A License to Heal

This book effectively details “a perspective of the human experience” supported by Bentley’s reflections on the type of people and medical cases he treated, along with observations of his working environment, peers and colleagues.

Though he sometimes runs around what he’s trying to say; it’s clear Bentley has a point of view. He makes observations on how burnout, fear, incompetence, limited medical resources, frequent litigation and corporate overhauls have affected doctors’ ability to do their job. He describes how patient care (and even the patients themselves) differ between underfunded, small town, rural ERs versus big city ERs equipped with the best technology. He makes strong objections to the veterans’ healthcare system: “In my opinion, the Veteran’s Administration (now called the Department of Veteran Affairs) is an example of a good idea gone wrong;” and health care in general: “I grew tired of the constant e-mails from ‘corporate’ that I did not make them enough money during the preceding month.”

If you’re interested in a straightforward, unceremonious, no-frills account of life in the ER then this is the book for you — particularly if you have advanced knowledge of the medical field (there are lots of technical terms throughout). For general readers looking for something more emotional and insightful, you’ll find there is a disconnect. Bentley writes statically and dispassionately about very heavy topics: “There was my friend, cut open on a table with his chest lying on his face.” Though Bentley peppers personal details about his life throughout the book, he ultimately holds back and keeps things strictly on task: “I had just gotten out of an orphanage and gone to live with my father… he was not going to help me financially, but this is too much about me.” Knowing more about Bentley would be appealing, but he chooses to keep these particular reflections separate from his story.

With that said, Bentley does share beautiful moments that reflect the emotional vulnerability doctors face, like when he discusses some of the pediatric cases he worked on: “This OB doctor continue[d] to ventilate the now dead infant… I finally reached up and told him that he could stop. The infant was dead. He began to softly, quietly, cry. It was heart-wrenching to witness.”

A License to Heal: Random Memories of an ER Doctor is a very blunt account of life in the emergency room from the perspective of the medical staff. Bentley chronicles heartbreaking loss, triumphant recoveries and everything in between, including the emotional toll of trying to help others often on the brink of death. He even touches on the evolution (or devolution) of the American healthcare system. This book is exactly what it claims to be: a random account of one ER doctor’s experiences in the field.