Dr. Michael J. Collins

A Mayo Clinic orthopedist recounts his tumultuous four years as a surgical resident, describing dramatic cases during which he was forced to make life-changing decisions for his patients and moonlight at a local emergency room in order to earn extra money. Reprint. 20,000 first printing.

Life, Death and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon's First Years

Hot Lights, Cold Steel

It looked for a while like Michael Collins would spend his life breaking concrete and throwing rocks for the Vittorio Scalese Construction Company. He liked the work and he liked the pay. But a chance remark by one of his coworkers made him realize that he wanted to involve himself in something bigger, something more meaningful than crushing rocks and drinking beer. In his acclaimed first memoir, Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Collins wrote passionately about his four-year surgical residency at the prestigious Mayo Clinic. Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs turns back the clock, taking readers from his days as a construction worker to his entry into medical school, expertly infusing his journey to become a doctor with humanity, compassion and humor. From the first time he delivers a baby to being surrounded by death and pain on a daily basis, Collins compellingly writes about how medicine makes him confront, in a very deep and personal way, the nature of God and suffering—and how delicate life can be.

Dr. Michael J. Collins

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