Michael J. Collins > Quotes

“I'm taking inorganic chem and physics not because I want to but because I have to. Not every doctor wants to be a scientist. Some of us just want to take care of sick people. I can't help thinking that medicine is more closely aligned to the humanities than to the sciences. I can't help thinking that I could learn more about being a good doctor from William Shakespeare than I could from Isaac Newton. After all, isn't understanding people at least as important as understanding pathology?”
― Michael J. Collins, Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon

“At times it felt like I was killing myself. And yet the only thing I could recall at that moment was how much fun it had been, and how wonderful it was to do this for a living.”
― Michael J. Collins, Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years

“Why do we always think our pain will be less if we can make others suffer more?”
― Michael J. Collins, Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years

“We, who should know better, reinforce every patient's desire to hide from the reality of his own mortality.”
― Michael J. Collins, Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon

“I'm starting to realize that I can't be a child forever, that I don't want to be a child forever. I've had my turn, and now it's time to grow up.”
― Michael J. Collins, Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon

“It was the first time I had ever seen someone die, and it wasn't what I expected...I stood there waiting for something momentous to happen, for someone to say something profound, but there was nothing...I still had the childish notion that since my life was so important, all lives were so important. Since my death would be so cataclysmic, all deaths would be so cataclysmic.”
― Michael J. Collins, Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years

“We were learning that all the training and all the caring in the world were not going to solve every problem. This wasn't medical school. We weren't going to ace every exam. Silver-haired professors weren't going to pat us on the head and marvel at our intellectual acumen. We weren't going to win every battle.”
― Michael J. Collins, Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years

“And of course she's sad about losing her leg, but she says it's made her realise how many things she hasn't lost...it's like a millionaire who loses a thousand dollars- he's sad, but he's still not that bad off.”
― Michael J. Collins, Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years

“We fix things. Do you understand that? We don’t analyze things. We don’t discuss things. We don’t wring our hands and cry about things. We fix them! If somebody wants to be analyzed they can see a shrink. When they come to the Department of Orthopedics at the Mayo Clinic they want only one thing: they want to be fixed. “Now get the hell out of here and go fix things. And I better not get any more reports of touchy-wouchy, hand-holding sessions in this department.”
― Michael J. Collins, Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years

“And what makes it worse for me is a feeling that is inappropriate for me to express my concern, that it is somehow unprofessional, that if I want to be a good doctor I should learn to be more like the neurosurgeons: They do what they can, they give it their best shot, and then they let it go. If they have effected a cure, great. If a patient dies, too bad.
The neurosurgeons have learned to give their expertise, their skill, their time, but they cannot, they will not, give themselves. They don't allow themselves to get too high with their successes or too low with their failures. They can't let a tragedy from six days, six months, or six yeas ago affect them. It is not prudent. It is not efficient. It is not professional.”
― Michael J. Collins, Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon

“It is a remarkable achievement, but the neurosurgeons seem oblivious to it all. They have a job. The job requires skill. The job does not require emotional involvement. They do the job. Surgery was a success? That's nice. Next.”
― Michael J. Collins, Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs: The Making of a Surgeon

“How long have you two been married?” I asked her. “One month—today!” she answered with a little smile. “Well,” I said, “you have a bladder infection. In fact, this is a fairly common problem in newlyweds. It’s called honeymoon cystitis. It’s usually not serious. We’ll start some antibiotics tonight. You’ll need to get another urine test in a few days to be sure you’re responding to treatment.” “Why is it common in newlyweds?” she asked. “Well,” I said, “when a woman isn’t used to having sexual relations, sometimes a little infection can get into her bladder.”
― Michael J. Collins, Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years