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Everything But the Medicine: A Doctor's Tale
Wise, candid, brave and moving, this superbly written memoir by a New Zealand GP is reminiscent of the warm wisdom and humanity of the American physician and writer Atul Gawande.
Over her long career Dr Lucy O'Hagan has developed deep insights into the profound but often complex relationship between patients and doctors. Reading about her own struggle with what it means to be a truly useful doctor is both fascinating and absorbing.
From working with people living on the margins and her own burnout to her efforts to better serve her Maori patients and the humour that's sometimes needed to get through the day, she keeps her eye on one key What is it to be a good doctor in this place?
Over her long career Dr Lucy O'Hagan has developed deep insights into the profound but often complex relationship between patients and doctors. Reading about her own struggle with what it means to be a truly useful doctor is both fascinating and absorbing.
From working with people living on the margins and her own burnout to her efforts to better serve her Maori patients and the humour that's sometimes needed to get through the day, she keeps her eye on one key What is it to be a good doctor in this place?
288 pages, Paperback
Published September 11, 2025
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
October 29, 2025
Loved this. Made me want to see the privilege in being a GP. Great words on equity, we can’t even see the fence from the grandstands!
March 11, 2026
Beautiful pukapuka unpacking the authors experiences and what it means to be a modern western healer as a pakeha woman in capitalist post-colonial Aotearoa 🙏🏽
July 23, 2026
Fantastic read especially for anyone working in health.
April 6, 2026
4.5 stars
February 21, 2026
Really enjoyed this book, found the writing style well-paced and the stories interesting. Poignant timing, with going back to work next week, and I thought it had some lovely messages.
When to read: if you need a reminder of the potential beauty of medicine and hauora.
When to read: if you need a reminder of the potential beauty of medicine and hauora.
March 19, 2026
I'm realising I've never had a GP I wanted to go back to (hard to connect with anyone in 15 minutes, to be fair). I feel like Dr Lucy would be one of those doctors though. Something to aspire to.
Also, this made me cry about five times!
Also, this made me cry about five times!
April 18, 2026
What an amazing read! Gives an insight into the life of a GP in rural NZ! The clash between westernised views and traditional Maori practice! Makes me excited to hopefully dive into a te reo Maori language and culture course later this year!
June 15, 2026
If only every doctor were like Lucy O’Hagan!
So many beautiful moments of honesty and self-reflection. The passion and care O’Hagan puts into her career cannot be admired enough. Love to see the emphasis on Māori culture and patient advocacy.
So many beautiful moments of honesty and self-reflection. The passion and care O’Hagan puts into her career cannot be admired enough. Love to see the emphasis on Māori culture and patient advocacy.
December 3, 2025
Also in contention for my book of the year!!!!!! I cannot stop talking about this book to everyone I see. Such a compelling, punchy, devastating read. Essential for anyone living and working in Aotearoa New Zealand imo.
January 11, 2026
Phenomenal. Cannot say enough good words. I will be re reading this so much. Perfect book to start my career, a great reminder to be human first and always
January 15, 2026
Awesome
April 24, 2026
Ngā mihi nui Lucy what beautiful mahi 💜.
The above statement was written a day or so after finishing this heartfelt memoir. Since then I have been stuck with precisely what it is I want to say about listening to Dr Lucy O’Hagen read her story.
