The Real Life of an Internist

Book excerpt: Imagine that you're a young internist, with a waiting room full of sick and anxious people, a man with chest pains in Exam Room 1, a teenager with a mystery ailment in Exam Room 2, and several patients waiting for test results. On top of that, you have to deliver bad news to the woman in Exam Room 3, whose headaches may be something more sinister than you previously thought. Every one of those patients is a story. Unusual diagnoses. Heartbreaking losses. Triumphant healing. From med student to intern to practicing specialist, The Real Life of an Internist traces the careers of internists, the largest specialization among doctors. This anthology features first-person narratives from students and doctors studying internal medicine at every stage of their careers, and offers an unblinking look at daily life in the field. Other books in the Kaplan Voices: Doctors series will focus on pediatrics, family practice, psychiatry, anesthesiology, oncology, geriatrics, and surgery, the most prominent specialties today.