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V.Q.E
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Was Great Britain of the 1980’s a welcoming place for a young man hailing from its former colony? How did the National Health Service exploit the vulnerable physicians from a newly independent and struggling India to fulfill its needs? What were the flaming hoops that a foreign physician had to jump through to further his professional career in the UK en route to a final destination in the United States? Read about all this in a gripping, event filled narrative- VQE- an acronym for the dreaded Visa Qualifying Exam, a grueling 2-day test that all foreign physicians had to pass to practice medicine in the United States.
This dazzlingly original book does not subscribe to any set genre. It is a unique chronicle that weaves the current events of those times with the memoir of a young foreign physician in an alien land to produce a piece of work that is informative, touching at times and entertaining in parts. It captures the despair, the hopes, trepidations and travails of this young man from a financially indigent India of the 1980’s as he charts his way through the land of his colonial masters and the innumerable challenges of this tumultuous period of his life: professional setbacks in the form of exam failures, joblessness as he moves from one part of Britain to another changing cities sometimes every two weeks in search of work; a cataplexic agoraphobia as he tries to come to terms with British racism on the streets. Meanwhile in the background a host of remarkable events are being played out- Lady Diana’s wedding, inter-racial riots and the British-Argentina war over the Falkland Islands.
The author graduated from a prestigious medical school in India and has practiced medicine in 3 countries-India, UK and US. He holds numerous postgraduate qualifications- he is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MRCP-I), a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and has a degree in Health Care management from Harvard University
This book will be an interesting and compelling read for everyone in general and physicians in particular.
Was Great Britain of the 1980’s a welcoming place for a young man hailing from its former colony? How did the National Health Service exploit the vulnerable physicians from a newly independent and struggling India to fulfill its needs? What were the flaming hoops that a foreign physician had to jump through to further his professional career in the UK en route to a final destination in the United States? Read about all this in a gripping, event filled narrative- VQE- an acronym for the dreaded Visa Qualifying Exam, a grueling 2-day test that all foreign physicians had to pass to practice medicine in the United States.
This dazzlingly original book does not subscribe to any set genre. It is a unique chronicle that weaves the current events of those times with the memoir of a young foreign physician in an alien land to produce a piece of work that is informative, touching at times and entertaining in parts. It captures the despair, the hopes, trepidations and travails of this young man from a financially indigent India of the 1980’s as he charts his way through the land of his colonial masters and the innumerable challenges of this tumultuous period of his life: professional setbacks in the form of exam failures, joblessness as he moves from one part of Britain to another changing cities sometimes every two weeks in search of work; a cataplexic agoraphobia as he tries to come to terms with British racism on the streets. Meanwhile in the background a host of remarkable events are being played out- Lady Diana’s wedding, inter-racial riots and the British-Argentina war over the Falkland Islands.
The author graduated from a prestigious medical school in India and has practiced medicine in 3 countries-India, UK and US. He holds numerous postgraduate qualifications- he is a Member of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland (MRCP-I), a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology and has a degree in Health Care management from Harvard University
This book will be an interesting and compelling read for everyone in general and physicians in particular.
224 pages, Paperback
Published October 1, 2018
9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
February 26, 2019
This is a slightly-dramatised memoir of a young Indian doctor's experience of working in the United Kingdom in the 1980s. Let down by a rather humdrum, cryptic title and nondescript cover, the book is in fact a very well-written, atmospheric read which details Gumaste's English adventure, which took him from Enfield to South Shields.
Never a great fan of the United Kingdom - Gumaste says he "detests" the country in the opening chapters - his observations on England and the English make fascinating, enlightening reading (for me, too, an Englishman!) and he has a great eye for pointing out period detail both within and without the medical setting.
Throughout this book you really feel you are there with Gumaste, standing awed and confused by the many elevators in Kings Cross Station or experiencing snow for the first time. You do get the feeling, sometimes, that he is perhaps overplaying his hatred for England and all things English: it becomes a kind of pose after a while which seems forced. Between the lines you get the feeling that those grim years also contained some of the happiest moments of the young man´s life.
His own experiences with skinheads and racism, both on institutional and individual levels, are eye-opening and frightening and make important reading.
The book is well-formatted and presented and, as Gumaste drives off into NYC in the final chapter, begs a sequel.