It is now just over a month since finishing Lucy's story and hot on the heals of this I listened to Tama Iti's memoir. They are two very different perspectives of essentially very similar things. One taught me things I didn't know and the other reflected much that I already knew. Read together in such a short period of time together their impact has been profound. I will speak to Tama's story more in that review. So then what was so profound about this book that has required this long to mull over? Especially when it’s a world I inhabit and am very familiar with? Just as I wrote that previous sentence the thought it struck me that is precisely what made Everything but the Medicine so important. Lucy’s ability and eloquence to speak to being a caring health care professional, a Mum, a person who goes to the supermarket, someone who worked hard at maintaining a mask of coping when in truth she was not. How bit by bit these were the things that wore her down to a pleather it was no longer tenable. Then when it became part of her own health journey she needed to speak the truth and remove the mask. By removing her facade she became able to put her politics and values for all to see. This is the aspect that really landed. Much of what she wrote went to a deep place in my wairua and settled. It said to me you are not alone. Your observations, thought process and choices over the past 40 years actually haven’t been so out of whack. Now I am not a Doctor, I am a nurse and I grew up at the opposite end of the Motu but as I listened to Lucy speak there was such a strong sense of validation, others have seen and experienced similar things to me and come out the other side with the same conclusions. For this I’m truly grateful and inspired. This is what resonates as profound because her truth matters and in this authenticity she ultimately provides a voice for many who don’t have the privilege to speak their truth.
Interestingly what bought me to borrow this from the library and be so moved by it was mistaken identity. I had erroneously thought that Lucy Horne and Lucy O’Hagen due to their public presence were one and the same person. While trying to find Lucy Hornes book I stumbled on Lucy O'Hagan's. Discovering they were totally different women of course meant I needed to read them both. Both wonderful women and both with important insights and stories to tell.
The above statement was written a day or so after finishing this heartfelt memoir. Since then I have been stuck with precisely what it is I want to say about listening to Dr Lucy O’Hagen read her story.
It is now just over a month since finishing Lucy's story and hot on the heals of this I listened to Tama Iti's memoir. They are two very different perspectives of essentially very similar things. One taught me things I didn't know and the other reflected much that I already knew. Read together in such a short period of time together their impact has been profound. I will speak to Tama's story more in that review. So then what was so profound about this book that has required this long to mull over? Especially when it’s a world I inhabit and am very familiar with? Just as I wrote that previous sentence the thought it struck me that is precisely what made Everything but the Medicine so important. Lucy’s ability and eloquence to speak to being a caring health care professional, a Mum, a person who goes to the supermarket, someone who worked hard at maintaining a mask of coping when in truth she was not. How bit by bit these were the things that wore her down to a pleather it was no longer tenable. Then when it became part of her own health journey she needed to speak the truth and remove the mask. By removing her facade she became able to put her politics and values for all to see. This is the aspect that really landed. Much of what she wrote went to a deep place in my wairua and settled. It said to me you are not alone. Your observations, thought process and choices over the past 40 years actually haven’t been so out of whack. Now I am not a Doctor, I am a nurse and I grew up at the opposite end of the Motu but as I listened to Lucy speak there was such a strong sense of validation, others have seen and experienced similar things to me and come out the other side with the same conclusions. For this I’m truly grateful and inspired. This is what resonates as profound because her truth matters and in this authenticity she ultimately provides a voice for many who don’t have the privilege to speak their truth.
Interestingly what bought me to borrow this from the library and be so moved by it was mistaken identity. I had erroneously thought that Lucy Horne and Lucy O’Hagen due to their public presence were one and the same person. While trying to find Lucy Hornes book I stumbled on Lucy O'Hagan's. Discovering they were totally different women of course meant I needed to read them both. Both wonderful women and both with important insights and stories to tell.
September 14, 2025
This book, raw and poignant while still maintaining a sense of optimism... feels like a friend for those made lonely by healthcare existentialism. Ngā mihi. I shall carry it with me.
November 4, 2025
This is the kind of engaged thoughtful person I would want as my GP. I loved the te ao Māori literacy, and this book made it more accessible to me as a Pākehā somehow.
I also enjoyed being able to empathise with the stressors many GPs must face in the NZ health system. I’ve often wondered about the mental well being of those GPs who have cared (or not) for me thru the years.
The poetry was surprising good also.
I found some bits not relevant to my experience, some unnecessary, some long winded. But overall I found this enjoyable and an insight into a not often shared experience.
I also enjoyed being able to empathise with the stressors many GPs must face in the NZ health system. I’ve often wondered about the mental well being of those GPs who have cared (or not) for me thru the years.
