Everything But The Medicine - Lucy O'Hagan

Candid insight into the life and work of a general practitioner

Wise, candid, brave and moving, this superbly written memoir by a New Zealand GP is reminiscent of the warm wisdom and humanity of the American physician and writer Atul Gawande.

Over her long career Dr Lucy O’Hagan has developed deep insights into the profound but often complex relationship between patients and doctors.  Reading about her own struggle with what it means to be a truly useful doctor is both fascinating and absorbing.

From working with people living on the margins and her own burnout to her efforts to better serve her Māori patients and the humour that’s sometimes needed to get through the day, she keeps her eye on one key question: What is it to be a good doctor in this place?

Author Bio - Lucy O’Hagan entered Otago Medical School in the first class to be half female
and graduated in 1988, the year of the Cartwright Inquiry.  She has studied the sociology, anthropology and philosophy of medicine, as well as narrative practice.  Lucy has been a rata hauora general practitioner for over 30 years in a huge wide of contexts: rural tourist town, shearing gang clinics, urban iwi-run services and clinics for the homeless.  She currently works in a predominantly Māori Pasifika practice owned by Ngāti Toa Rangatira in Oratoa Cannons Creek in east Porirua.

She has mentored GP trainees for over 20 years, including teaching consultation skills and reflective practice. A playwright, actor and conference speaker, her monthly column has appeared in New Zealand Doctor magazine since 2017.  In 2024 she recorded Waiting for Covid, stories written during the pandemic.