's medical training concludes her residency three years later.
During her first week as a student on the medical wards, Dr. Transue watched someone come into the emergency room in cardiac arrest and die. Nothing like this had ever happened to her before-it was a long way from books and labs. So she began to record her experiences as she gained confidence putting her book knowledge to work.
The stories focus on the patients Dr. Transue encountered in the hospital, ER and clinic; some are funny and others tragic. They range in scope from brief interactions in the clinic to prolonged relationships during hospitalization. There is a man newly diagnosed with lung cancer who is lyrical about his life on a sunny island far away, and a woman, just released from a breathing machine after nearly dying, who sits up and demands a cup of coffee.
Though the book has a great deal of medical content, the focus is more on the stories of the patients' lives and illnesses and the relationships that developed between the patients and the author, and the way both parties grew in the course of these experiences.
Along the way, the book describes the life of a resident physician and reflects on the way the medical system treats both its patients and doctors. On Call provides a window into the experience of patients at critical junctures in life and into the author's own experience as a new member of the medical profession.
- Danielle Ofri M.D., Ph.D, author of Singular Intimacies: Becoming a Doctor at Bellevue and This Side of Doctoring
"Everyone who sees a doctor needs to read this book. Dr. Transue, through her stories, gives a realistic understanding of the pressures, perseverance and strength required for students of medicine to succeed as practitioners."
- Dr. Lewis G. Maharam, medical director for the New York City Marathon
"The chemistry that happens between doctors and patients, the natural sympathy that is so strong in some interactions and so elusive in others, I sensed intuitively when I first started clinical work, but began to try to analyze only later. I have come to think that doctors and patients, like lovers or friends, can have a deep instinct to connect with each other in some instances and not in others. You can work around the connection, care for someone without it, learn to modulate it; the bond can appear suddenly after a long time of being absent. but the basic chemistry is real."
Copyright 2004 by Emily R. Transue
Anonymous
Posted April 21, 2008
I picked up Dr. Transue's book as my husband 'we are newly weds' is in his first year of residency. I wanted to find a way to understand what he is experiencing and be empathetic to him instead of being resentful about the days and nights he spends on call and the time at home he spends fatigued, studying and sleeping. He doesn't go into much detail about his day to day experience as I think he really wants a place that's free from the heavy weight of work. So, I looked to Dr. Transue's book to provide me with some insight about what he is facing. I get it now. This book offers vivid stories about patients and a doctor's emotional, physical and mental trials during residency. We learn about a resident's fears and their victories. I was sooo sad when the book came to a close. This is a great book for anyone as it is truly entertaining. I love that is has a glossary of medical terms in the back as well! Great read. Thank you Dr. Transue for writing about your experience.
2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 19, 2008
I found this book absolutely inspiring. A great read and remarkably truthful.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 27, 2004
Dr. Transue is a depleting breed of physicians that exhibit human compassion on a day to day bases.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 12, 2013
Very insightful and engaging. As a young person looking into the medical field this memoir was extremely helpful. Beautifully written.
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Posted November 5, 2012
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Posted May 9, 2009
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Overview
On Call begins with a newly-minted doctor checking in for her first day of residency—wearing the long white coat of an MD and being called "Doctor" for the first time. Having studied at Yale and Dartmouth, Dr. Emily Transue arrives in Seattle to start her internship in Internal Medicine just after graduating from medical school. This series of loosely interconnected scenes from the author's medical training concludes her residency three years later.
During her first week as a ...