Accepted; need advice book on transitioning to med school

[onthevirge]

Entering med school is a new chapter in our lives (pun definitely intended ). Now, can anyone suggest any advice/ how-to/ help books that are good to help with the transition from Ugrad to an MD program? I have an engineering background, so I would prefer more "explicit" books (more direct, textbook-esc) rather than "artsy" books.

I'm particularly looking for books on topics such as (but not limited to):
- transitioning into the professional MD mindset,
- current difficulties for young physicians,
- definitions of common medical terms (eg. incidence vs prevalence),
- commentaries on current problems & ethical dilemmas in medicine,
- etc.

Advice?

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[202781]

I think that
"Better" might be a good book for you to read. I think it is by Dr. Atul Gawande.

Probably not going to help you transition to medical school but I think it gives some great insight into the mindset of a physician and life as a doctor

 

[nlax30]

Not really sure you're going to find a more "practical" style book that covers what you're looking for. Actually, some of those topics you mentioned (mindset, ethical delimmas, etc...) aren't necessarily things that would prep you for med school, and even so don't lend themselves to an explicit/textbook type of style.

You'll be getting a LOT of people telling you to enjoy your time off, go on vacation, visit friends/family, etc... and I'd say the same thing. It's cliche but no matter how much my friends in med school would describe school to me, there was just no way for me to grasp it until I started and figured out for myself what I needed to do to be successful.

That said, if you REALLY need some guidance I'd say look into some practical books that deal with things such as time management and efficiency. The biggest thing for most people is probably the amount of material that is going to be constantly thrown at you. It's not that it's technically hard, just staying up to speed with your reading/studying and not falling behind can be huge issues. So maybe resources dealing with time management could help.

I guess if there was a book that taught you how to speed read and memorize everything quickly then that would be worth looking at, but sadly no.

I like those books like "Better" that was mentioned above, as well as "Complications", "How Doctors Think".... but I would say they'd be in your "artsy" category. Good reads about the profession in general, just not something that's meant to prepare you for med school.

 

[LizzyM]

What you are looking for is actually part of the curriculum at many schools (incidence/prevalence, ethical issues, etc).

 

[kac714]

med school confidential is good. part of it is getting in, but most of it is adjusting. written in part by actual med students.

 

[FutureTexasMD]

I like those books like "Better" that was mentioned above, as well as "Complications", "How Doctors Think".... but I would say they'd be in your "artsy" category. Good reads about the profession in general, just not something that's meant to prepare you for med school.

Funny you mention these books. I just read Better and am currently reading How Doctors Think. Next on the list is Better... I really enjoy Gawande's style. Btw, I got great deals on both of them through amazon. Anyone have some other suggestions?

 

[LizzyM]

Well, I read a nice book called "Eleven Blue Men", good luck finding a new copy of it, the book was written like half a centry ago, but it was an amusing read even if you don't understand the diseases yet.

"Eleven Blue Men" is out of print and used copies are rather expensive (try your university or public library) but you can buy "The Medical Detectives" by Berton Roueche which includes "Eleven Blue Men" (it is an short-story like essay) and other stories of diagnostic investigations from the 1950s-1980s. If you like House, MD or the crime scene investigation shows, you'll like this book.

 

[SouthernSurgeon]

Complications by Gawande is better than "Better", IMO

Also try "cold lights, hot steel" by Michael Collins (corny title, I know)

Others include "When the air hits your brain"

I'd recommend House of God, but you're probably not ready for it.

 

[johnsmith777]

What you are looking for is actually part of the curriculum at many schools (incidence/prevalence, ethical issues, etc).

you mean the same courses that most med students hate going to because of all the politically correct B.S. we have shoved down our throats?

 

[LizzyM]

you mean the same courses that most med students hate going to because of all the politically correct B.S. we have shoved down our throats?

I've never heard that there is anything politically correct about clinical epidemiology -- that's where incidence & prevalence are covered.

Is there something "politically correct" about behaving in an ethical manner with patients and as a physician within society? If you think that what you are being taught is just "political correctness" then maybe you need a different school or a different profession. Case in point, many years ago I had a student tell me that he did not believe that he had a duty to provide care in any circumstances to any patients with HIV. He argued that such patients could put his life and the lives of his family members (wife and kids) at risk and that he could not take that chance. That the guy thought that he would know who had or did not have HIV or that he could pick and choose during clerkships and residencies, and his ignorance of absolute risk just caused me to shake my head.

 

[LizzyM]

Perri Klass wrote Not An Entirely Benign Procedure about her experience as a medical student at Harvard Medical School in the 80s (she is now a NYU teaching pediatrics and writing!) You can find used copies at low prices.

She also wrote Treatment Kind and Fair: Letters to a Young Doctor. It just came out last summer & I haven't seen it but the reviews are very good and it is priced <$15.


This reminds me of Richard Selzer's Letters to a Young Doctor. He is a surgeon (now retired) and writer. The book is decades old & still in print and widely available second hand, too.