Having previously read, appreciated, and enjoyed Where No One Should Live by Sandra Cavallo Miller, I was eager to read her new book, Out of Patients. I was not disappointed in the book whose protagonist is a family practice doctor, Norah, 58 years old and a bit tired of trying to keep all the balls in the air at a Phoenix clinic that has five doctors, two medical students who need supervision, and some clearly quixotic patients. Miller does a great job of educating the reader about various medical conundrums and solutions. She also has a sly sense of humor which shows that being a doctor and diagnosing various illnesses is mostly a challenge. Miller does a great job of creating characters and intertwining their often impractical and unrealistic hopes for improving their health. And yet she is empathetic, understanding, and knowledgeable about their concerns.

One of the medical students is a problematic and Narcissistic future doctor whereas the other, who seems unlikely to flourish as a physician, turns out to be just the opposite. He makes improvement; has good, practical ideas about how to encourage well-being in patients; and is clearly set to be a successful doctor. Norah's 86-year-old mother is comedic, deciding she wants to spend more time with a much younger mailman. In the meantime, the plot, as they say, thickens. Some nefarious person is regularly writing nasty notes and sticking them under the windshield wipers on the cars of the clinic employees. At the same time, money is being siphoned from the clinic coffers, and no one is able to identify the thief or why he or she is stealing clinic funds.

Norah has rather recently broken up with her boyfriend, a laconic, would-be writer who seems to lack both ability and realistic goals for himself. At the same time, she meets a veterinarian and then a radiologist, both of whom are interested in her. We also become acquainted with her dog and then later on, another dog from the vet clinic that needs to be adopted.

To wit: this book really has everything needed to make it a great read: a cast of characters, both grumpy and supportive that balance each other; humor; a realistic portrayal of clinic employees; and a plot that thickens and is imaginative but realistic.I highly recommend it and am looking forward to Miller's next book.

Thanks to the University of Nevada Press and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and appreciate Out of Patients.

Dr. Norah Waters is thinking of retiring, she decides to go to a teaching hospital and supervise two medical students for a year, before she makes a decision. very interesting read.

This topic interested me, but I couldn’t truly get into this book. I found the main character’s dreariness and complaining rather draining and not enjoyable to read. I also wasn’t interested in many of the medical details, much of it feeling educational but actually just common knowledge. I found myself skimming a lot and about halfway through put the book down for good.

This book would probably be more interesting for someone in the medical field.

I very much enjoyed this book, especially the dogs. While I am not a physician, I completely understood Norah's disgust and disillusionment with the healthcare system in this country. I did feel the book was a bit too long and there were a few parts I didn't like (no spoilers but some people should reap what they sow). However, I found myself laughing out loud during a few parts. A charming read, something I might even consider reading again.

Out of Patients👩🏻‍⚕️🐕
Author: Sandra Cavallo Miller
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4⭐️
Pub Date: August 16, 2022

Definitely meant to post this on pub day this week, but you all know how life goes!

Synopsis: At 58, Dr. Norah Waters has been practicing medicine for over 30 years. She questions herself every day if she is ready for an early retirement. Feeling the burnout constantly, along with workplace drama, Norah gives herself until the end of the year to decide on retirement. On top of this, she is mentoring two medical students who couldn’t be more complete opposites of each other. Working through past struggles as well, Norah starts on a quest for self worth. Support from new friends along the way and her beloved dog, help her make the final decision.

What I Liked: As someone who isn’t into character driven stories, I actually enjoyed this one. It could be because I also relate more to Norah since I also work in the healthcare field and have felt some of the same burnout feelings she has. The writing style is humorous and clever. I also really like how the main character was always the main focus, any side characters were simply just on the side. The ending of the story is heartfelt and wraps the whole book up nicely.

Favorite Quotes:
- “Certain people simply make lousy patients, demanding and rude, regardless of whether they ride the bus [to see me] or drive a new Tesla.”
- “Those who don’t know the joy of returning home to a waiting dog simply haven’t lived a full life.”


