On Call: Stories from My Life as a Surgeon, a Daughter and a Mother

By Ineke Meredith

Stories of life, death and bravery by a Kiwi female general surgeon

'Ruthlessly honest and viscerally beautiful. The book I wish I had read as a medical student.' Emma Espiner

The world of surgery is strange, messy and intense. From a man presenting with fishhooks in his stomach to being punched in the face by a patient, it's all in a mad day's work for a female general surgeon. Even with emergency operations in the wee hours and constantly being mistaken for a nurse, there are still moments of laughter and tenderness amid the chaos.

When Ineke's parents in Samoa fall ill, she becomes torn between her roles as a surgeon, a daughter and a single working mother, leading her to ask: are the sacrifices of a life in scrubs worth it?

This is an extraordinary memoir from inside the operating room about the heart it takes to survive.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1775542378
• ISBN13: 9781775542377
• Release Date: January 2025
• Publisher: HarperCollins Nz
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.83 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.0" x 9.2"