The poetry was surprising good also.
I found some bits not relevant to my experience, some unnecessary, some long winded. But overall I found this enjoyable and an insight into a not often shared experience.
January 2, 2026
A must read for NZ health professionals in Lucy’s discussion about policy, poverty, privacy, pressure and our human limits. Especially vivid reflections on the vulnerable ways our “selves” are brought into the workplace always, and the ways the people we work with live on with us in every day life.
October 19, 2025
From the opening page of this completely engaging book I knew I wouldn’t want it to end. And so it was. Chronicling the author’s journey through her life as a New Zealand GP., its many stories are alive with humour, joy, and life, and some significant challenges. Lucy O’Hagan expresses her love of medicine with its tapestry of human experience.
The book opens with Who is the doctor writing this book, where we meet the author and members of her family, including some significant life and death events. The book is composed of stories divided into Patient, System, Doctor, and Story. The process of gathering her stories and learning to listen forms the central column of this entire book.
Patient largely comprises evocative vignettes, remixed from hundreds, if not thousands, of patients seen in O’Hagan’s’s 30+ years of practice as a GP. System examines the impact of dysfunction and inequities of a healthcare system, New Zealand’s in particular, though applicable elsewhere as well no doubt, on the way doctors are able to do their work, and how that affects patients. In Doctor O’Hagan describes the evolution of her professional identity, once again through stories about her patients and the quality of the relationships she has built. In Story the author courageously recounts her experience of burnout, what led to it and how she emerged from it. This part of the book arose from public speaking engagements about her burnout, which she believed would stir little interest, and yet countless audience members, other doctors, expressed their appreciation and recognition of her courage and their wish to know more of her story.
While the book is located firmly in New Zealand with its two cultures - colonising Europeans and indigenous Māori - its relevance is universal. There are doctors and clinicians everywhere whose wish to do the best they can will benefit from reading O’Hagan’s patient, careful and unpretentious approach. And for all of us who have been patients at one time or another, the book is full of life, love, and stories.
The reviewer acknowledges her copy from the publisher.
The book opens with Who is the doctor writing this book, where we meet the author and members of her family, including some significant life and death events. The book is composed of stories divided into Patient, System, Doctor, and Story. The process of gathering her stories and learning to listen forms the central column of this entire book.
Patient largely comprises evocative vignettes, remixed from hundreds, if not thousands, of patients seen in O’Hagan’s’s 30+ years of practice as a GP. System examines the impact of dysfunction and inequities of a healthcare system, New Zealand’s in particular, though applicable elsewhere as well no doubt, on the way doctors are able to do their work, and how that affects patients. In Doctor O’Hagan describes the evolution of her professional identity, once again through stories about her patients and the quality of the relationships she has built. In Story the author courageously recounts her experience of burnout, what led to it and how she emerged from it. This part of the book arose from public speaking engagements about her burnout, which she believed would stir little interest, and yet countless audience members, other doctors, expressed their appreciation and recognition of her courage and their wish to know more of her story.
While the book is located firmly in New Zealand with its two cultures - colonising Europeans and indigenous Māori - its relevance is universal. There are doctors and clinicians everywhere whose wish to do the best they can will benefit from reading O’Hagan’s patient, careful and unpretentious approach. And for all of us who have been patients at one time or another, the book is full of life, love, and stories.
The reviewer acknowledges her copy from the publisher.
March 13, 2026
I picked up Everything but the Medicine by Lucy O’Hagan after seeing she was doing a guest appearance at Muirs in Gisborne. I liked the cover, quickly read a chapter in the store, and decided to buy it.
O’Hagan, a GP who now mentors and trains new doctors and works closely with Māori and Pasifika communities, writes honestly about her experiences in medicine. She reflects on studying in a predominantly male environment, the pressures of the New Zealand health system, and the personal toll the job took on her, her own burnout and the breakdown of her marriage.
