Quick Look: "Intern: A Doctor's Initiation" by Sandeep Jauhar

Title: Intern: A Doctor's Initiation

Author: Sandeep Jauhar

Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir

Big Ideas (Themes): Family, Identity, Medicine / Health Care, Careers

Book Size: Medium Read (200-300 pages)

World Categories - Setting: North America - U.S. & Canada

World Categories - Characters: North American - U.S. & Canada, Southeast Asian (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

World Categories - Author: North American - U.S. & Canada, Southeast Asian (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka

Other Representation - Characters: 

Reading Level Based on Difficulty: High School, Adult

Maturity Level Based on Content: High School, Adult

Sensitive or Mature Topics Include: Drug or Alcohol Use or Abuse, Self-Harm or Suicide, Violence

Notes on Sensitive or Adult Topics: Adult topics referenced, but not explicit descriptions

Introductory Summary:

Dr. Sandeep Jauhar describes his journey into medicine after receiving a degree in physics. As an intern at New York Hospital, he makes mistakes, is full of self-doubt, and questions the effectiveness of his new chosen profession. This book details the ethical questions he faces, his learning experiences, and his transformation from struggling second-year intern to more successful second year intern. 

What we like about this Work:

Jauhar really takes us on a journey into his mind and doubts. I really did not think he was going to make it through the year. The whole process was a rollercoaster and I loved his fallibility and his insight into the profession. It really made me rethink resilience and even the importance of confidence. It also kinda freaked me out at first about going to a hospital, because it seemed like he didn't know what he was doing, but by the end you realize he is surrounded by people who do know what they are doing. Still, um, question everything, because as a layperson we don't know if we're getting the intern or the resident! It really opened my eyes to the behind-the-scenes of a hospital.

3 Reasons Students Will Like This Book:

1. This book addresses self-doubt for anyone trying to figure out what their calling in life is.

2. The character/author is not perfect, but he does think critically and offers some interesting insights while being very vulnerable.

3. There are some crazy hospital stories - if you enjoy a good medical drama, you'll enjoy these anecdotes.

Teaching Notes / Recommendations:

I think this is a great book for students considering going into medicine. I think it's also a wonderful text for exploring issues with the modern approach to teaching hospitals. For teaching as a persuasive, non-fiction text to students in general, there are a lot of interesting philosophical questions raised in this book and it is a great jumping off point for writing persuasive essays. The author deals with ethical questions of how long to keep patients alive and who gets to make those decisions, questions of informed consent and physician's authority, questions of labor and long shifts for hospital workers. It's an excellent teaching tool for writing memoirs about a particular area of expertise or career as well.

Buy on BetterWorldBooks.com