Read If:
* You love character driven stories
* You work or have worked in the healthcare field
* You like a little humor in your books

Shoutout to all healthcare professionals for doing what you do! ❤️

Also, thank you NetGalley, the author, and publisher for an advanced copy!

Dr. Waters works in a teaching hospital. Her students are generally very receptive and eager to learn. Jeremy is the exception. He comes from a long line of doctors and is convinced he knows it all and is horrible to his physicians’ tutor. He has no bedside manner, poor interviewing skills, and worse charting habits. Dr. Waters considers him a danger to his patients and the medical profession.

This book exploits the inner workings of a teaching hospital and the terrific job these teaching doctors do for the medical profession. I highly recommend it as a valuable insight into the grooming of our medical profession. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Revealing the daily life of a busy general practitioner in the US is the subject matter for this book, especially the burden of all the administrative work. On top of this is a mystery surrounding nasty notes being left on the cars of some of the doctors. And then there’s the supervision of two medical students and interpersonal relationships.

I felt the author needed to decide which of these areas was going to propel the narrative forward. Instead she tried to weave all these threads together into a cohesive whole. This meant the mystery lost momentum and became an anticlimax as other threads took dominance. I enjoyed learning about a doctor’s duties aside from seeing patients but felt it could have been more dynamic if plotted differently.

Dr Norah Waters is about "Out of Patients" with her patients and her life. We get to see her consider retirement and at the same time introduce students to the world of medicine. I struggled a bit to get into this book and then enjoyed it. Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy in exchange for an honest opinion.

Norah Waters is tired. She's 58 and tired of being a physician, tired of dealing with her partners, and so on. Her dog Emcee seems to be her best friend. This novel is an intriguing look at the day to day life of a family practice where the patients don't always needs drugs or supplements but someone to listen to them. Norah's also mentoring two medical students- one of whom initially has trouble talking to patients and the other - Jeremy- is hateful, arrogant, and hopefully an unrealistic portrayal. It's Jeremy who introduces the topical issue of social media into the mix. There's also a love interest of sorts in the vet who treats Emcee. And her mother. This is awkwardly written in spots, especially when it veers into romance, but there's interesting insight. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. A good read.

I really enjoyed this book. Dr. Norah Waters is a family medicine doctor in a small clinic in Phoenix. In her late fifties, she is disillusioned with medicine, especially all the time spent doing records. The stress of mentoring a caustic medical student and dealing with mysteries like missing income and disturbing notes being left on her car are burning Norah out and making her consider early retirement. Her personal life isn't much better, as she recently broke up with her long-term boyfriend, but going home to her dog every night is a bright spot in her life. As she deals with the struggles life sends her way, Norah learns there are people she can lean on, and that change may be intimidating but it can also be positive. The characters are interesting and relatable. I like the author's writing style: the book flows smoothly, and the story caught my interest from the start and held it to the end. The story has a bit of everything: humor, drama, romance, mystery.

It's a compelling and interesting novel, humorous and poignant. I appreciated the tone of the narrator, never complaining and always adding a pinch of humour. The aged mother was my favorite characters.
It's a not a fast paced novel but it kept me hooked and turning pages.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I requested to read “Out of Patients” by Sandra Cavallo Miller. We meet Norah Waters, a committed doctor in her late fifties. Like many hard workers, she’s exhausted and approaching burnout and as a result, is contemplating retirement. Hence, the reader joins Norah on her journey to figure out what she wants to do with the next chapter of her life.

The novel is told through Norah’s perspective. Her narration has plenty of wit (and a hefty dose of self-depreciation). We also get to meet a colorful cast of characters including her spirited mother and the medical students she supervises. Of course, a protagonist who owns a dog always makes me smile. There are places where the plot thins out and it becomes more of a commentary of female primary care physicians, but overall, it was a good read.

Three and as half stars.

My thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for the privilege of reviewing this book.

