Life in the Pits: A Surgeon's Awakening

by Nicholas P T Maxwell

In the fall of 1985, a young, somewhat insecure, surgical resident, trans-planted from England via medical school at McGill University in Montreal, began his second year of his surgery training. He had chosen to cut his teeth in a fast-paced, bloody war Detroit Receiving Hospital's emergency trauma center. Now a busy general, vascular and minimally invasive surgeon in a progressive Midwest community hospital, Life in the Pits is a recollection of some of his experiences during his emergency trauma surgery rotation at the time. As well as describing the strange and sometimes just frightening scenarios that played out, he exposes the emotional roller-coaster that was a daily part of the intense, exhausting, and frequently intimidating training.
"We must be confident, yet not cocky; efficient, yet not too fast; organized, but never rigid. Cockiness kills. Yet on the flip side, we cannot be paralyzed by fear and insecurity."

352 pages, Paperback

Published September 12, 2023

Reviews

[Howard Schneider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dr Nicholas Maxwell's book is an updated replacement to Nolan's classic 'The Making of a Surgeon.'

Like Nolen's story, Dr Maxwell tells the tale of his transformation from a medical student to an almost-graduated surgeon who has learned not just the technical skills of surgery but more importantly and more nuanced, the judgement required by this profession.

The book focuses on a slice of the author's surgical training at the Detroit Receiving Hospital as a second year resident, but then finishes off when his training is almost complete. It is a well written page turner.

This book is strongly recommended for those who want a career in medicine, particularly in the surgical field, as well as anyone with an interest in what the real world of medicine is like.

'Life in the Pits: A Surgeon's Awakening' is a remarkable book.

[Jandy Arnold · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting recollection of some of the experiences Dr. Maxwell faced during his training as a surgeon. I had heard that there were lots of medical terms used but there was nothing that I hadn’t seen before. There is also a glossary of terms used at the back of the book. While I enjoyed the book, some of the scenes felt repetitious. I know that’s real life in a busy ER, but after a while, it didn’t hold my interest as much. Definitely not a page turner but it’s interesting to see behind the scenes of surgical training.