A Doctor’s Aim
Surgeon Peter McDonald uses the ‘F’ word liberally when he looks back on a career spanning more than 50 years in A Doctor’s Aim - Memoir of a London Surgeon.
He reflects that the ‘sights, the smells, the misery and the sad times’ are eclipsed by the privilege of helping people and the enormous ‘Fun’ he has had along the way.
This ranges from working in a mission hospital in Africa and delivering babies in Venezuela to working as an expedition doctor in the Indian Himalaya and researcher in America.
The 70-year-old still scrubs up several days a week but enjoys passing his experience onto medical students advocating they should get more life experience before committing themselves to a career in medicine.
Peter worked on several continents before settling at Northwick Park working first as a colorectal and then general surgeon.
“I wanted to be a doctor since I was a boy. I used to watch a TV show called Emergency Ward Ten and imagined myself being one of those earnest doctors talking about how they could help their patients over coffee.
“The reality turned out to be somewhat different but I feel extraordinarily privileged and I still enjoy the immediacy of surgery and the results it brings. Most of my colleagues are retired but it doesn’t appeal to me.”
Peter enjoys wielding a pen as much as a scalpel and A Doctor’s Aim is his fourth book.
So, what advice does he offer young doctors after a lifetime in medicine?
“Enjoy what you do, keep an open mind and don’t keep things bottled up. I can’t stress how important it is to share how you feel with loved ones, friends and colleagues. It is the best remedy when things aren’t going to plan.”
A Doctor’s Aim: Memoir of a London Surgeon by Peter McDonald is available through Amazon.