This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor

Adam Kay provides a chronological account of his medical career through verbatim diary entries written between 2004 and 2010. The narrative follows his progression from house officer to senior registrar, primarily within the National Health Service’s obstetrics and gynaecology wards. Kay documents the reality of ninety-hour work weeks, the physical toll of bodily fluids and sleep deprivation, and the constant threat of litigation. He details specific clinical procedures, the administrative failures of the hospital hierarchy, and the traumatic surgical complication that eventually led to his resignation from the medical profession.

Healthcare professionals and students read this book to find a candid representation of the institutional pressures and personal sacrifices inherent in clinical practice. The text offers a blunt perspective on the emotional labor required to manage patient expectations while navigating systemic underfunding. Readers finish the book with a technical understanding of the UK medical training system and a realistic view of how high-stakes environments affect a practitioner's mental health and domestic life. It serves as a stark testimony to the human cost of working within a collapsing public health infrastructure.

Practical and clear-cut; an easy read.

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