Thursday, May 26, 2011

Book Review - Doctor Confidential - Richard Sheff


Title:      Doctor Confidential

Author:   Richard Sheff

Review:  This book was fast to read and it kept my interest with the stories of his life in medicine.  I especially enjoyed the idea he presented about the fact that you could Doctor all the time and never have time left for anything else.  He let us know that you are the only one who can decide if you have done enough.  Work is a time hole, you can work most jobs forever and still have things to do.  You’re in-box will rarely be empty and if it is it will be full very soon.  So how to balance work and life?  It is a personal decision.

He covers his training and the problems with that.  How a Doctor is trained is going to determine the care you receive, how do you get the best?  He tells the reader that things have not changed much, still ridiculous hours and a huge lack of sleep on the training resident.  The book is broken into two parts and both add to the adventure.  Great humor and yet lots of heart.  I love ‘Medical Dramas’ and this added to my enjoyment of those shows.  I have never wanted to be a doctor, but this book made me really think about that decision.

This is a great book that anyone but especially those thinking of medicine as a careen will enjoy.  A great gift for the college graduate going off to medical school.  Read this book and learn what happens behind the ‘Veil’ at your hospital.  Doctors 'Practice' medicine and I think that is great term to remember when you are upset with yours.

Publisher:  Published May 1st 2011 by Listen To Your Heart Press

Copyright: 2011

Pages:  352 pages

ISBN: 0983081905

Quick Review:  5 Stars out of 5. 

Why I Read it:  The publisher was looking for reviewers.

Where I Obtained the Book:  Sent by Cadence Group.

Synopsis:  The unique stories in Doctor Confidential speak directly to anyone in medical training or considering a career in medicine, but also to the patient in all of us. Pulling back the veil of secrecy that too often surrounds medicine, Doctor Confidential provides compassion, humor, and ultimately hope that, when sick and most vulnerable, each of us can be heard, understood, and deeply touched by our physician.

Author Biography:  Richard Sheff, MD is a family physician with over 30 years of experience in medicine. He chose the specialty of family medicine because he wanted to see and treat patients as whole people whose illness and wellness are a result of the complex interplay of their biological, psychological, social, and cultural circumstances. The years have taught him that to this must be added recognition of each patient’s spiritual circumstances if they are truly to be seen as a whole person, including understanding their illness and wellness.
Dr. Sheff practiced family medicine in Massachusetts for 12 years, seeing adults, children, the elderly and, for the first part of his practice, delivering babies. Over the years he was asked to assume greater leadership responsibilities, including serving as medical director of his group practice, vice president for medical affairs of his hospital, president of a corporation that owned and operated physician practices, and vice president for medical affairs of an integrated delivery system. He left there to launch a new company, CommonWell, to help our healthcare system integrate the best of complementary and alternative medicine with the best of conventional medicine.  At the same time, he began to consult with hospitals and physician organizations throughout the United States, and more recently internationally. He now serves as chairman and executive director of The Greeley Company, a highly respected healthcare consulting and education company dedicated to helping physicians and hospitals provide outstanding care to the communities they serve. Dr. Sheff has consulted, authored and lectured on a wide-range of healthcare management and leadership issues, including quality, patient safety, physician performance and accountability, and conflict resolution. “I went into medicine to heal and teach,” he says, “and today I find myself continuing this work, but with a national and even international ministry. My goal is to heal healthcare for those who provide care and for all the patients and families who entrust their vulnerability to physicians and our healthcare system.”

Dr. Sheff is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and the Brown University residency program in family medicine. He was an undergraduate at Cornell University and recipient of the Keasbey Scholarship for the study of politics and philosophy at Oxford University.


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