On Call (2004)

Medicine is often viewed as a cold, exact science with remote doctors who are quick to diagnose and move on to their next charge. Emily R. Transue puts a refreshingly human face on the profession in her compelling account of her years as a fresh-out-of-medical-school resident in On Call. With an assured voice and keen humor, Transue exposes quaking thoughts of ''I can't be your doctor.... I'm only an intern -- worse yet, I'm a fraud'' that lie just beneath the long white coat. From the odd sensation of smelling raspberry strudel while performing chest compressions to the delicate task of telling a patient that he is dying of lung cancer, Transue's empathetic, candid anecdotes prove that compassion still exists in a seemingly sterile practice.