Out of Patients
They say a career in medicine is among the most fulfilling pursuits a person can undertake. That as a physician you will enjoy a lifetime of rewards and respect, that the sacrifices are worth it.
They're wrong.
Take this afternoon. Things weren't going great and I felt a headache coming on, that familiar nag. Getting enough sleep usually kept those headaches at bay, but sleep had become elusive.
Even though old Ana Merriweather's appointment said she had a hip problem, within one minute of saying hello she wept softly and crushed my hand in a grip worthy of a stevedore. Some of these elderly ladies with tissue-paper skin and feathery white hair have the steely clamp of a welder's vise when they get upset.
RELEASE in AUGUST 2022!
Reviews & endorsements:
An astutely sensitive depiction of life as a physician … a companionably agreeable novel laced with lightsome humor … readers will appreciate the genuinely sharp insights into the often burdensome world of private medical practice.
A perceptive … tale about a physician's daily struggles.
– Kirkus Review
"Readers will enjoy Miller's sense of humor and her marvelous dialogue. . . . [S]he really understands the world Out of Patients is written about. She did a terrific job."
—Phyllis Barber, author of The Desert Between Us and Raw Edges: A Memoir
"Out of Patients has a good narrative with enjoyable, full characters and an interesting plot. It is well-paced and Miller provides interesting turns of phrase throughout. This is very good writing."
—Leslie Greenberg, MD, FAAFP associate professor, family medicine residency, assistant program director, University of Nevada, Reno School of Medicine
From the STFM journal Family Medicine:
"Family medicine educators could use this work with learners ...Where No One Should Live is a charming window into family medicine and public health, disguised as a fun read well-suited to any book club. The same can't be said for many nonfiction medical works. As [Miller] says in her dedication, "Family physicians do everything. They do it all, all the time."
-Kirsten Winnie, MD
Fam Med. 2022;54(8):653-654.
"If ... you want to know what doctors really do–and what they really think of you: Welcome to Out of Patients (pun intended)."
--Tom Scanlon, Hark Valley Bulletin
https://harkvalley.bulletin.com/sandracavallomille