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Dude, Where's My Stethoscope?: and other stories from the ER
Is a real ER anything like what we see on TV? Dr. Donovan Gray answers that question in Dude, Where's My Stethoscope? - a laugh-out-loud funny, heartbreaking, and sometimes poignant collection of true-life medical short stories. We follow Dr. Gray through medical school and two decades of unforgettable ER and family practice. Humorously written in an engaging mash-up of formal prose and informal medical slang with a nod to pop culture and ancient mythology, Dude is a powerful book that captures the essence of what it is to be an emergency room doctor.
257 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 21, 2013
212 people are currently reading
138 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
October 25, 2015
Nice book.
Beautiful array of typical and random stories. Some are heartbreaking and other are funny. Gives a lot of thought about the professional attitude MDs have to have. Easy and quick read.
Beautiful array of typical and random stories. Some are heartbreaking and other are funny. Gives a lot of thought about the professional attitude MDs have to have. Easy and quick read.
November 3, 2022
Awesome
Excellent book! I love medical narratives and I also love how he never mentions how much procedures cost as they do in books written by American doctors because in Canada they actually have universal healthcare which should be a right in every country. Especially American where I live and everything is about money.. It just shows how incredible the universal healthcare works in canada. It made me want to move out of our greedy American capitalism and how it treats the poor. I think everyone in a capitalistic country should read this book and realize how awful our healthcare system is. At least Obama got the Affordable healthcare act passed. I can only imagine how many have died leaving their loved ones broke. In America we are only one serious illness away from complete bankruptcy. He also shows the human side of a doctor who has to deal with idiots that go to the ER for ridiculous reasons. A real eye opener. Loved this book though it makes me ashamed to be an american.
Excellent book! I love medical narratives and I also love how he never mentions how much procedures cost as they do in books written by American doctors because in Canada they actually have universal healthcare which should be a right in every country. Especially American where I live and everything is about money.. It just shows how incredible the universal healthcare works in canada. It made me want to move out of our greedy American capitalism and how it treats the poor. I think everyone in a capitalistic country should read this book and realize how awful our healthcare system is. At least Obama got the Affordable healthcare act passed. I can only imagine how many have died leaving their loved ones broke. In America we are only one serious illness away from complete bankruptcy. He also shows the human side of a doctor who has to deal with idiots that go to the ER for ridiculous reasons. A real eye opener. Loved this book though it makes me ashamed to be an american.
October 23, 2016
An Unusual Book
This little treasure is filled with tales from Dr. Gray's experiences as a rural practitioner and an Emergency Department physician. As an acute care RN, I can appreciate the humor . . . perhaps more than the average reader.
What makes this work a jewel, however, is the richness of the text. It is full of the wonderful visualization and clever metaphors that are seldom found in memoirs. As a published author myself, I would give this book ten stars if I could.
This little treasure is filled with tales from Dr. Gray's experiences as a rural practitioner and an Emergency Department physician. As an acute care RN, I can appreciate the humor . . . perhaps more than the average reader.
What makes this work a jewel, however, is the richness of the text. It is full of the wonderful visualization and clever metaphors that are seldom found in memoirs. As a published author myself, I would give this book ten stars if I could.
July 18, 2021
Well written and interesting
I like the authors perspective, it seemed his personality came through nicely in his writing, I like that each chapter has something new and interesting and that not only was work stuff included, but he shared parts of his personal life too, makes it easier to relate to him.
I like the authors perspective, it seemed his personality came through nicely in his writing, I like that each chapter has something new and interesting and that not only was work stuff included, but he shared parts of his personal life too, makes it easier to relate to him.
August 16, 2023
Easy Quick Read
This is a story about a student in Canada who becomes a doctor. It goes over how he meets his wife, his ER job and his clinic job. It's a quick easy read. Pretty benign but worth reading, kind of a fluff book.
This is a story about a student in Canada who becomes a doctor. It goes over how he meets his wife, his ER job and his clinic job. It's a quick easy read. Pretty benign but worth reading, kind of a fluff book.
July 26, 2021
Wonderful witty description of being both and busy metropolitan ER doctor and rural family medicine doctor/ER doctor. The book has some interesting stories.
August 14, 2022
Outstanding read
Wonderful writing. Having read this book will make me a better patient. His sense of humor is undoubtedly what keeps him going when times get tough.
Wonderful writing. Having read this book will make me a better patient. His sense of humor is undoubtedly what keeps him going when times get tough.
June 21, 2023
Enjoyed it!
I really enjoyed reading this book,hope you keep writing more funny stories! I specially liked the stories about bad parents.
I really enjoyed reading this book,hope you keep writing more funny stories! I specially liked the stories about bad parents.
July 9, 2023
but not great.
July 18, 2023
Told with wit and humor, the author tells some interesting stories from his time working in the er. There’s some added stuff about his personal life and overall it is an interesting read.
September 12, 2023
Excellent. A lighthearted page turner. Highly recommended.
July 27, 2025
DNF on page 74. The author is certainly self-assured of his own wit and cleverness. He has shared a few interesting stories but I can't deal with what passes for prose here.
February 22, 2015
FANTASTIC STORYTELLING
You're not going to find many doctors out there with his intelligence and aerobic wit. I read at night and was gigging half the time.
Some stories I could relate to as a doctor's wife, and they really hit it at times when he'd come home and looked at me as if I'd be facing my own autopsy if I said something as stupid and insensitive as "How was your day, Hon?"
