In the Trenches

This book is about family and academic medicine. It's a memoir of sorts with story-telling and reflection, as well as a slice of life advice. The stories are true and accurate, with patients' particulars omitted of course. I talk about both positive and negative experiences and how they contributed to my growth and learning as a person while winding my way through the medical system. Some chapters are concise, others more detailed. I encourage medical and non-medical people to read this book. It's my hope it will shed light into our profession, and what we actually encounter on a daily basis. I should clearly state how fortunate I am to be in medicine, at the same time acknowledging how challenging the daily grind can be. The title is a metaphor to describe what it feels like sometimes to walk a day in the shoes of a family and academic physician. I hope not to be overly cynical but rather honest, not jaded but genuinely reflective, not a pessimist but a realistic optimistic. In the Trenches is thoughtfully told in a unique memoir style featuring short stories and lessons by Hamilton-based family and academic physician, Dr. Jason Profetto. The stories cover a wide array of scenarios from challenging patient interactions to the difficulties and abuse in medical school and residency, as well as life lessons surrounding sleep, nutrition, exercise, and more. Dr. Profetto has also included some profound insights from Dr. Emily Dewhurst, a former medical student of his and current family medicine resident in Ontario. She not only imparts her own experiences during her medical education to date, she courageously describes her past personal struggles with self-harm and mental health. As you can see, Dr. Profetto doesn't hesitate to dive into areas of medicine that few comfortably talk about and explore. He shares his journey in a genuine and honest manner, leaving readers with a tangible sense of what the day-to-day life of a dedicated family and academic physician is really like.