White coat? Check. Stethoscope? Check. Notebook? Check. Most medical students know how to prepare for their residency. But few know exactly what to expect. A new humorous — and at times serious — memoir penned by a University of Florida College of Medicine leader highlights what residency is truly like, and what the medical school textbooks don’t teach, like how to survive long weeks, sleepless nights and whirlwind days at the hospital.
Published April 1, “Resident On Call: A Doctor’s Reflections on His First Years at Mass General” chronicles the residency of Dr. Scott A. Rivkees, now chairman of the College of Medicine department of pediatrics. The book has already received accolades from The Washington Post and Kirkus Reviews.
“People’s vision of physicians and how they got to where they are doesn’t exactly mesh with what happens in the real world,” he said. “It’s more than books. It’s more than lectures. It’s really about the hands-on, everyday experiences.”
After graduating from medical school, physicians undergo additional training in their chosen specialties. Residency lasts anywhere from three to seven years, depending on the specialty. Rivkees completed his three-year residency in pediatrics at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston in 1985.
In the book, Rivkees recounts his memories of training in a Harvard-affiliated hospital informally called “Man’s Greatest Hospital,” the day-to-day experiences, different faculty members and the various patients he saw.
“You’re exposed to so many different things in medical training,” he said. “Collectively they all add up to one amazing experience.”
Rivkees started the book in 2011, the year before he came to UF as chairman of the department of pediatrics. He got the idea for this work after reading several novels featuring medicine. He felt inspired to share his experiences and personal stories as a resident. He also emphasized that the book is a collection of interesting stories rather than a serious memoir.
“This is deliberately not a heavy introspective book about the making of a doctor,” he said.
“Resident on Call” is available for purchase on Amazon.com and through other standard venues. This is Rivkees’ third book, but is the first piece he has written for the general public.