What stood out most was how she embraced Māori values such as whakarongo (to listen) and manaaki (to care and respect), and how immersing herself more deeply in te ao Māori helped her regain confidence and strength.
She also writes about caring for patients living in poverty and those suffering from generational sexual and physical abuse. She treats the homeless and talks about the importance of creating a safe space for people to kōrero, share their stories, and how this process enables her to connect and better understand and treat her patients.
I really enjoyed this book. It felt relevant and relatable, and I learnt a lot, while realising there’s still so much more to learn.
To read more of my reviews: https://www.facebook.com/share/18QLNi...
O’Hagan, a GP who now mentors and trains new doctors and works closely with Māori and Pasifika communities, writes honestly about her experiences in medicine. She reflects on studying in a predominantly male environment, the pressures of the New Zealand health system, and the personal toll the job took on her, her own burnout and the breakdown of her marriage.
What stood out most was how she embraced Māori values such as whakarongo (to listen) and manaaki (to care and respect), and how immersing herself more deeply in te ao Māori helped her regain confidence and strength.
She also writes about caring for patients living in poverty and those suffering from generational sexual and physical abuse. She treats the homeless and talks about the importance of creating a safe space for people to kōrero, share their stories, and how this process enables her to connect and better understand and treat her patients.
I really enjoyed this book. It felt relevant and relatable, and I learnt a lot, while realising there’s still so much more to learn.
To read more of my reviews: https://www.facebook.com/share/18QLNi...
December 23, 2025
a uniquely told story of a Doctor a GP. started off as a rural GP. lived in rge Hawea area. She thought her personal life was good married happily or si she thought. with a couple kids.
finally she realizes she is in love with her best friend and eventually tells her so. an amical break up with her understanding husband. split all their assets in half. Has a break down but tries to soldier on as a doctor should she thinks.
Moves house to north of Wellington Porirua. Her patients are very different breed than she had before. Tells of the problems eithin the health system the inequities. and Learns Te reo to help ubderstand her patients. and their more holistic needs. Also the problems and tge worry when free treatments medication help is available and given but tge Patient doesn't pick up or use the prescribed medicines or
follow up her treatment plans.
Good read a slightly unusual way of writing a memoir.
finally she realizes she is in love with her best friend and eventually tells her so. an amical break up with her understanding husband. split all their assets in half. Has a break down but tries to soldier on as a doctor should she thinks.
Moves house to north of Wellington Porirua. Her patients are very different breed than she had before. Tells of the problems eithin the health system the inequities. and Learns Te reo to help ubderstand her patients. and their more holistic needs. Also the problems and tge worry when free treatments medication help is available and given but tge Patient doesn't pick up or use the prescribed medicines or
follow up her treatment plans.
Good read a slightly unusual way of writing a memoir.
April 6, 2026
One of the best books I've read all year. I would strongly recommend this book to every New Zealander, and it should be required reading for all medical students. O'Hagan is an incredible storyteller and I admire her ability to see past the surface level problems of patient and seek to understand their deeper troubles. Her stories cover people from all walks of life and are relatable and tragic, touching and confronting.
I found most profound her critique of the medical system and its preferences for productivity indicators and wellness tick boxes, which often fail to recognise the more complicated situations of patients. A favourite chapter of mine was her visit to the Emergency Department, which was filled with humour and layers of insight, an experience all New Zealanders have had at some point in their lives.
If every doctor was as thorough as Lucy O'Hagan, the world would be a much better place.
I found most profound her critique of the medical system and its preferences for productivity indicators and wellness tick boxes, which often fail to recognise the more complicated situations of patients. A favourite chapter of mine was her visit to the Emergency Department, which was filled with humour and layers of insight, an experience all New Zealanders have had at some point in their lives.
If every doctor was as thorough as Lucy O'Hagan, the world would be a much better place.
