A Life of Breath

Brilliant & ESSENTIAL read for all young medics & nurses with an interest in pursuing a career in respiratory medicine. It is informative, funny, sad & searingly honest & laced with gut wrenchingly poignant true stories from the coal face, during covid through the eyes of a young, seriously gifted & talented junior dr including many humorous escapades & stories, which are the lifeblood of a young dr’s medical journey. I myself worked as a nurse in The NHS & can vouch for it’s authenticity. It is a pacey, unputdownable, easy read also for those non/ medical folks. Thank you Dr Jamie for all your hard work & dedication. This topical account of life on the wards:/ hospital during covid would transfer beautifully to a TV series.

This book is definitely unexpected. The funny almost Sid James inspired humour intermingled with the differences between the medicine in the 80s to covid times and the change brought about by this I laughed and cried along side the good doctor. I can’t wait for the next book in the series’s. Well done Dr Rob Niven for the light hearted endearing book.

From beginning to end this book had me wanting to read more. Reading from “Jamie’s” early days as a doctor to becoming a registrar has the reader believing they are joining him for the ride. Has the reader crying both with laughter and frustration at many parts and I really enjoyed it from the minute I started reading it. Can’t wait to read the (hopefully!) next books in the series.

An endearingly humorous crossover between Carry On Nurse and Angels (the TV Programme in the late 70s early 80s) sees the tale of the young Dr Jamie Carmichael thrown into the deep end at the beginning of his doctors training in a series of gritty Northern hospitals.

The book time hops between the early 80s and the accepted norms and practices of the time, and 2020 when Covid19 hits and all hands to the pump as the tide-wave crashes into the northern NHS hospital which Jamie was due to retire from.

Navigating his way and dealing with the raw realities of the ED and being on call in those early days, the long shift patterns, the relentless challenges as a young medic who whilst beginning his professional career, experiences a whole new sexual awakening as his life is opened up to parties, dinner parties and the social interaction and sexual freedoms of the early 80s that some of his new colleagues introduce him to.

Yep, I’m having that because I think it’s just the sort of thing you lot back then would do lol!

Oh, what a funny tome!

Can’t wait for the next one.