The Intern Blues

January 1, 1989
A New York pediatric geneticist, Marion ( Born Too Soon ) bases this thought-provoking, informative account of internship on diaries kept by three pediatric interns, two men and a woman, whose adviser he was at an unidentified hospital. They recall their transformation into experienced physicians, their initial panic, depression and doubts about the profession, their chronic exhaustion and the disruption of their personal lives. They dealt with often-fatal accidents and illness; with fetus-like premature infants and babies infected with AIDS; pregnant, disturbed, drug-addicted or VD-infected teenagers and hysterical, abusive parents; and often-hostile staff members. They criticize the internship program's applicant selection and assignment procedures and rotation system, and the long shifts which they aver adversely affect the intern's efficiency and judgment. At year's end, they mostly express relief that their internships are over.