Dr. Jimmie Ashcraft will be doing a book signing Oct. 11 at 7 p.m. at the MonDak Heritage Center, Sidney.
“Reflections of a Country Doctor”: A Collection of True Stories Told by a Montana Doctor” has been released by author Jimmie Ashcraft, M.D.
What James Herriot did for veterinary medicine with his true-life stories of a country vet, Jimmie Ashcraft has done for rural primary care, taking readers into the trenches of rural family medicine. The author has collected stories from his 26 years of serving as a family physician in the rural West. The tales not only reflect Ashcraft’s experiences but mirror those of generalist colleagues practicing in rural areas across the country who also work under tough conditions, often with a minimum of equipment and personnel.
“Reflections of a Country Doctor” puts readers in touch with mothers giving birth to patients who need end-of-life care and everything in between. Ashcraft knew from the age of 12 that he wanted to be a doctor. He joined the National Health Service Corps after medical school and worked in Wyoming and then Sidney, where he planned to stay just one year. He practiced medicine there for 25 years. Ashcraft’s version of medicine sometimes is unorthodox as he strives to overcome ineffective staff, equipment theft and small-town attitudes, but the effort generally pays off for patients and their families. His stories, lovingly retold, offer lessons in the patience, concern and dedication found in the country’s best rural doctors.
“The Next Prescription: More Reflections of a Country Doctor” has also been released by author Jimmie Ashcraft, M.D.
In this sequel to “Reflections of a Country Doctor”, Dr. Ashcraft again tells stories from his years of treating patients. This new memoir features stories from his days as a youngster, pre-med and medical student, as well as more tales from his 26 years as a rural doctor. The stories range from Ashcraft’s smallest patients – newborn babies – to those facing end-of-life illnesses. The real-life accounts contain the power to move readers. A forward by his wife, Kay, offers her perspective on the life with a doctor.
The “Next Prescription” relays stories about close calls, like an ill-fated college chemistry experiment that led first to an explosion and then to a three-hour surgery; his damaged safety goggles and clothes were displayed for the next 25 years as a warning to students. Other stories are funny, such as the lady whose extreme abdominal pain proved not to be a gallbladder attack but produced a surprise of a lifetime – a baby boy. Ashcraft provides a gentle touch to heartbreaking tales, like a boy who dies on the operating table from anesthesia complications. Packed with as many cases as a television drama, this no-holds-barred book provides a fascinating glimpse into the everyday life of a doctor.
Dr. Ashcraft worked his way through college, overcoming a difficult childhood in a poor family in Montana. He was the first graduate from Eastern Montana College to graduate from medical school. He graduated from the University of Oregon Medical School. He served in the National Health Service Corps and spent 25 years as a family physician in Sidney. The retired doctor is a Lifetime Fellow of the American Academy of Family Physicians and served on the clinical faculty of the University of Washington Medical School for 30 years. He and his wife live in Montana and work with their foundation providing scholarships to high school graduates. He and his wife, Kay, have three grown children and six grandchildren.
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