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Ebook Details
  • 01/2015
  • 97815-7661178 B00SZEVOG2
  • 413 pages
  • $7.99
Richard Houck
Author
9781507661178
“Assume the Position: Memoirs of an Obstetrician” will place the reader in the shoes of an Obstetrician and Gynecologist with years of clinical experience and training. It will also place the reader in the same stirrups as patients in my office, listening to the trials, tribulations, joys, and fears expressed to me. Most people would assume that sitting on the stool where I have sat for many years has given me a unique view of life. However, I would argue that it is walking in my once white wooden clogs that have taken me through thousands of childbirth experiences, countless patients who have been seen in some of their most vulnerable stages of life, a multitude of surgical procedures – that it has been these steps, one by one, that have afforded me the privilege of learning everything that I have had occasion to learn over the years about the human condition. They are indeed well worn clogs, stained with all kinds of humanity, that have carried me for years from one patient to the next, one human story after another, and have allowed me the opportunity to play a small but at times significant part in the life of many women. It is to all these women, many of whose stories are recounted herein through vignettes, that I am indebted for the trust that they have placed in me over the years.   All women wonder what other women experience when they see their OB GYN physician. All men wonder what his girlfriend or wife will be subjected to when exposed in front of their ‘Gyno’. The stresses and strains of a busy professional life on an Obstetrician Gynecologist are revealed in intimate, true detail. The story begins after early retirement from one of the busiest group practices in Phoenix, Arizona and a move to the beautiful high alpine ski town of Telluride, Colorado, after an ultimatum from my wife. From there the story continues to the depths of Africa to explore women’s health care in a small country with some of the worst obstetrical and neonatal outcomes in the world. Timely topics subsequently discussed include office life, operating room experiences, the medical malpractice crisis, abortion, the family life of an obstetrician, labor and delivery, night life, the business of medicine, Obamacare, managed care, and life after private practice. Each chapter is punctuated with true, unfiltered vignettes, laughable, joyful, fearful, and tearful, that can only be found in the life of an OB-GYN physician as he goes throughout his day. I am an actively licensed, American Board Certified Obstetrician Gynecologist. A graduate of Princeton University, I was trained at two of the top medical institutions in Philadelphia, after which my wife and I picked up our East Coast roots and moved to begin anew in the desert of Arizona. After 21 years of private practice, involved in all aspects of practice management and women’s health care and research, I chose to leave it all behind and begin a second career in expert witness medical malpractice testimony, and then a third career as a medical director. Travel with me as you walk through my life in my shoes. It has been an interesting journey, indeed!
Reviews
Amazon book reviews

As a gynecologist/obstetrician, "Assume the Position: Memoirs of an Obstetrician and Gynecologist" was recommended to me as a book I'd enjoy reading. I did indeed savor the frank discussion of the author's choice of his specialty and more importantly his evolution from an intern/resident at a teaching hospital through a practice which eventually touched the lives of thousands of women, maintained their confidence, and provided them with the joys of child bearing and enriched their lives. A memoir is a very personal statement of whatever has been meaningful in one's life or career. Frequently a memoir fails to connect with the reader because it lacks universal appeal. That's definitely not the case in this memoir. Houck has expressed himself through his own experiences, but each episode is replete with events that are meaningful to women seeking and receiving their health care from a specialist who is able to convey the excitement, the personal involvement, and the sensitivity that should be the gold standard for any obstetrician/gynecologist. Houck is right on target. Exciting events were real and not overly dramatized. He readily points out that in this specialty one must always "expect the unexpected". The author is candid about his own family and their life experiences beyond medicine. Once again, he is able to reach the reader in the earnestness of his motives and puruits. Certainly his missionary time in Africa and his move to Telluride held this reader's interest and created an element of suspense about what this guy is going to do in the next chapter in his life. The author displays a joie de vivre which transmits the sense that life is not a dress rehearsal. It should be lived to its fullest and with commitment and expertise every step along the way. The book was excellent reading for me. It tore me away for 24 hours from the book I was originally reading and enjoying (Anna Karenina) and enabled me to review my own experiences as an obstetrician/gynecologist who has trained students, interns, residents and fellows during my 50 years of an academic career and public service. If my own trainees can express themselves professionally as the author has, I would be extermely proud. Undoubtedly women will also savor this book because of its applicability to their health and its candor.

Amazon book reviews

I write to praise the author not because he and I are old friends, but despite my obvious bias. It is a writer's cliche to promise an "inside" look, but the author definitely delivers here! Rick Houck's experience and observations are compelling and if you've ever had kids, or are thinking about having kids, this is a book you must read. You'll get an understanding of how a professional at the top of his game viewed parents and babies, and what he saw from the other side of the doctor-patient relationship. It's a fast and fascinating read, very informative about every aspect of medical training, including the business side. I salute my friend for having the courage to tell his story in such personal terms, warts and all.

News
05/15/2015
#1 Best Seller

Assume the Position: Memoirs of an Obstetrician and Gynecologist was recently listed as the #1 best seller Ebook on Amazon.com in the Obstetrics and Gynecology category.

Formats
Ebook Details
  • 01/2015
  • 97815-7661178 B00SZEVOG2
  • 413 pages
  • $7.99
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