I enjoyed this behind the curtain look at a late-career physician's life.
This book was funny and educational. Well-written and full of emotion. Plus dogs.

This ARC was provided to me from Net Galley in exchange for an unbiased review.

I guess I’m in the minority for this book, because I really just didn’t care for it. The writing style, the main character wasn’t like able at all, and it just meanders along. I’m sure there are many who will enjoy it, but sadly it wasn’t for me.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book, but my opinions are my own.

Dr. Norah Waters has been practicing medicine for more than thirty years. Norah is tired of the disgruntled patients, the paperwork, the work habits of her peers, and is questioning her next choices in life. What will she do if she retires? As she ponders these questions, she is tasked with supervision of 2 medical students. One, a shy doctor learning how to communicate with patients and how to portray confidence. The other student, a self-assured, condescending jerk who tries to put everyone down, including patients. The story was interesting, especially the narrative about the patients and their conditions. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance review copy in exchange for my honest review.

A bitter hypocrite of a doctor wants to quit her job (yet argues that more people should become doctors....) in this awkwardly written novel, which is still in the needs-developmental-editing phase. The writing shifts oddly from active to passive voice and from a kind of memoir-like, off-the-hip factual tone and the kind of bland writing that generally sets up mystery novels. There's a lot of telling rather than showing, and the characters are stereotypes whose language is also inconsistent. Not a fun read.

I found this book really hard to get interested in and even more difficult to stay engaged with. The story line was not linear enough for me but it may appeal to others.

Out of Patients by Sandra Cavallo Miller is about Dr. Norah Waters, who, after practicing medicine for more than thirty years in the sweltering suburbs of Phoenix, is weighing her options. She wrestles through a surprising assortment of obstacles, sometimes amusing and sometimes dreadful, on her way to making a final decision about her future.

The story involves depression and how depression affects the characters. I enjoyed reading about everyday life in medicine. However, the story started off very slow and read slowly in parts.

I loved the Arizona setting, and the dogs were a great addition to the story. The telephone calls with Norah and her mother were extremely realistic and added a great touch to the storyline.

This was the first book I read by this author. I enjoyed this story and would recommend it. I may check out other books by this author.

#OutofPatients #NetGalley @UNVPress

Have you ever wondered what it's like to be a family practice physician in this day and age? If so, this is not to be missed!

Dr. Norah Waters, at age 58, is wondering about her life choices. Working as a partner in a local clinic in Phoenix, she is fed up with everything. A bit bitter and a lot overwhelmed with all of the job responsibilities, she wonders if it is time for her to retire. Trying to juggle the staff, mentor two medical students, see her patients, attend a volunteer medical school admissions committee, and wonder why her accounts billable seem to be tanking are taking her to the edge. Is she burnt out and crispy done or does she still want to continue. All she knows is that something has to change.

Told in the first person, I fell in love with Norah. Her narrative voice, the humor, and her acerbic comments on just about everything really rang true. I loved all the medical and clinical details and enjoyed her interactions with the other characters in this novel. As a registered nurse, I could really appreciate the situations Norah found herself in and could relate to so much of how things have really changed in the practice of medicine over the last couple of decades. This book has a lot of heart and the reader understands that only an author such as Sandra Cavallo Miller has the credentials and experience to write it with such authenticity.

I've read and loved all of this author's previous books and eagerly await the next one. Thank you to NetGalley and University of Nevada Press for this e-book ARC to read, review, and recommend.

Maybe 3.5 stars. I think if you know very little about medicine, especially family practice medicine, this book will be interesting. But I am a retired nurse that spent most of my 30+ years in a family practice clinic. I absolutely loved it. I felt like we got to see a little of everything. This book is mostly about Dr. Norah Waters. She is a +/- middle aged family practice physician. She borders on burnout and loving her job. The extraneous things that happen in Dr. Waters life- both professional and personal- make this book closer to 3.5 stars. I would read another book from this author and I will recommend it, probably to some of my nurse friends. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read an advance copy for my honest review.