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X-ray Visions #1

Radiologists at Work: Saving Lives with the Lights Off

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7-time Wall Street Journal and Audible Top-10 best selling author and Amazon All Star! Is it cancer or just a bad pixel? Radiologists are the physicians we rarely get to see. "Radiologists at Work" contains the most memorable moments from the careers of twenty radiologists who practiced from the 1940s to the present day.

These true stories are told with the trademark wit and warmth that has earned Jourdan four national best sellers. They give a rare glimpse at hidden heroes who work behind the scenes. Jourdan's first-rate medical writing illuminates the mysterious black and white world that stands at the front lines of modern healthcare.

197 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 14, 2015

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About the author

Carolyn Jourdan

25 books170 followers
USA Today,Top-10 Audible & 6-time Top-10 Wall Street Journal best selling Author of Memoir, Biography, Wildlife, and Mystery

USA Today Best Seller Out on a Limb was also voted a Best Kindle Book of 2014.
#9 Wall Street Journal Best Seller Medicine Men in 2022.
#9 Wall Street Journal Best Seller Heart in the Right Place in 2017.
#7 NYT-Audible Best Seller Bear in the Back Seat in 2016.
#6 Wall Street Journal Best Seller Medicine Men in 2015.
#5 Wall Street Journal Best Seller Medicine Men in 2014.
#9 Wall Street Journal Best Seller Bear in the Back Seat in 2013.
#7 Wall Street Journal Best Seller Heart in the Right Place in 2012.

Visit Carolyn online at her website, her personal Facebook page, her Facebook Author page, her Twitter page, or her Instagram page.

Jourdan's newest books are Dangerous Beauty: Stories from the Wilds of Yellowstone and Waltzing with Wildlife: 10 Things NOT to do in Our National Parks.

Other recent works are Nurses: The Art of Caring, Radiologists at Work: Saving Lives With the Lights Off, and Talking to Skeletons: Behind the Scenes With a Radiologist.

The nurse book is a collection of the most memorable moments from the careers of over 60 nurses. It covers nearly 70 years of practice from World War II to the present day.

The extraordinary situations described here are the result of more than 1,000 years of hands-on bedside knowledge. The vignettes contain wisdom and insight gained the hard way, from long experience in the trenches (sometimes in actual trenches) performing tasks that range from the most humble to the most skilled.

The radiology books form a set of companion books, one dealing with the most memorable moments of 40 radiologists and the other chronicling 7 extraordinary nights spent shadowing a single radiologist.

Bear in the Back Seat - Adventures of a Wildlife Ranger in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park is a series of true stories from “[a]n extraordinary landscape populated with befuddled bears, hormonally-crazed elk, homicidal wild boars, hopelessly timid wolves, and nine million tourists, some of whom are clueless."

In Kim DeLozier’s world, when sedated wild black bears wake up unexpectedly in the back seat of a helicopter in mid-flight, or in his car as he’s driving down the highway, or in his office while he’s talking on the phone, it’s just another day in the park.

In Out on a Limb Phoebe McFarland has just moved back to her hometown of White Oak, Tennessee, a sleepy rural community nestled in the mist-shrouded ridges and isolated hollows of the Smoky Mountains.

Now she spends her days working as a rural home health care nurse, making calls on a quirky roster of housebound characters she’s determined to take care of whether they cooperate or not.

She applies this same optimism to her love life, despite the fact that she’s been dating for 38 years without locating any husband material. When she runs into her childhood sweetheart, Henry Matthews, a wildlife ranger for the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, it looks like she might’ve found her man.

But Phoebe and Henry’s chance for romance has to be put on hold while they undertake a desperate search for a young woman who mysteriously vanished from the park during a gathering of world famous biologists and botanists, including a charismatic Frog Whisperer.

Medicine Men

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5 stars
33 (33%)
4 stars
38 (38%)
3 stars
28 (28%)
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
Profile Image for Anita.
69 reviews5 followers
October 8, 2016
I read Carolyn Jourdan's bestseller, Heart in the Right Place with my book club a few years ago. At our meeting, we were delighted to speak with her via speaker phone while discussing the book. Jourdan's southern sense of humor and anecdotes are the best!

In this book, she managed to pull great stories from several radiologists, that I found either informative, sad, or humorous; the last-mentioned being much of it, which provided a good amount of entertainment.

When I began reading, I wanted more of Carolyn, but as I went along, I realized her wit and medical knowledge gave her the know-how to compile these engaging stories.



Profile Image for Danielle.
45 reviews
August 15, 2019
I’m an X-ray tech so I was really interested in this because I love reading about the early days of Radiology. A lot of the stories were interesting but the writing style could be hard to get into, and it was a bit disorganized and repetitive. And much of it was not related to radiology at all, but medicine in general.
154 reviews
March 25, 2018
Funny and fulfilling

If you ever worked around a hospital, you know how important xray is. Well here is a book, told by Radiologists. Hear how the specialty developed, and some of the history behind the scenes. Great story
Profile Image for Matt.
146 reviews
October 24, 2024
It wasn't exactly what I expected, but still entertaining, insightful, and humbling. A reminder of some of the struggles that radiologists (and all healthcare workers) face every day.
Profile Image for Ashley.
51 reviews
February 10, 2026
Fast read. Stories were good. Would love a rad tech version!
Profile Image for Warren Benton.
499 reviews20 followers
March 2, 2017
Having a congenital heart defect I have been around a few radiologist over the years. I still don't have a grasp on their job. In this book Jourdan interviews radiologist from all over the country. Some stories are funny are like the man caught speeding on the way to work and he was wearing his Dark Adaptor glasses. Nowadays I am sure people would like the steampunk look of the glasses. Some stories are odd like various tools found up a rectum. Some stories are heart warm where the radiologist saw something on the film and in turn helped save patient's life.

