Informative Book to Read on the Medical Field?

[FranticDoc]

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Hi guys,

I'm currently in a gap year and wanted to read a book that will teach me specific aspects of medicine, healthcare delivery, etc, that will come in handy when I begin my medical studies. I currently don't have much clinical experience and am currently looking for such a position. However, in the meantime, I'm looking for a very informative read that will help deeply understand in and outs of the medical realm in general.

Any suggestions?

 

[Dr.Sticks]

Human Gross Anatomy
https://jet.com/product/product/72a...e573c1ad3b1a&gclid=CMusqcSz48cCFYyQHwodSKILtA

 

[lhooq]

"The Healing of America" by T.R. Reid does a good job of explaining the American health care system and how it compares to those of other countries.

 

[ndafife]

Just watch Scrubs.

 

[GCS-15]

Read books by Atul Gawande

 

[radicleee]

I just read Severed Trust, and it's good at providing a legal, historical and social background to why medicine is the way it is now.

 

[GonnaBeADocOneDay]

Forgive and Remember by Charles Bosk - great book about blame and how to decipher who is wrong or if there is anything else that could have been done differently in managing patients

The Lazarus Case: Life and Death Issues in the NICU- malpractice issues and ethical issues of neonatal care

 

[MrTaco92]

I second The Healing of America if you want to know more about the healthcare system, and then follow up on that book with The Healthcare Handbook.

 

[shapley]

Everyone has had great recommendations so far, I would definitely add The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down:... It's a standard one nearly everyone reads!

 

[danib2k15]

Although not pertaining to general medical knowledge - I read The Emperor of All Maladies by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee and enjoyed it. Great biography of cancer - reads like a story but also provides details about politics and how that contributed to and hindered medical progress. No need for any science knowledge though so that may be underwhelming for some. Also, quite Boston-centric because that is where he was at the time he wrote this (I believe).

 

[WedgeDawg]

The HealthCare Handbook is very dry but a quick read and very informative overview of American healthcare.

 

[starlite911]

Although not pertaining to general medical knowledge - I read The Emperor of All Maladies by Dr. Siddhartha Mukherjee and enjoyed it. Great biography of cancer - reads like a story but also provides details about politics and how that contributed to and hindered medical progress. No need for any science knowledge though so that may be underwhelming for some. Also, quite Boston-centric because that is where he was at the time he wrote this (I believe).

This is also a 6 hour PBS series now

 

[NotYou20]

House of God to scare you away from med school 😀

 

[Perrotfish]

Hi guys,

I'm currently in a gap year and wanted to read a book that will teach me specific aspects of medicine, healthcare delivery, etc, that will come in handy when I begin my medical studies. I currently don't have much clinical experience and am currently looking for such a position. However, in the meantime, I'm looking for a very informative read that will help deeply understand in and outs of the medical realm in general.

Any suggestions?

Depends what you're looking for

If you're looking for something to give you an idea of what medical training is like I recommend Intern (by Jauhur), hot lights cold steel, and the first season of scrubs. Atul Gawande is also supposed to be good, though I haven't read him

If you want stuff to make you sound like a well rounded physician, and to help you understand the patient experience, I recommend 'the spirit catches you and then you fall down', 'the diving bell and the butterfly', the coming plague, and everything Oliver Sacks has ever written.

If you want practice management stuff would recommend 'why hospitals should fly', 'how to win friends and influence people', and 'getting things done'.

Finally if you want to develop a skill now that you can take forward to make you a better doctor, I would make the reading list a second priority and instead recommend studying Spanish with a goal of getting as fluent as you can.

 

[danib2k15]

Forgive and Remember by Charles Bosk - great book about blame and how to decipher who is wrong or if there is anything else that could have been done differently in managing patients

The Lazarus Case: Life and Death Issues in the NICU- malpractice issues and ethical issues of neonatal care

Just finished reading The Lazarus Case after your suggestion - Thanks! Great book people

 

[Heisenberg 41]

Being Mortal by Gawande.