181
people found this helpful, as of 2023
ranked #189,515 most helpful
out of 571,544,897 reviews
★★☆☆☆
Good, but too many medical inaccuracies
The characters, relationships, mystery, and drama of this book are all great. I wish the author would have consulted an actual physician before she made up a bunch of medical plot lines that are grossly inaccurate.
1. No one works two to three jobs in medical school, it's hard enough just to pass all your classes. Medical students who don't have rich families just loan everything and end up hugely in debt at the end.
2. Neurology and neurosurgery are two completely separate fields with completely separate residencies. Neurologists don't do surgery. And while they work closely together, a neurologist would have treated the sister with meningitis, not a neurosurgeon.
3. Nurses either work in the OR or in recovery, not both at once.
4. Family history is key in the diagnostic process, but rarely affects treatment. Occasionally it is important in providing screening to other family members. It would not be necessary to run around town to find the identity of someone's grandfather to improve their prognosis.
5. Major hospitals with expertise in pediatric subspecialties are rarely located in towns too small to have a hotel. And where exactly would all these people who "fly in from around the world" to see a premier neurosurgeon stay?
