HAVE YOU EVER WONDERED what it would be like to become a family doctor? Are you interested in the National Health Service in the 1980s and 1990s?
Join Dennis on his work experience for a taste of general practice in North Wales. You can sit in on my surgeries. You will meet lots of patients and learn about their illnesses. Valerie Vaughan has suffered with almost every symptom you can think of. Carole Crosby always wants definitive treatment, immediately. Tim Chapman is dying of liver cirrhosis. Ethel Austin has severe heart failure. Then there’s Phil Davies, Max, Neil Plummer, Nathan Preston, and many more.
Everyone seems to think Dr Lois Lewis is fantastic. She will demonstrate her own approach to patient care. It’s a little different to mine. She will also show you how she deals with some common emergencies.
Lois’ explanatory notes, at the end of each chapter, will tell you more about a selection of the conditions you have come across.
I have no doubt that you will enjoy getting to know Mrs Andrea Jones, the practice manager, and the rest of our staff. You could spend a day in reception with Penny Harris, Sandra Thompson and Betsan Rogers, but I wouldn’t recommend it. They are usually rushing around with hardly the time to take a breath. Doing a blood pressure clinic with Harriet Hughes, our nurse, is likely to be much more relaxing and useful.
Hani and Sabi, the medical students, start their placement in November. No doubt they will be overflowing with enthusiasm. To be fair, the students always cheer us up. Even the patients enjoy seeing them. There is nothing better than two medical students to brighten your day.
This book is based on Dennis’ record of some of the patients he has seen over the last three years. I’ve tidied everything up for him and tried my best to make the whole thing presentable. As Dennis’ sense of humour is on the weaker side, I’ve also added some of my own jokes.
Lois has double-checked that all the medical information is correct and up to date.
Amanda Summers designed the cover and has provided thirty three colour illustrations.
READ SAMPLE
Happy New Year!
Friday 1st January 1988
At home, 1:00 p.m.
My name is Dennis Dennis. I am thirteen years old. My dad is Dr Desmond Dennis. He is a family doctor. He wants me to follow in his footsteps. He says that his job is very satisfying.
I don’t really fancy becoming a doctor. I have tried to tell him, but he doesn’t listen. The more I resist, the more he tries to persuade me.
The other day I told him that I was thinking of becoming a sports journalist and he said that he had arranged for me to spend some time in the surgery: a bit of work experience.
Hot little children
Wednesday 6th January 1988
Morning surgery, 11:00 a.m.
‘The whole population seems to think that every child needs to see a doctor every time they get a temperature. I have had enough of seeing hot little children this week.’ My dad was looking quite hot and bothered himself. It had been a busy few days.
‘The parents are just worried about meningitis, Dad.’
‘Your mother and I never took you or your brother to the doctor when you had a temperature, Dennis.’
‘Yes, but you’re a doctor, Dad, and Mum’s a nurse.’
‘Well, I never examined you and, in fact, your mother never actually checked your temperature.’
‘You didn’t examine me, even if I was really ill?’
‘I don’t think you were ever really ill, Dennis.’
‘What about Declan? Is that why he had a burst appendix? Was it because you didn’t examine him?’
‘No, Dennis. I have told you and your brother this lots of times. Declan had typical symptoms of food poisoning. No one would have suspected appendicitis.’
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FREE SHORT STORY – TURNING A BLIND EYE
In 1990, whilst she was working as a junior doctor in Portmere Hospital, one of Nisha Bukhari’s patients, a Mr Bryn Price, died. The initial investigation carried out by the Doctors’ Licensing Authority suggested that Nisha may have been negligent in the care that she provided for Mr Price. It was decided to refer Nisha to a fitness to practise tribunal. ‘Turning a Blind Eye’ is a description of the hearing seen through the eyes of my son, Dennis.
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ABOUT AMANDA SUMMERS
I asked Amanda to illustrate my book because her characters are brilliant. You can immediately see that they are real people with real problems.