Never a great fan of the United Kingdom - Gumaste says he "detests" the country in the opening chapters - his observations on England and the English make fascinating, enlightening reading (for me, too, an Englishman!) and he has a great eye for pointing out period detail both within and without the medical setting.
Throughout this book you really feel you are there with Gumaste, standing awed and confused by the many elevators in Kings Cross Station or experiencing snow for the first time. You do get the feeling, sometimes, that he is perhaps overplaying his hatred for England and all things English: it becomes a kind of pose after a while which seems forced. Between the lines you get the feeling that those grim years also contained some of the happiest moments of the young man´s life.
His own experiences with skinheads and racism, both on institutional and individual levels, are eye-opening and frightening and make important reading.
The book is well-formatted and presented and, as Gumaste drives off into NYC in the final chapter, begs a sequel.
November 28, 2018
V.Q.E is written by Vivek Gumaste. A young physician lands in UK from India to clear the exam(Visa Qualifying Exam) You can call this book as a memoir or an autobiography.
I feel like I have eaten a gargantuan intellectual meal from which I hope never to recover. I have burned my brain batteries and am probably only fit to read a weekly magazine now.
I wish I could give Mr. Vivek Gumaste all the stars in the cosmos in my review but sadly I am only allowed five.
The first time in many years that I have stayed up late at night, curled up in bed, and read from start to finish an entire book and I finished the same within two days.
This book is an amazing insight into the life of a Doctor. It is set out in UK, and the book is written with simple words which made for easy reading.
A junior doctor from India lands in UK - struggles with his initial days. He must overcome lot of hurdles before getting a permanent job. We get a glimpse of the United Kingdom of 1980’s thru this book. The infrastructure is quite different compared to India and the climate, culture, Food, language etc. are totally different.
Apart from the story of his profession Vivek Gumaste gives us a clear picture about the important event of Princess Diana’s wedding and how people felt about it and also, we could get a glimpse of the rise of Thatcher. Overall this book gives a good description about the daily lives of doctors and their profession.
On a lighter note, a style in which the author is writing, and readers will be surprised at how many face-palm moments the doctors must deal with in their practice.
A light read...Enjoy
I feel like I have eaten a gargantuan intellectual meal from which I hope never to recover. I have burned my brain batteries and am probably only fit to read a weekly magazine now.
I wish I could give Mr. Vivek Gumaste all the stars in the cosmos in my review but sadly I am only allowed five.
The first time in many years that I have stayed up late at night, curled up in bed, and read from start to finish an entire book and I finished the same within two days.
This book is an amazing insight into the life of a Doctor. It is set out in UK, and the book is written with simple words which made for easy reading.
A junior doctor from India lands in UK - struggles with his initial days. He must overcome lot of hurdles before getting a permanent job. We get a glimpse of the United Kingdom of 1980’s thru this book. The infrastructure is quite different compared to India and the climate, culture, Food, language etc. are totally different.
Apart from the story of his profession Vivek Gumaste gives us a clear picture about the important event of Princess Diana’s wedding and how people felt about it and also, we could get a glimpse of the rise of Thatcher. Overall this book gives a good description about the daily lives of doctors and their profession.
On a lighter note, a style in which the author is writing, and readers will be surprised at how many face-palm moments the doctors must deal with in their practice.
A light read...Enjoy
March 23, 2019
Read the full review here: https://www.bookgeeks.in/vqe-vivek-gu...
April 4, 2019
Memoirs are an interesting genre in that they can take so many forms and appeal to their target reader for so many reasons. Some readers prefer memoirs by someone famous and not at all like them, whereas others like to read about a normal person who happened to have some interesting experiences. Some would prefer to read about someone a lot like themselves while other readers see the memoir as a way to better understand someone from a different country, culture, or otherwise different from the reader. For me V.Q.E. solidly fit in that last category.
The author, a relatively new doctor and native of India, wants to move to the US. He determines his best chance of accomplishing that is moving first to the UK where he’ll get more work and pass some professional testing. This approach will both provide more experience, making him more appealing to potential employers in the US, and also improve his odds of being approved by US immigration authorities. The struggle to prepare for and hopefully pass the tests is obviously one of the primary conflicts throughout the story.
