Anesthetist Ed Patrick is injecting some humour into his profession by releasing a comedy book about becoming a doctor.
The stand-up star, who worked in an ICU during the pandemic, hopes to emulate the success of former doctor-turned-comedian Adam Kay who wrote the best-selling memoir This Had Got To Hurt, which is being turned into a BBC sitcom.
Ed told MailOnline many doctors have a ‘dark sense of humour’ which helps them deal with tough times, which is why the medical profession has been a breeding ground for comedy stars.
Comedian: Anesthetist Ed Patrick is injecting some humour into his profession by releasing a comedy book about becoming a doctor
Ed says: ‘I think there is a dark humour going through all doctors, it’s just a natural release of tension from the situations you find yourself in.
‘It’s like a coping mechanism. If anyone finds themselves in tough situations they just need that outlet, and if you don’t have that release, you’ll start feeling down pretty quickly.’
Comedians including Harry Hill, Simon Brodkin (aka Lee Nelson) and Phil Hammond had backgrounds in medicine before turning to stand-up comedy.
But Ed, who studied medicine at the University of Aberdeen before landing his first job as an anesthetist in 2016, has the extra relevance of documenting his time working on a Covid ward in his routines, when anesthetists were drafted in to assist with the sheer level of patients in ICU.
Inspired: The stand-up star, who worked in an ICU during the pandemic, hopes to emulate the success of former doctor-turned-comedian Adam Kay
He explains: ‘Anesthetists are experts in looking after people’s airwaves and not all doctors are trained to do that.
‘So if an emergency hit, and somebody stopped breathing for themselves or something went wrong with the ventilator, we would be needed in those critical instances.’
In his new book Catch Your Breath, he describes how he worked 13-hour days on a grueling rota, with little or no release from the stressful nature of the job.
Plus, he also recalls some laugh-out-loud moments, including the time a group of school children got the shock of their lives walking past his house following a night shift.
He explains: ‘We kept this sterile area in our porch where I would come in, undress, and place all my PPE in a bucket and then head straight into the shower.
‘But the first time I did that following a night shift, I took off all my clothes but the door into the house was locked, and I suddenly found myself naked in a porch with windows facing the outside.
‘Here I was a fully grown man, butt naked, knocking on the door pleading for my girlfriend to let me in and it just so happens a group of school children walked past at the same time, wondering whether or not to call some authorities.’
Coping mechanism: Ed told MailOnline many doctors have a ‘dark sense of humour’ which helps them deal with tough times
Ed has spent the past few years making a name for himself on the comedy circuit, performing at the Edinburgh Festival and also hosting the Comedians’ Surgery podcast featuring guests including James Acaster, Joe Lycett, Rose Matafeo and Reginald D Hunter.
The comedian hopes to increase his profile further by appearing on panel shows over the next 12 months, but he’s not intention of quitting medicine.
Indeed, Ed believes she can continue to combine his two passions.
He says: ‘I’ve always had the dream I could do both and I think we’re in a time now where people recognise you have a life outside of medicine which wasn’t always the case.
‘And also, there is a realisation we don’t have enough doctors, so we don’t want to lose doctors, we want to keep them.
‘The NHS have given me flexible training so I can accommodate all these working arrangements as well.
‘I can manage it at the moment, but I don’t think it would have been the case 10 years ago.
‘They used to expect you to drop everything, your social life, and just concentrate on the job.’
Career: Ed has spent the past few years making a name for himself on the comedy circuit, performing at the Edinburgh Festival and also hosting the Comedians’ Surgery podcast