This Is Going to Hurt

I loved this memoir because it was humorous and it transported me back to my own days as a junior doctor in a District General hospital, in the mid-1980s.

The black humour of a medic combined with the real human stories made it very relatable. This, merged with an easy-to-read diary style, captured the true life experiences and dilemmas of a junior doctor working in the NHS perfectly.

It was a walk down memory lane for me and it would provide an amusing insight for non-medics.

One of my favourite books (ever). Death and dying feature briefly, and the remaining narrative is brimming with brilliantly dark medical humour - written by a doctor turned stand-up comedian and poised on the knife edge between laughter and tears.

It’s filled with pathos, wry observations on the human condition, and frankly hilarious anecdotes about the ridiculous things people do with their genitals in the name of fun. The overall comedic tone makes the occasional bad outcome much more stark and shocking, but my overwhelming emotion from reading this book is one of immense pride in the NHS and a… show more.

How different is medical training in the UK under the National Health Service? Dr. Kay divulges the benefits (universal healthcare, free medical school) and harms (undervalued and overworked physicians and staff) in his passionate and jaunty memoir.

Most UK docs work for an inadequately funded public health system that neglects its exhausted medical staff, while a select few physicians cash in via a shadow private option that provides exclusive care to its wealthy elite. Dr. Kay exposes the rotten underbelly of the UK’s vaunted health system while extolling its promise.