Reading recommendation

I don't rate Adam Kay's books at all. In fact, I don't think I have yet read a book that comes close to describing the work accurately. They also suffer from time-slip and so don't necessarily reflect modern practice or conditions in secondary care.
What is more important is that you read around health topics and keep up to date with them in my view and start developing some interests in some aspect of the latest research.

Do you think they're still a valuable read in any way? I've got This is going to hurt sitting on my desk so 😭
Also, what about the books do you find innacurate regarding the work in medicine?

I haven't read all of his books. I remember picking one up in the library and skimming through it. I got to the the bit where he is involved in some kind of surgical procedure and a medical student who is with him faints and he writes so flippantly that it's carried off as some kind of strange or hilarious happening. People can faint in theatres, it happens to a lot of people. It's neither a reflection of them nor anything unusual or weird. And yet in the book, it's passed off as humorous? Or is the reader supposed to be shocked? Traumatised maybe? I don't know.

I'm not in favour of writing about patients in this way and that is ultimately what these authors are doing. It erodes confidence in the professionalism of doctors and the professionals working in healthcare. And even if someone did faint in theatre, there was a patient there as well, which is the sole consideration at the end of the day. That person does not expect to be a nameless addition to anyone's book.

For similar reasons, I am not a fan of 24 hours in A and E or similar shows. As with many books, they paint an unrealistic picture of reality in ED because only the soupy and more broadcast-worthy parts are televised and so it doesn't reflect an average shift.

I've read other books, too, probably for the same reasons you want to. You want to gain insight in something that is hard to gain insight into. I forget the titles but in reality the theme is the same. They outline a case, talk about some details and then hope there is enough shock value or whatever to make it readable. That's just not me. Whilst I would talk both legs off a donkey when it comes to cases I have experience of, this would only be for the purposes of furthering the education of myself or my peers. This is what we all do: we are on a relentless quest to acquire more knowledge to better equip us for the next patient we encounter.

I guess the simplest explanation is that I don't find these books funny. I don't find them shocking and I don't find them enlightening, so why would I read them? A lot of such books are authored by people who have left clinical practice or retired and with the pace of change in medicine it's not long before a page is flipped in clinical practice as it adapts over time.

Honestly and truthfully, I think for those just about to consider ascending the first steps into medical education, they would in truth be better off asking as many people as possible about their health (provided they are willing to do so, of course) and get hold of an old textbook or an older edition of the Cheese and Onion and gently learn about the conditions you're going to learn about as you press onward to the MLA. Charity work or working for people like the Samaritans would give you all the insight you could possibly ever need to begin with.

I broadly agree with the sentiment of your post, but I will politely disagree with your assessment of This is going to hurt.
This is going to hurt is very humorous and I can see how you might find it insensitive. However, the main takeaway I got from it is more one of devastation and tragedy. Plus, it certainly doesn't paint a very flattering image of being a doctor, which does a lot to remove the rose-tinted glasses many prospective medical school students might have about the profession. I would agree with you that reading This is going to hurt is not how you'll get a factual and correct impression as to how a doctor in the 21st century is, but it's a starting point. I don't think I have defended it very well just now, but when I read it for the first time it provoked a very strong reaction in me, that the first thing I did when I finished reading it was read it again. And then I laid down and pondered for hours about what becoming a doctor actually meant. Before that book, I was pursuing medicine more or less on autopilot, it was what I wanted to do and I gave little consideration to what this would actually mean or entail, like most 16 year olds at the time. That book jolted me into actually thinking and reflecting about what my life will be like if I choose to go down this path, and trying to find out more info for myself from other sources - so I started reading news articles, started attending chats with doctors to learn more from their experiences and ask them questions, etc. And for that reason, the curiosity it triggered in me and the drive to learn more, This is going to hurt has been one of the most impactful books I have read in my life. So, well worth a read, in my opinion.

I have not read this book in it's entirety (nor any other like it) but I can't help but feel something is very wrong if 16 year olds are not starting down this path without their eyes fully open. I know there are now many work experience placements on offer to a lot of people but I do wonder what it is these are offering.

If the vocation is relying upon it's true meaning to be imparted to the next generation in a book, well, I suppose that just about makes sense given the present state of affairs.

I'm not sure I would term the book insensitive. I can't think of another way to describe it right now. I didn't find it humorous though, I know that much.

16 year olds aren't precisely famous for their forethought and capacity to properly think things through. In a way I think it's too early to know or properly consider everything you ought to before starting out medicine. So to me, starting down the medicine path without knowing everything, but putting in the work to find out and learn more, so that you know what you actually will get into when you submit your UCAS application, is enough. And obviously you don't get your vocation from just reading a single book, nor rely on the one thing to know what you're getting yourself into - you go and do different things to complement each other to get a fuller picture. As you say, other options like the online work experiences exist, and they are a great way to learn more, but they tend to gloss over the negatives, which I feel are extremely important to know in all their ugly truth. Or at least they did a number of years ago.