I’ve skimmed through the book and reviews. Many of the reviews from practicing physicians mention different experiences, and physician friends have mentioned different experiences as well. This leads me to believe that it is not a good representation of all physicians, so it would present a biased view for aspiring pre-meds, much more so than focusing on what is common among a larger group instead of experiences of a single person who sounds like he went into medicine for the wrong reasons. Some specific comments about the book are quoted below:
*“I read this book and was profoundly disappointed by it. Dr. Jauhar seems to work in a very small world of status-seeking and business-minded physicians. He does not at all represent the hard-working, dedicated doctors who work in primary care, as I do in pediatrics, and really look after patients with the genuine care and concern that is so needed in modern medicine.”
“As a physician, I was eager to read Dr. Jauhar’s book. As a primary care physician in private practice, I was a bit appalled by what I read. While I do agree with Dr. Jauhar’s musings on the state of medicine, his portrayal of private practice doctors was disheartening and not consistent with my experiences.”
“A layperson who reads this book might assume that most if not all doctors engage in this behavior. As someone in private practice who started his own ophthalmology solo practice last year, I can assure you that this is entirely false; I do not order unnecessary tests, perform unnecessary surgery or refer for the sale of referring. Perhaps I am naive but I find many (but not all) physicians behave the same way as I do.”
"This is a most odious book that surely does not speak for most American physicians. These are the reflections of a man having a breakdown because he hates his job and his profession. "
“What seems clear is that Dr. Jauhar went into Medicine to please his parents, and to try to keep up with his older brother, not because he really wanted to. It seems like he lacks “the calling” and nothing short of accolades and more money will make him happy.”*