Vivek’s employment, which consists of a series of short-term assignments in different parts of the UK, keeps the stress level and intensity of the story high in several different ways. His work environment, living arrangements, and job duties are constantly changing. He’s continually applying for the next temporary position, in danger of being out of work which also would mean nowhere to live since living arrangements (typically a dorm like room hid away somewhere on a hospital campus) are provided by the employer. Then we have the historical backdrop of the UK in the 80s which might provoke nostalgia for those old enough to remember things like the Falklands War and wedding bells ringing for Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Overall, I found V.G.E. to be both entertaining and enlightening in the glimpse it gave me into a different culture and way of life.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
The author, a relatively new doctor and native of India, wants to move to the US. He determines his best chance of accomplishing that is moving first to the UK where he’ll get more work and pass some professional testing. This approach will both provide more experience, making him more appealing to potential employers in the US, and also improve his odds of being approved by US immigration authorities. The struggle to prepare for and hopefully pass the tests is obviously one of the primary conflicts throughout the story.
Vivek’s employment, which consists of a series of short-term assignments in different parts of the UK, keeps the stress level and intensity of the story high in several different ways. His work environment, living arrangements, and job duties are constantly changing. He’s continually applying for the next temporary position, in danger of being out of work which also would mean nowhere to live since living arrangements (typically a dorm like room hid away somewhere on a hospital campus) are provided by the employer. Then we have the historical backdrop of the UK in the 80s which might provoke nostalgia for those old enough to remember things like the Falklands War and wedding bells ringing for Prince Charles and Princess Diana. Overall, I found V.G.E. to be both entertaining and enlightening in the glimpse it gave me into a different culture and way of life.
**Originally written for "Books and Pals" book blog. May have received a free review copy. **
January 18, 2019
Read more in my blog: https://theultimatereviewer586340888....
V.Q.E, written by Dr. Vivek Gumaste is a memoir describing his struggle to secure a medical career at the US. The young 26-years old physician from India decides to practice medicine at the US. But, it is not easy to get into the US as a physician because the applicant has to go through a rigorous, difficult Visa Qualifying Exam (V.Q.E).
For attending V.Q.E, he has to go to England and he thinks that it is a safe harbor for getting a temporary job and meeting his needs. So he goes to England and stayed there for over two years to clear this exam and based on his experiences during this period, he has written this memoir. One can easily relate to his ambitious nature and his struggles to overcome them midst of self-doubt and insecurity.
As soon as he lands at the UK, his struggle for accommodation, job, climate, and culture begins. For someone with a patriotic heart, the life in the UK, the country which gave you some unforgettable past with their invasion is not that easy to live with.
One thing I want to emphasize more is the racial discrimination he has been faced. The political atmosphere in Britain promotes this injustice and immigrants from Asia or Africa were subjected to racism at an extreme level. Leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Enoch Powell also used these immigrants as a tool for their political benefits. Further to this, his job at crime-dominated places like Hackney made his life even more miserable as he lived in constant fear.
This straight from the heart recollection which includes a message that whatever happens in life, be confident and patient and Victory will come eventually.
Overall it is a raw, intense tale with a powerful narration which will lighten up your day with its positivity.
This is the first book in 2019, which I will give 5 stars because it worths more than that.
V.Q.E, written by Dr. Vivek Gumaste is a memoir describing his struggle to secure a medical career at the US. The young 26-years old physician from India decides to practice medicine at the US. But, it is not easy to get into the US as a physician because the applicant has to go through a rigorous, difficult Visa Qualifying Exam (V.Q.E).
For attending V.Q.E, he has to go to England and he thinks that it is a safe harbor for getting a temporary job and meeting his needs. So he goes to England and stayed there for over two years to clear this exam and based on his experiences during this period, he has written this memoir. One can easily relate to his ambitious nature and his struggles to overcome them midst of self-doubt and insecurity.
As soon as he lands at the UK, his struggle for accommodation, job, climate, and culture begins. For someone with a patriotic heart, the life in the UK, the country which gave you some unforgettable past with their invasion is not that easy to live with.
One thing I want to emphasize more is the racial discrimination he has been faced. The political atmosphere in Britain promotes this injustice and immigrants from Asia or Africa were subjected to racism at an extreme level. Leaders like Margaret Thatcher and Enoch Powell also used these immigrants as a tool for their political benefits. Further to this, his job at crime-dominated places like Hackney made his life even more miserable as he lived in constant fear.
