Why I hate Dr. Nick Trout

As some of you may know, I'm putting together a book proposal about my veterinary experiences. I've been planning it since last summer and I'm finally finished.

Now it's the waiting time. Waiting to see if anyone is interested.

Hello? Anyone?

As part of my proposal, I had to find out about my competition. Books that are similar. Books that someone might pick up instead of mine and for that, I had to do a little research.

I came across a book by Dr. Nick Trout called Tell me Where it Hurts. Broadway Books. 2008.

It tells the story of one imaginary day at Angell Animal Medical Center in Boston where Dr. Trout is employed as a staff surgeon. Although the day is fictionalized, the cases are quite real.

Why do I hate Dr. Trout? Because this is one very well written book and I'm just a little bit jealous!

Dr. Trout does a great job at leading us through his chaotic and stressful day. He starts off with a bloated Shepherd at 3 a.m. and has to deal with frustrated owners, perplexing cases and inexperienced interns.

One of the main reasons why I loved this book so much was because Dr. Trout is able to convey in a very eloquent way what being a veterinarian is like. To me, it was very comforting to know that someone else feels the same way I do.

One of the most important lessons I have learned has been to quietly and privately savor every small victory, every subtle moment of success, every surgical decision that went my way, every animal that leaves the hospital feeling better, to wallow in it and to file it away on a dusty, neglected shelf in a tiny library in your mind. It is not about being self-absorbed, it is about learning to absorb the professional and emotional bumps and bruises that fill our working days because for every impossible fracture that comes back together, every cancer in remission, every paralyzed dachshund that scampers out of your office, you are only seconds away from a dozen anxious phone calls, oozing incisions, dirty margins, and bones that prefer not to heal. These are not disastrous, they are not failures, they are a normal consequence of what we do, but somehow their impact has more weight and longevity, like a loudmouth or a bully shouting over the fading whisper of success and lingering like an echo.

This book is worth checking out if you want to read about the challenges that a veterinarian can face in his/her daily duties. There are a lot of emotional highs but as Dr. Trout points out, there are some deep lows too.