Baby Doctor: A Pediatrician's Training

by Perri Klass

In her honest, riveting prose, Perri Klass -- writer, mother, and doctor -- takes readers through her extraordinary three years of internship and residency as a pediatrician in a Boston children's hospital. Responsible for newborns, the chronically ill, and the mysteriously sick, Klass set high standards for her own performance and for those who worked with her tiny charges.

In essays and explorations on the concerns and contradictions that she faced every day, Klass reveals the fears, frustrations, and triumphs that formed her confusing life. From the difficulties of sleep deprivation to the hopelessness of treating a child with AIDS, from emergency room hysteria to intervening in cases of abuse to personal crises at home, Klass describes a trial by fire unlike any other -- a collection of experiences that changed her from a frightened, insecure medical student into a confident, caring baby doctor.

"A fascinating look into the mysterious chambers of medical science . . . Compassionate and compelling." -- Boston Herald


From the Paperback edition.

Genres: Medicine, Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Health Care, Medical

330 pages, Hardcover

First published May 12, 1992

About the author

Perri Klass is a pediatrician who writes fiction and non-fiction. She writes about children and families, about medicine, about food and travel, and about knitting. Her newest book is a novel, The Mercy Rule, and the book before that was a work of non-fiction, Treatment Kind and Fair: Letters to a Young Doctor, written in the form of letters to her older son as he starts medical school.
She lives in New York City, where she is Professor of Journalism and Pediatrics at New York University, and she has three children of her own. She is also Medical Director of Reach Out and Read, a national literacy organization which works through doctors and nurses to promote parents reading aloud to young children.
source: www.perriklass.com

Reviews

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

I previously read two other Perri Klass books, one a novel about a young pediatrician and the other her account of her years in medical school. This one tells of her years in pediatric residency in a hospital in Boston. Along with giving some insight into hospital routines, her stories reflect human nature -- of hospital personnel as well as her patients. (I enjoy the fact that Klass is an inveterate knitter. She has written about how she used to knit during med.school lectures and meetings.)

[Selena Schulz · Rating 4 out of 5]

LOVED this book at times, was bored by it at others. the specific patient stories, complete with medical details and raw compassion, made me speed through some chapters with an intense urge to hear more. the last few chapters though i found relatively lackluster. they were struggling to find a conclusion, and just repeating a lot of what had already been said. i almost wonder if i would’ve enjoyed this more in short story format. but, that’s not my choice to make, and regardless, im so grateful i got to take a class that put this book in my hands.

[Harry Bishop · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was actually a really nice read. Reading her memoir is so relaxing and compelling. I love all the side stories she does and I have way better of an idea of what a pediatric residency was like in the last century. She's also crazy built different. A kid in med school and another in residency and being an author. Wow

[Aleta · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've been a nurse for 30 yrs now. (wow!-Hard to believe!) The training of MDs has always been kind of a mystery to me, so when one of my colleagues gave me this book to read, although I wasn't particularly interested in reading it, once I started I found the book interesting from an academic point of view. Also, since my son is considering med school, it was interesting from a personal point of view, knowing a little more about what it takes to make it through residency.
Although I found a couple of things that I thought were incorrect in it, and wondered how they slipped through, (like a baby doesn't breath until the cord is cut-WRONG!!!) It was educational. It was a book I put down and read something else for entertainment, but I determined to finish the book and I'm glad I can add it to my shelf as books I've read. Its worth reading- especially if you or someone you love is going to med school.

[Hadley · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a medical student considering a career in pediatrics, I found this book to be extremely helpful. It chronicles the life of a young doctor (who also happens to be a mom and a writer) as she makes her way through pediatric residency. Although the book is a bit dated- some of the medical descriptions are no longer accurate (especially the parts about AIDS), and of course the 80 hour work week has eliminated q3 call for residents- but despite the changes, the book is still a very relevant and realistic account of the anxiety, exhaustion, and intense learning curve that characterize a pediatric residency.

[Beverly · Rating 2 out of 5]

There are some uncomfortable and even hair-raising stories in here about caring for children, especially new borns and little babies. But Perri Klass is terrible at tying things together. The book is a series of blurbs from the journals she kept during her internship and junior residency as a pediatrician.

[Cat. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not finish this, but only because it was due yesterday and it came from outside our library system. The writing style is quite elegant and well-done, but to be honest reading about sick kids is probably not what I need to be doing right now, either.

It is good to know that there are good people like Dr. Klass going into this field, however.

[Ellie Erickson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly an amazing book that has captured and explained the wide range of emotions that i have felt and am feeling in residency. I couldn't explain it better myself and want all of my friends and family to read it.

[Tracey]

NOT AT LIB 11/07 (other books, same author) -- Recommended by Ginnie

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

perri klass is one of my favourite authors

[Ami · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the fact that the author finished her residency over two decades ago, I still found this memoir of a young pediatrician doctor to be very interesting. "Baby Doctor" is a solidly good read.

[Sue Kozlowski · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-fiction. A pediatrician who writes both fiction and non-fiction. Lives in Cambridge, MA. I learned a lot about hospitals and babies!