This straight from the heart recollection which includes a message that whatever happens in life, be confident and patient and Victory will come eventually.
Overall it is a raw, intense tale with a powerful narration which will lighten up your day with its positivity.
This is the first book in 2019, which I will give 5 stars because it worths more than that.
November 15, 2018
V.Q.E. stands for Visa Qualifying Exam, a rigorous exam taken by physicians to practice medicine in US in 1980's. The book seems like a part memoir and part biography of a young physician who goes to England to clear this exam. The physician being an Indian has to face a lot of difficulties since he lands up in the England of 1980's, the prominent ones were racial discrimination where white people often teased or troubled them by placing them in 'Paki' category, a slang word for the people who hail from Pakistan, Bangladesh and India.
Other than that the narrator has to keep working by filling locum positions (mainly in Geriatrics) to keep himself alive in England, and for that he traveled across England from good to mediocre to crime-dominated places like Hackney. The 1980's England was not a silent and soothing place to earn money or make career, especially for immigrants because leaders like Powell and Thatcher made them scapegoat to secure their political positions.
Apart from his personal struggle, in the backdrop many important events unfold like marriage of Diana, rise of Thatcher, war over The Falkland Islands and so on. I personally found the book very informative and moving and it is author's humour-rich narrative that explains the medical and political tension with smooth elan.
Give it a try and you will understand what kind of world lies abroad.
Other than that the narrator has to keep working by filling locum positions (mainly in Geriatrics) to keep himself alive in England, and for that he traveled across England from good to mediocre to crime-dominated places like Hackney. The 1980's England was not a silent and soothing place to earn money or make career, especially for immigrants because leaders like Powell and Thatcher made them scapegoat to secure their political positions.
Apart from his personal struggle, in the backdrop many important events unfold like marriage of Diana, rise of Thatcher, war over The Falkland Islands and so on. I personally found the book very informative and moving and it is author's humour-rich narrative that explains the medical and political tension with smooth elan.
Give it a try and you will understand what kind of world lies abroad.
December 27, 2018
Interesting read
Gumaste writes this non-fiction or memoir with grand details. The story outlines an Indian doctor, and the quest through the journey of being a doctor. Not just a doctor, but a doctor outside of his culture, outside of his country. The determination of this doctor to overcome obstacles and live his dream was tremendously inspiring. The details were raw and intense, and I enjoyed reading it. It was filled with a lot of information that didn't overpower the basis of the story. Gumaste writes this very well.
Gumaste writes this non-fiction or memoir with grand details. The story outlines an Indian doctor, and the quest through the journey of being a doctor. Not just a doctor, but a doctor outside of his culture, outside of his country. The determination of this doctor to overcome obstacles and live his dream was tremendously inspiring. The details were raw and intense, and I enjoyed reading it. It was filled with a lot of information that didn't overpower the basis of the story. Gumaste writes this very well.
April 29, 2019
An eloquent account of the trials and tribulations of an young medical graduate as he charts the course of establishing his practice in the United Kingdom. Laced with interesting facts and a lot of events in the background. A must read for Docs aspiring to go to a foreign land and everyone in general.
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February 22, 2020New Review in National Medical Journal of India Jan 2020
"What shines through in this narrative is the author's frankness and honesty in providing an unvarnished account of his time in the UK and his struggle to come to terms with his situation in every way. It offers a rare glimpse into the lives of Indian doctors when they moved overseas to greener pastures 40 years back"
http://www.nmji.in/article.asp?issn=0...
Midwest Book Review
"V.Q.E." is an engaging, thoughtful and thought-provoking read that will hold a special relevance for medical students and physicians in particular. While very highly recommended for both community and academic library biography collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, doctors, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "V.Q.E" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99
"What shines through in this narrative is the author's frankness and honesty in providing an unvarnished account of his time in the UK and his struggle to come to terms with his situation in every way. It offers a rare glimpse into the lives of Indian doctors when they moved overseas to greener pastures 40 years back"
http://www.nmji.in/article.asp?issn=0...
Midwest Book Review
"V.Q.E." is an engaging, thoughtful and thought-provoking read that will hold a special relevance for medical students and physicians in particular. While very highly recommended for both community and academic library biography collections, it should be noted for the personal reading lists of students, academia, doctors, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in the subject that "V.Q.E" is also available in a digital book format (Kindle, $2.99
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews