Confessions Of A GP - Dr Benjamin Daniels

A year in the life of Dr. Benjamin Daniels as a GP. He openly lists his reasons for going into medicine and then fills the pages with some very humorous stories. Mixed within those stories is the odd rant at the NHS or people's perceptions of it.

I picked this book up because I loved those similar by Max Pemberton and then the Paramedic tales by Tom Reynolds. Unlike the others this one is slightly confusing. It's supposed to be a year in the life of a GP and yet mixed with those stories are tales from medical school and his time in hospitals. There is no linear structure. I would be okay with this if there was any other structure to it but there isn't. The stories themselves appear to be in no order. If they were from a blog such as the Reynolds book that would maybe make sense but they aren't. Just randomised thoughts and that bothers me a little. Mind you, that maybe says more about me than the book.

For the most part the stories are very funny and it is worth a read. It's also a bit of an eyeopener as to how people see their family GP. For me it's a chore. I need to be almost dying to go and I honestly can't remember when I last went. I have had more hospital visits than doctor visits (and those are rare too). Lucky me you might think but people seem to visit their doctor for a chat. It came across that GPs are more like a community councilor than a doctor. I am sure this may irritate some and feel that it is a waste of their time but this is certainly not the impression I got from this author.

There were of course a couple of rants mixed in there. I dare anyone to be able to write about your place of work and not have a single rant. The rants though are rare and for the most part they aren't really aimed at the NHS itself. I did find a few of them dull and I confess I skimmed some of those.

Overall I did like the book. It made me chuckle and it was a light read. Not as good as Max Pemberton or Tom Reynolds as with those I did learn something. Now all we need is a nurse to bring out a book with their tales. I am sure that would be just as (if not more so) interesting.