One quote from the book that really struck a cord with me was "Doing $10,000 on a 98year old lady, I call the doctor and ask what are you going to do if the test comes back positive. The Doctor replies "nothing". Then why do the test?"

Radiology may one day be completely automated but until that time we have some great trained professions spending time in dark rooms just looking whatever ails us. Next time you are in with them, take time and get to know them.
Profile Image for Jan.
6,532 reviews104 followers
February 20, 2017
Much to learn and assimilate about the preparations for practice, problems and joys of the field, and historical perspectives regarding radiology/radiologists. My own perspective comes from having been a nurse in various settings over many years, but my time has been in the North Central US, and those interviewed worked in the Southeast US. This compendium is very well written and many who are not paramedical personnel should be able to benefit from the humane aspects as well as much of the humor. Bottom line is that I loved it! The publisher's blurb gives hints and there is no need to recap the book here.
Eric Martin proved to be an excellent narrator for this one.
I requested and received a free review copy from the publisher, author, or narrator courtesy of AudioBookBOOM.
Profile Image for April.
2,202 reviews60 followers
February 17, 2017

Radiologists at Work: Saving Lives with the Lights Off
: Carolyn Jourdan

This is a short collection of interviews with radiologists that shares with common public, in language that is understandable.The listener learns about early days in the field and progresses to modern practices. There are frightening, unusual, and a bit of humor in some of the stories.



The narration was well done by Eric Martin.



"I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator."
Profile Image for Allyson Dyar.
477 reviews61 followers
November 27, 2016
This book was a bit of history mixed in with the vignettes of radiologists at work.

While I enjoyed hearing from the doctors about their challenging cases, I really appreciated the more historical aspects of how radiology got to where it is now and how much the discipline has changed. In fact, I would have preferred if that was the focus of the book rather than the individual radiologists discussing their jobs.

It was interesting to note that radiologists are one of the few (if not only) aspect of medicine that doesn’t usually interact directly with the patients.

This was a quick read and well-worth buying if the subject is of interest.

I give this book at 4 out of 5 stars.
840 reviews
March 20, 2016
Kindle book -

Good short "stories" told by radiologists - a real indepth look at the profession.

Used to have to keep entire work day dark to so eyes would not have to readjust to the darkness to read the xray.

"Wisdom comes from experience. Experience comes from mistakes."

"Patients can reject tumor - you stimulate your own immune system to attack the tumor" - "these cases are mysterious - and miraculous."
"Many miracles are performed by people who are doing their jobs. Human hands are performing the miracles."
Profile Image for Bill.
597 reviews
September 21, 2016
Interesting short book with excerpts of interviews with many radiologists spanning over 60 years of changes and technological advancements. I was able to relate to much of the comments that were given.
1 review
December 8, 2015
A quick but engaging read. Vignettes from doctors of all ages and specialties give you a view into the complex world of radiological medicine.
Profile Image for Janet.
105 reviews4 followers
January 13, 2016
A short but yet profound insight into the closeted lives of Radiologists. I am in awe of these hidden doctors, what dedication. Well written, edited and formatted for kindle.
Profile Image for Monica.
911 reviews
February 6, 2016
Short stories from radiologists throughout recent times. Many touching stories and provided insight into this field in an interesting manner.
257 reviews1 follower
March 25, 2016
True stories of radiology over the years. Fun and interesting.
Profile Image for Linda.
428 reviews15 followers
March 30, 2016
Lots of little short stories from physicians telling their stories .
Profile Image for Tanya.
31 reviews1 follower
December 26, 2018
Very interesting book. Being a radiologic technologist I can definitely relate to a lot of the stories in this book! Very good collection of short reads. Loved it!
Profile Image for Beverly Laude.
2,367 reviews50 followers
April 5, 2017
I have been wanting to read this book since I first heard about it. I am a Veterinarian by training & radiology was my favorite subject. I have always been fascinated by the way it works, the history behind it & what type of person is drawn to study it. I am also an EMT & can relate to some of the injuries & stories that are told in this book.

This book is well-written & I like the way that Ms. Jourdan allows each radiologist to tell their own story in their own way. There is humor, there is disbelief & there are tears in their stories. There are some miracles along the way, too, which adds to the humanity of the stories.

You will laugh, you will cry & you will shake your head at some of the ludicrous things that are depicted here. If you are involved in the medical field in any way, you will love it. If not, you can still enjoy the stories that are told.

I look forward to reading more books in this series. Thanks, Ms Jourdan, for entertaining me!
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews