This Is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

This Is Going to Hurt presents the diary entries of Adam Kay during his years as a junior doctor in Britain's National Health Service. His entries span his medical training and career in obstetrics and gynecology from 2004 to 2010. Kay documents the realities of life as a doctor through stories from hospital wards and operating theaters. The entries capture the constant pressure, long hours, and complex medical cases that define a junior doctor's existence, while maintaining a thread of dark humor throughout. The book balances medical emergencies and everyday patient interactions with personal reflections on the toll of the profession. Through footnotes and explanations of medical terminology, Kay makes the medical world accessible to readers outside the healthcare field. The memoir raises questions about the human cost of healthcare systems and explores how institutions impact both patients and medical professionals. Its honesty about medical practice challenges common perceptions of doctors and hospitals.

Readers consistently highlight the book's raw honesty about life as a junior doctor in the NHS, with many appreciating the balance of humor and serious moments. Healthcare workers relate strongly to the experiences described, while non-medical readers say it opened their eyes to hospital realities. Liked: - Dark humor that makes difficult topics digestible - Clear explanations of medical situations - Personal stories that show both triumphs and failures - Insight into doctor burnout and work conditions Disliked: - Crude jokes and graphic medical details - Some found the humor inappropriate for serious situations - Repetitive structure of anecdotes - Political commentary in later chapters Ratings: Goodreads: 4.36/5 (461,000+ ratings) Amazon UK: 4.6/5 (58,000+ ratings) Amazon US: 4.6/5 (14,000+ ratings) One medical student reviewer noted: "Finally, someone telling it exactly how it is - both the funny and the devastating parts." Several readers mentioned being unable to read certain sections in public due to laughing out loud.

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📚 After leaving medicine, Adam Kay became a successful comedy writer for TV shows including "Mitchell and Webb" and "Mrs. Brown's Boys" 🏆 The book sold over 2.5 million copies and won four National Book Awards, including Book of the Year 🎭 Kay adapted his book into a BBC television series starring Ben Whishaw, which premiered in 2022 to critical acclaim 💉 During his six years as a doctor, Kay delivered approximately 1,200 babies and worked up to 97-hour weeks 📖 The book began as a collection of diary entries Kay wrote to comply with NHS requirements to document reflective practice, never intending them for publication