Attending Children: A Doctor's Education

by Margaret E. Mohrmann D

In a fast-paced, complicated, and evermore dangerous world it is easy to become self-absorbed and consumed with our own problems. There is one place, however, where we put our self-centered concerns aside, and our deep, common humanity is profoundly touched. That place is where sick children dwell.

It is no less difficult―and perhaps even more difficult in many ways―for physicians who have chosen to attend to the health and well-being of gravely ill or dying children. Margaret Mohrmann has devoted most of her professional life to them, and in Attending Children she shares the remarkable education those children and their families have given her. Her narratives are both painful and hopeful, tragic and funny, full of remarkable characters and sometimes bizarre families.

Mohrmann has sifted through her thirty years as a pediatrician, and with poignancy, humor, and uncompromising honesty, she shares her sometimes stumbling but always deeply caring journey through a land where, sometimes, small hands have to be let go too soon. She introduces us to not only the physical challenges she, her colleagues, and her patients encounter, but the spiritual ones as well.

Attending Children is a unique experience as Mohrmann takes the reader on a doctor's rounds over many years to meet the faces and the struggles, the heartaches and the joys of being a pediatrician. In the case of Margaret Mohrmann and her patients, no one could ask for better teachers.

Genres: Nonfiction

208 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2005

Reviews

[Beverly Laude · Rating 4 out of 5]

Attending Children: A Doctor's Education is an interesting book. Dr. Margaret Mohrmann shares her years of experience as a Pediatrician & how her patient's and their families helped her grow as a physician.

Often heartbreaking, these stories delve into the illnesses of children & Dr. Mohrmann's struggles to deal with their deaths. Anyone who wants to be a doctor should read this book; her insights into the term "attending" are essential for a good physician.

The narrator, Marie Hoffman, does an excellent job. This book is not for everyone, but as a medical professional, I thoroughly enjoyed it, even while it often brought me to tears.

[Ashlyn Orr · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly transformational! Gave such valuable insight into what it means to practice medicine, especially with children.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Inspired to be a pediatrician now. Meeting Dr. Morhmann in class was also super cool

[Allison Weatherly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Would recommend that every pediatrician read this book--I sometimes felt like I was reliving my own training as I read her reflections

[Cecelia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read my fair share of medical memoirs (and then some), and as they go, this is just okay. Some of the stories are captivating, many are not. The overlying theme (the different meanings of the word 'to attend,' as in an attending physician) is a bit of a stretch, but at times she includes a few two or three line reflections that are memorable. There are definitely better collections of medical stories out there.

[April the Librarian · Rating 5 out of 5]

An anecdotal book about a doctor's career treating children patients and their families.

[Alison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thoughtfully written book. Full of compassion and common sense

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love medical narratives, and this didn't disappoint. Very interesting, sad at times.

[Suzan · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Attending Children is a unique experience as Mohrmann takes the reader on a doctor's rounds over many years to meet the faces and the struggles, the heartaches and the joys of being a pediatrician." I think this is a wonderful book. It shows the heart and soul of a woman becoming a pediatrician. I really enjoyed Margaret Mohrmann doing the narrative too. I was gifted this book with the understanding that I would leave an honest review.