Surgeon Paul Ruggieri Tells All in New Book
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Most of us only deal with surgeons when we're unconscious. From there, we may see them for those brief moments they flash in and out of our recovery rooms, and it's all business.
But now the veil, or rather mask, is lifted.
Paul A. Ruggieri, MD, a general surgeon who lives in Rumford and practices in Fall River, MA, has written a new book about the world of surgery, how surgeons are made, and what trades they make with their own senses of empathy to be able to cut into and attempt to cure patient after patient. The book, Confessions of a Surgeon: The Good, the Bad, and the Complicated...Life Behind the O.R. Doors, is widely available in local bookstores, at Barnes and Noble, on Amazon, and downloadable on Kindle and Nook.
GoLocal caught up with Ruggieri between readings, signings, and surgeries, to chat about this inside look at a little-seen medical world.
Surgeons tend to be pretty busy people. What compelled you to take the time to write a book about it?
I have been wanting to write this book for several years now. I have been wanting to write an honest, raw book about what I do, feel, and see every day so the public can have an understanding of the complexity of what surgeons do, and how human we are. I have also wanted to educate the public about being more active in finding out about who their surgeon actually is. In 2010, I attended a Harvard course on writing for physicians. There, I pitched my thoughts to an agent who loved the idea. I subsequently put together a book proposal, which he shopped around. Penguin publishing wanted it so I had to write it. I just disciplined myself to write something every night until it was completed.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTDo you feel that medicine is fairly or unfairly treated by non-fiction writers in general?
I think medicine is, overall, fairly treated by nonfiction writers. Many authors who write nonfiction medical books are physicians themselves, with very unique insight into the world of medicine.
You discuss your training in the book as moving you into a world of caring for the solution, not always the patient. Do you think surgeons need to be differently trained?
Not so much. I trained in a different era then the surgeons coming out of training today. My training had no work restriction rules and was ruled by surgeons who trained during an even harsher era. Many of my mentors just passed along to us what they went through. Today, the training of surgeons is less exhaustive and more geared toward improving their quality of life.. in addition to learning how to be a safe surgeon.
What did writing this book show you about your work, yourself?
The writing of this book made me look deep inside myself and face many of the human traits that make us vulnerable to our emotions. Often the rigors and time constraints of my work will not allow me to face my emotions on life, death, losing a patient, or inadvertently harming a patient. It made me understand and accept my human imperfections. In the end, writing this book was very therapeutic.
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