The shining red eyes told me he didn't give the college cheerleaders their annual physicals, unless they were drug seeking screaming for antibiotic parents who's regular doc did...for viruses. Dr. Gray was a breath of fresh air in a system where they're supposed to history, examine, diagnose treat and cure in a whopping 10 minutes. (I was lucky, klutzy me got my stitches, not only grattas, but snuck through the back door.
Dr. Gray has such a gift for making hilarious hallelujah moments with different verbiage, making me crack up all over again and when least expected. That's half the fun of this book, the unexpected.
He also doesn't make himself out tho be anyone's hero's (not for want of it from anyone besides his daughters)
He has his bad days, he has his worse days and now and then he had his days he was happy to be alive.
This read makes one want to track him down and make him your own. Sorry, DOC, BUT YOU DID WRITE THE BOOK!
I got a lot of satisfaction knowing that, even before marrying, and subsequently fleeing, one, I'm what he would be what he'd consider the perfect patient. Yeah me!
Thank you for a most pleasant read, and keep up God's work.
You're not going to find many doctors out there with his intelligence and aerobic wit. I read at night and was gigging half the time.
Some stories I could relate to as a doctor's wife, and they really hit it at times when he'd come home and looked at me as if I'd be facing my own autopsy if I said something as stupid and insensitive as "How was your day, Hon?"
The shining red eyes told me he didn't give the college cheerleaders their annual physicals, unless they were drug seeking screaming for antibiotic parents who's regular doc did...for viruses. Dr. Gray was a breath of fresh air in a system where they're supposed to history, examine, diagnose treat and cure in a whopping 10 minutes. (I was lucky, klutzy me got my stitches, not only grattas, but snuck through the back door.
Dr. Gray has such a gift for making hilarious hallelujah moments with different verbiage, making me crack up all over again and when least expected. That's half the fun of this book, the unexpected.
He also doesn't make himself out tho be anyone's hero's (not for want of it from anyone besides his daughters)
He has his bad days, he has his worse days and now and then he had his days he was happy to be alive.
This read makes one want to track him down and make him your own. Sorry, DOC, BUT YOU DID WRITE THE BOOK!
I got a lot of satisfaction knowing that, even before marrying, and subsequently fleeing, one, I'm what he would be what he'd consider the perfect patient. Yeah me!
Thank you for a most pleasant read, and keep up God's work.
March 5, 2016
Good read!
I really liked this doctor's honesty. And his sense of humor! In fact, if he ever decided to move to our small Alaskan town, I promise to never accosted him in public! But in all ways he could expect more of the same up here! Loved the inventive names the author created for patient anonymity as well as the other very real people he lives and works with. Fun read! He tries to come off as a cynical hardhead but it's pretty obvious - this doctor is a total sweetheart.
Oh, and ... Loved the title and the incident that led to its use!
I really liked this doctor's honesty. And his sense of humor! In fact, if he ever decided to move to our small Alaskan town, I promise to never accosted him in public! But in all ways he could expect more of the same up here! Loved the inventive names the author created for patient anonymity as well as the other very real people he lives and works with. Fun read! He tries to come off as a cynical hardhead but it's pretty obvious - this doctor is a total sweetheart.
Oh, and ... Loved the title and the incident that led to its use!
October 6, 2014
Dr Grey is a cool dude, man!
I really liked this book. Very well written with a good balance of humor and realism.. I hope he writes more books. He is on my list of favorite authors.
I really liked this book. Very well written with a good balance of humor and realism.. I hope he writes more books. He is on my list of favorite authors.
August 13, 2014
Really fun read
Compassionate and thorough retrospective. Gives me hope for medical profession. Wonderful read. Would love a follow-up relating more adventures, stories.
Compassionate and thorough retrospective. Gives me hope for medical profession. Wonderful read. Would love a follow-up relating more adventures, stories.
April 28, 2015
Very witty
loved the wit found inside here. Humor is the best medicine, especially for us medical folks. Dr. gray is anything but gray.
loved the wit found inside here. Humor is the best medicine, especially for us medical folks. Dr. gray is anything but gray.
July 7, 2015
Not so funny and the stories were sometimes so judgemental they made me cringe. Wouldn't want this doctor to be my family doctor.
February 1, 2017
Good stories from the ER
As an RN, I truly identified with the stories in this book as well as his revealing and honest feelings a bout each one.
As an RN, I truly identified with the stories in this book as well as his revealing and honest feelings a bout each one.
April 4, 2017
Mostly memoir not medical stories
I borrowed this on Kindle Unlimited after reading a series of witty Kerry Hamm books about ER patients and several books written by ER nurses.
According to the Amazon product Description: this book is supposed to be a set of stories about emergency room medicine. The stories that are included are genuinely interesting. But they formed maybe 20% of the book.
Most of this is memoir and much of that is unrelated to medicine. There are diatribes about bad parenting (re swear words, not some medical condition), an entire chapter completely about the moving company his family used at one point, and a sad but seemingly out of place discussion about a former school mate who committed suicide.
The medical sections seemed overly technical, but a bigger issue was that the author came across as very judgemental and lacking in empathy.
I borrowed this on Kindle Unlimited after reading a series of witty Kerry Hamm books about ER patients and several books written by ER nurses.
According to the Amazon product Description: this book is supposed to be a set of stories about emergency room medicine. The stories that are included are genuinely interesting. But they formed maybe 20% of the book.
Most of this is memoir and much of that is unrelated to medicine. There are diatribes about bad parenting (re swear words, not some medical condition), an entire chapter completely about the moving company his family used at one point, and a sad but seemingly out of place discussion about a former school mate who committed suicide.
The medical sections seemed overly technical, but a bigger issue was that the author came across as very judgemental and lacking in empathy.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews