Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years

This is a well-written and highly polished memoir about an Orthopaedic surgeon's four year residency at the famous Mayo Clinic in Minnesota. Dr. Collins is a good writer, giving the impression that he poured his heart and soul into this text: it's funny, at times sad and gruesome in parts, but again, reading about the training surgeon, one gets the distinct feeling that these men and women, having to run through the depths of hell to finally get qualified, must be born to the task - or simply masochistic by nature.If this memoir is to be believed, and there's no reason why it shouldn't, every nightmare story that you have heard about the four-year residency is absolutely true. It's astounding that these people manage to survive - the tortuous long stretches on their feet saving lives, sometimes reaching 60 to 70 hours is nothing less than miraculous. Treating patients day and night, constantly worrying that you'll screw up, taking peoples lives in your hands could send the most grounded individual around the bend - in some cases it does, but for the most part, these people get through to become qualified surgeons, as did Dr. Collins, but through a lot of blood sweat and tears.Hot Lights, Cold Steel reads like a novel, as the characterization, structure of the plot and the pathos, the utter sadness of some of his cases, and the joy and exhilaration of his successes, had me just as enthralled as any top selling thriller. Dr. Collins has a gift for description as he illustrates the amputation of a limb, including a section of the patient's pelvis, in such detailed imagery, that it became difficult to read. He also has a great sense of humour, which I believe is so necessary to survive in this profession.One of the more terrible of the Dr.'s experiences was the attempted resuscitation of a six year old boy who had been run over by a drunk. Collins and the ER staff did everything humanly possible to save the child, but his injuries were too severe. The undeserved death of innocence is hard to take, and it affected the attending staff in a big way. This was also terribly difficult to read. Then there was the young kindergarten teacher who just came in because of a slight pain in her hip, to discover her entire skeleton was riddled with cancer, unfortunately she died six months later. After reading about these cases one realizes that life is fleeting and fragile, and should never be taken for granted.I have always had great respect for those in the medical profession, but this book has doubled that respect and opened my eyes to their tenacity, courage and skill. This is a great book and is highly recommended.

Orthopedic residency is a crucible from which a medical or osteopathic school graduate emerges with the tools, both mental and physical, to serve their patients. It is a test of intelligence, coordination, endurance, and integrity. Michael J. Collins pulls back the curtain, allowing an all-access look into the grueling five years of post-graduate surgical training. I experienced orthopedic residency at a different institution but the experience was the same. The story is told from the perspective of one who went through it before the current work hour limitations on residents, however I doubt much has changed. Residents still make the same personal sacrifices and have the same drive to master orthopedic knowledge and skills in those precious few years. Collins has written a classic.

Hot Lights Cold Steel is a satisfying surgical memoir. It deals primarily with Dr. Collins' time as an orthopedic surgery resident at the Mayo Clinic.Dr. Collins does a good job of showcasing the pressure put upon him. Replacing hips is not easy, we learn, because mistakes can sever nerves or do other damage.Society expects surgical residents to survive on meagre pay, but Dr. Collins has a family to take careof as well. His path to resident included a stint as construction labourer.If you are contemplating medicine; the sooner you read this book the better.

I enjoyed the stories about the doctor and his classmates so much. I had a grandfather that was a doctor in the early 1900's so I gravitate toward doctor books. I barely knew him so I guess i am interested in what his job was like as he went through med school and learned how to be a physician. I found Hot Lights, Cold Steel to answer many of those questions. The author was humorous and a wonderful story teller. I was so engaged with this book that I hated to stop reading each night to go to sleep. If you like doctor books, you will love this one!!

Michael Collins is a born story-teller.It doesn't matter if you aren't interested in medicine or if you don't intend on becoming a surgeon. Collins is not here for that. He does not fill his book with medical jargon or complex diagrams. He doesn't go into long descriptions as to how the body works. Collins does not focus on the minutia of his career, but rather, how it has impacted him and his life.It is not simply a tale of a surgeon going through his residency. It's a memoir of a man's coming of age and his indomitable will. It's a testament towards human suffering, human imperfection, and Collins' journey that despite all of this, he must endure and prevail.Collins' good natured humor does not mesh well with the rigors and sadness of his everyday losses. He tip-toes the wire of life and death with a crack whip wit and a challenged sense of compassion. The reader will laugh at the everyday absurdity of his life, feel uplifted by his victories and growing skill as a surgeon, and will feel their heart utterly break as Collins mourns the death of his patients. His pain is real, and it bleeds through the prose.It is clear that Collins poured his soul and mind into writing this book, and it shows. This is not a tale of someone hoping to shine the light on the medical profession, or show what being a surgeon is like. Collins is past that. Instead, he writes a book that details his journey from a wide-eyed medical student into a hardened chief resident, and the effect it has had on his psyche.You will laugh, you will cry, but ultimately, this book is unforgettable. It is touching, uplifting, and heart-breaking, and I will never forget reading it.

What a book! I was captivated throughout and loved every minute I spent reading it. It's also inspired me to pursue a career in medicine.

Good

The author is a good storyteller with a knack for keeping one on the page and interested. He gives us a look at the stamina and mental toughness needed to become a surgeon, although I believe that since his training, resident programs have become more humane, leaving patients less vulnerable to human error by sleepy physicians in training.The author capably gives us an understanding of the internal struggles he faces during his training, in dealing with catastrophic injury and a sometimes unfair system. I could have done without the sophomoric humour sprinkled throughout the book which would have been more suitable to a boys high school locker room. Underlying this, it is obvious that there were no female residents in the orthopedic program at the time who had to listen to these guys prove they were men. Indeed, women surgeons in any specialty are still too much the rarity. So, minus the obligatory clicheic nonsense, the author is a good writer with an important story to tell. I admire his ability to practice medicine, write and raise twelve children. Or maybe I admire his wife more!

I loved this book! The author uses a great voice to write with and shows the true life of what it is like to get through medical school and work with the real life medical drama of the world. You will laugh, cry, groan, and tell everyone you are around about the stories that he tells. There were even times I wish I knew him so I could have helped him get a better car! He shares family life and struggles along with personal and professional ones. This book is a keeper and if you like medical stories, or learning that a doctor is just like the rest of us normal people, you will love this book!

An excellent read!! Told in an unhurried but exciting manner with great descriptors and details (some may be a bit 'gory'--but hey, I'm a nurse, so not bothered). Michael Collins is a natural storyteller and the book is well planned, laid out and organized. His honest, interesting story of the progression of a surgical resident through four years of practice in a specialty is compelling. I would enthusiastically endorse Hot Lights, Cold Steel to the reader who enjoys non-fiction with a medical/hospital theme.