April 9, 2026
A neighbour shared this book with me and what a treat it has been . Short punchy chapters captivated me into Lucy O'Hagan' s life as a rural GP and mother . The well written chapters chronical her ups and downs , frustrations and battles but she skillfully weaves humour into her stories which lighten the script considerably
What shines through is a very caring person , a good listener who takes time for people and looks for underlying issues in their health care journey.
Thoroughly recommend this memoir
What shines through is a very caring person , a good listener who takes time for people and looks for underlying issues in their health care journey.
Thoroughly recommend this memoir
July 30, 2026
"Does a label help? Or does a label start to define someone and limit their possible futures? We discussed the whole ethos of recovery as a destination. Who defines that place of recovery, who says where it is and how to get there? And how might it feel to believe you will never get there, will always fail?"
Some things are great - the rawness, the humanity, the narrative therapy. Some things don’t seem to work as good - the poetry, the repetition of some ideas.
Overall I was impressed with Lucy's career and her use of narrative as a medical doctor. This book was a good effort. 3.5 💫
Some things are great - the rawness, the humanity, the narrative therapy. Some things don’t seem to work as good - the poetry, the repetition of some ideas.
Overall I was impressed with Lucy's career and her use of narrative as a medical doctor. This book was a good effort. 3.5 💫
August 23, 2026
I would recommend this book to anyone, but in particular if you are a Pakeha health care worker in Aotearoa in the second half of your career, working towards incorporating Te Ao Māori into your practice and finding yourself lost at times in working within “the system” at the same time trying to make it a better place without burning yourself out or going nowhere! Such a delight to read someone else’s familiar sounding experiences who has been a pioneer in practice and is not afraid to share their errors as well as successes.
March 16, 2026
"Medicine has powerful tools for relieving suffering: diagnoses, drugs and surgery. But getting the medical part right is seldom enough because there is not a linear relationship between the medical treatment and the reduction in suffering."
Wow. Just, wow. What a phenomenal book. I have so many big feelings about the work that we do, and this book articulated them so beautifully. The author really lets us see her in this book, and I felt seen by her in return.
Wow. Just, wow. What a phenomenal book. I have so many big feelings about the work that we do, and this book articulated them so beautifully. The author really lets us see her in this book, and I felt seen by her in return.
March 17, 2026
This is such a raw and real book - I loved it and found it heart breaking at the same time. I wish everyone with a role in public policy - especially those running for office in this year’s NZ general election - would read this. It’s beautiful written and hard to put down. I hope the author continues to write.
December 18, 2025
Tumeke Lucy💚
This is now my book of the year, it’s raw, real and one I’ll always remember. Thank you for taking the time to share your stories to us all, your listeners. I am grateful for this gift of thought provoking stories to make us wonder.
Nga mihi.
This is now my book of the year, it’s raw, real and one I’ll always remember. Thank you for taking the time to share your stories to us all, your listeners. I am grateful for this gift of thought provoking stories to make us wonder.
Nga mihi.
December 24, 2025
A brave and honest account of this wonderful compassionate doctor’s daily life and challenges. Never again will I think bad thoughts if the doctor is running late. Loved it and greatly appreciate the timely reminder to view health issues holistically.
April 15, 2026
Insightful, comforting and also at times sad. What doctors are trained to do doesn't always match what would help patients and themselves in an ideal world. Lucy shares stories about what makes a difference and what and how she learned this.
June 1, 2026
Incredible incredible book! Great patient stories, about social medicine, imposter syndrome, burnout, written by a GP from new zealand - beautifully written I recommend 🤩🤩❤️ the kind of book I'd like to have in my library to reread
July 4, 2026
A really great memoir. So many areas that inspire reflection on equity, culturally safe practice and the importance of genuine human connection. Perhaps the impossible 15 minute consults are why it is so difficult to find a 'good' GP and then you find a great one who inevitably experiences burnout.
October 2, 2026
Loved this personal tale of GP, the challenges particularly in equity of care and the challenge to never stop trying to challenge the status quo. A incredible tale of overcoming adversity. Highly recommend.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews