A Kernel in the Pod: The Adventures of a Midlevel Clinician in a Top-Level World

by J. Michael Jones

A Kernel in the Pod is a spellbinding autobiography about one man’s journey to becoming a Physician Assistant and carving out his niche in a--sometimes hostile--medical practice world. Michael Jones weaves a riveting chronicle that reads like an adventure novel carefully seasoned with hilarious anecdotes. The reader is transported from the hills of Tennessee, to the hills of Afghanistan; from a plush suburban sub-specialty clinic to a Third World slum; from the hot, dry, crowded streets of Cairo to the lonely backwoods of Michigan’s snowy Upper Peninsula and finally to a world class medical center. What is it like to practice medicine in America--legally--without having the abbreviation "M.D." after your name? Mr. Jones takes us on a very candid trip through the inner workings of the medical practice community and gives an in-the-trenches account of what’s it like to establish himself as a clinician in the face of what seems like insurmountable odds. It is a vividly told story that will delight not only midlevel clinicians and midlevel wannabes, but to everyone--be they caregiver or patient.

398 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 2002

About the author

J. Michael Jones lives with his wife, Denise, in Anacortes, Washington. They have five grown children. For 38 years, Michael had a career as a PA in neurology and medical care in the developing world. He has written over 30 articles in national and international medical journals and published six books including: A Kernel in the Pod, Why Your Head Aches, Waters of Bimini, Christina Athena; The Girl with the Headaches, Ristretto Rain, and his best seller, The Stones of Yemen. Follow him at: https://jmichaeljoneswriter.com/