No apparent distress : a doctor's coming-of-age on the front lines of American medicine

by Rachel Pearson

Hardcover, 2017

Status

Available

Genres

Publication

New York : W.W. Norton & Company, [2017]

Description

In medical charts, the term "N.A.D." (No Apparent Distress) is used for patients who appear stable. The phrase also aptly describes America's medical system when it comes to treating the underprivileged. Medical students learn on the bodies of the poor--and the poor suffer from their mistakes. Rachel Pearson confronted these harsh realities when she started medical school in Galveston, Texas. Pearson, herself from a working-class background, remains haunted by the suicide of a close friend, experiences firsthand the heartbreak of her own errors in a patient's care, and witnesses the ruinous effects of a hurricane on a Texas town's medical system. In a free clinic where the motto is "All Are Welcome Here," she learns how to practice medicine with love and tenacity amidst the raging injustices of a system that favors the rich and the white.… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member JanaRose1

As a medical student, Rachel found herself constantly working on poor and underprivileged patients. She quickly began to realize that these patients were greatly affected by the inadequate care and treatment that they often received. However, if it wasn't for the students, many of these patients

wouldn't receive care at all. Caught in a horrible catch-22, Rachel did the best she could, going above and beyond what was expected of her as a student.

This was a fascinating look at the behind-the-scenes of medical school and medical care. The .book made me examine an issue that I didn't realize exist. Overall, well written and powerful. I highly recommend this book.

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LibraryThing member CherylGrimm

A very timely telling of the terrors of today's medical opportunities to the less privileged. Through her schooling and clinic volunteering, Pearson experiences the heartbreak of having to let people suffer due to not having the right insurance to get them the needed care. Doing all she (and her

comrades) can to help those in need, it leaves an abyss of what can actually be done. I was surprised that she admitted to a number of medical errors she made in her training, but applauded her frankness. This book was a real education for me, as I really had no idea just how bad it is out there for the uninsured or even under-insured. I guess the Hippocratic Oath is as passe as looking up from your cell phone to say "Hello."

Can copies be sent to Congress?

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