Confessions of a Surgeon: The Good, the Bad, and the Complicated...Life Behind the O.R. Doors

As an active surgeon and former department chairman, Dr. Paul A. Ruggieri has seen the good, the bad, and the ugly of his profession. In Confessions of a Surgeon, he pushes open the doors of the O.R. and reveals the inscrutable place where lives are improved, saved, and sometimes lost. He shares the successes, failures, remarkable advances, and camaraderie that make it exciting. He uncovers the truth about the abusive, exhaustive training and the arduous devotion of his old-school education. He explores the twenty-four-hour challenges that come from patients and their loved ones; the ethics of saving the lives of repugnant criminals; the hot-button issues of healthcare, lawsuits, and reimbursements; and the true cost of running a private practice. And he explains the influence of the "white coat code of silence" and why patients may never know what really transpires during surgery. Ultimately, Dr. Ruggieri lays bare an occupation that to most is as mysterious and unfamiliar as it is misunderstood. His account is passionate, illuminating, and often shocking-an eye-opening, never- before-seen look at real life, and death, in the O.R.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 01/03/2012
ISBN: 9780425245156
Pages: 272
Weight: 0.50lbs
Size: 8.20h x 5.40w x 0.70d

Review Citations: Library Journal 02/15/2012 pg. 124
Reference and Research Bk News 04/01/2012 pg. 239