ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Richard Sheff, MD is a family physician with over 30 years’ experience in medicine, including serving in hospital leadership and consulting with hospitals and physician organizations throughout the country on their most difficult challenges. Recognized as a “doctor’s doctor,” respected medical author, and nationally acclaimed speaker, Dr. Sheff has dedicated his life to healing patients and healing healthcare.
GUEST POST
Title: The Long Journey
May 1, 2011
From a young age, I had always been complimented on my writing. Those compliments, however, had been for expository pieces (essays, term papers, etc.), not narratives. I was told my writing had clarity, marshaled complex ideas into well crafted arguments, and was easy to follow. That’s why I was surprised to find it so hard to write the book that eventually became Doctor Confidential: Secrets Behind the Veil. By the time I completed my training in medical school and residency as a family physician, I had a fire in my belly to change the world. My weapon would be a book about that training, a piercing expose of all that was wrong with how we train physicians and take care of patients, as well as a celebration of the very best of medicine. But my first attempt to write the book I saw so clearly in my mind was sophomoric. It lacked a compelling writer’s voice. I set the project aside, thinking I would come back to it in six months and try again. The year was 1984.
After several more false starts, the book finally began to come together. I found my writer’s voice, and the words started to flow. The year was 2003. Much had happened in the intervening years. I had changed. The stories I had wanted to tell with such fierce polemical intent could now be told with a wisdom I had not known possible. I forced myself to write in a manner that fulfilled the dictum “show, don’t tell.” And I developed a much deeper appreciation for the writer’s craft. It took three years before a first draft of the book was done, and another five years for that draft to develop into the book that’s just become available May 1, 2011. Finally, finally, it is the book I had always wanted to write. It has been worth the wait.
ABOUT THE BOOK
In the hushed stillness of a late night hospital room, confronted with a dead patient and an ethical dilemma, Dr. Sheff wonders, “What’s love got to do with medicine?” The answer he finds for himself in that darkest of hours, and now shares with all of us in Doctor Confidential, is “Everything!”
From the unique perspective of a nationally respected, mature physician, Dr. Sheff reflects deeply on the formative experiences of medical school and residency, giving the reader unexpected insights into the heart and mind of doctors, the experience of patients and their families, and ultimately the connection between love, medical practice, and the healing we all seek.
The unique stories in Doctor Confidential speak directly to anyone in medical training or considering a career in medicine, but also to the patient in all of us. Pulling back the veil of secrecy that too often surrounds medicine, Doctor Confidential provides compassion, humor, and ultimately hope that, when sick and most vulnerable, each of us can be heard, understood, and deeply touched by our physician.
THANKS TO REBECCA AND THE SUPER
PEOPLE FROM THE CADENCE GROUP,
I HAVE ONE (1) BOOK TO GIVE AWAY.
CLICK HERE TO BRING YOU TO
THE GIVEAWAY ENTRY PAGE
DISCLAIMER
I received a copy of this book, at no charge to me,
in exchange for my honest review.
No items that I receive
are ever sold...they are kept by me,
or given to family and/or friends.
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