I am a medicine junkie. Medical shows (House, Grey's Anatomy), documentaries (Diagnosis), and books … I love it all!
Even though summer is coming to an end (and we're about to kiss our free time good-bye!), I wanted to share a list of my favorite books about medicine.
Side note: Even though we don't have a lot of free time, I have found that reading a little bit for fun before bed helps me wind down to go to sleep. Way better than staring at my phone like I used to do!
Anyway, these books are in no particular order (because ranking them was just too dang hard!). Also, I'm pretty sure that all of these books are $15 or less, so it won't break the bank for us poor college kids to read a few.
Every Patient Tells a Story
This book was actually recommended to me by PA students when I was interviewing at the school I am currently attending! Apparently it was strongly encouraged to read by one of the professors, and it sounded amazing. Written by Dr. Lisa Sanders (who is the brains behind the documentary series "Diagnosis" and the technical advisor to the show "House"), it talks about the importance of really listening to your patients and emphasizes the art of the physical exam. She uses patient cases to illustrate these topics, which will suck you in and make it hard to stop reading! This book should be mandatory for anyone in healthcare to read, if you ask me.
A Thousand Naked Strangers
Written by a paramedic, this book was an adventure into a world I knew nothing about! This book is full of adrenaline and packed with stories of peoples' most vulnerable moments. This story also resonated with me because the author was working in an entirely different industry before finding his calling in healthcare -- which is exactly like my story! And exciting and easy read that you will blow through because it's just one riveting story after another.
When Breath Becomes Air
I literally (yes, literally) could not put this book down. Finished it in a single weekend because I just couldn't rip myself from the pages. It's as beautiful as it is sad. I cant imagine being in his position -- right on the cusp of your career and diagnosed with cancer, moving between being a doctor and being a patient yourself. He's left wondering, "what makes life worth living?" I was absolutely captivated throughout this memoir, and I think it will make a lasting impact on you, too.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
I work in a hospital as a dietitian, and many times elderly adult would be admitted and it would be clear that due to their deteriorating health, it was no longer acceptable or safe for them to return to their homes. And it seemed that everyone (myself included) approached this so matter-of-factly; I never took the time to really think about what it might mean for someone to be removed from a life where they controlled everything, and pushed into a life where you're monitored and managed 24/7.
The book then transitions to talking about care for people at the end of life and the difficult decisions that must be made with patients and their families. He goes through cases of young cancer patients as well as his own father, and I was left with this amazing appreciation for how delicate those conversations are when important decisions need to be made about the kind of care you want at the end. While I believe this book is a very eye-opening book for anyone, this is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in geriatrics, palliative medicine, or hospice care.
Open Heart: A Cardiac Surgeon's Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table
One of the patient populations I had the chance to work with a lot was LVAD (left ventricular assist device) patients and heart transplant patients. So when I realized this book was about one of the surgeons who has his hands (literally) in the beginnings of artificial hearts and LVADs, I was thrilled. Full of riveting cases that make you want to cheer for the medical team (and plenty that leave your heart heavy), this book was a great page-turner.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
We talk a lot about cultural competency, but what does that really mean? This story is about a young Hmong child with epilepsy and the winding and often very unfortunate course of her medical care and interactions with American doctors. How do you provide care to a patient whose family has beliefs that often don't align or grossly contradict what you know as a medical professional? How do you bridge that cultural gap... or, rather, is it even possible?
This is another book that I think should be mandatory for all healthcare workers to read because it makes you really think hard about cultural differences through a real-life example.
Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery
In addition to cardiac patients, I also worked with neurology patients in an NICU. The brain is a really fascinating and often frightening organ, if you ask me. So reading this book and getting a glimpse into life as a brain surgeon was enthralling. When do you operate? What risks are you willing to take? What kind of toll does this level of responsibility take on you? Explore these questions and the inside of the neurosurgery operating suite in this riveting and honest story. "Terrible job, neurosurgery. Don't do it."
Other books I hope to find time to read:
Even though summer is coming to an end (and we're about to kiss our free time good-bye!), I wanted to share a list of my favorite books about medicine.
Side note: Even though we don't have a lot of free time, I have found that reading a little bit for fun before bed helps me wind down to go to sleep. Way better than staring at my phone like I used to do!
Anyway, these books are in no particular order (because ranking them was just too dang hard!). Also, I'm pretty sure that all of these books are $15 or less, so it won't break the bank for us poor college kids to read a few.
Every Patient Tells a Story
This book was actually recommended to me by PA students when I was interviewing at the school I am currently attending! Apparently it was strongly encouraged to read by one of the professors, and it sounded amazing. Written by Dr. Lisa Sanders (who is the brains behind the documentary series "Diagnosis" and the technical advisor to the show "House"), it talks about the importance of really listening to your patients and emphasizes the art of the physical exam. She uses patient cases to illustrate these topics, which will suck you in and make it hard to stop reading! This book should be mandatory for anyone in healthcare to read, if you ask me.
A Thousand Naked Strangers
Written by a paramedic, this book was an adventure into a world I knew nothing about! This book is full of adrenaline and packed with stories of peoples' most vulnerable moments. This story also resonated with me because the author was working in an entirely different industry before finding his calling in healthcare -- which is exactly like my story! And exciting and easy read that you will blow through because it's just one riveting story after another.
When Breath Becomes Air
I literally (yes, literally) could not put this book down. Finished it in a single weekend because I just couldn't rip myself from the pages. It's as beautiful as it is sad. I cant imagine being in his position -- right on the cusp of your career and diagnosed with cancer, moving between being a doctor and being a patient yourself. He's left wondering, "what makes life worth living?" I was absolutely captivated throughout this memoir, and I think it will make a lasting impact on you, too.
Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End
I work in a hospital as a dietitian, and many times elderly adult would be admitted and it would be clear that due to their deteriorating health, it was no longer acceptable or safe for them to return to their homes. And it seemed that everyone (myself included) approached this so matter-of-factly; I never took the time to really think about what it might mean for someone to be removed from a life where they controlled everything, and pushed into a life where you're monitored and managed 24/7.
The book then transitions to talking about care for people at the end of life and the difficult decisions that must be made with patients and their families. He goes through cases of young cancer patients as well as his own father, and I was left with this amazing appreciation for how delicate those conversations are when important decisions need to be made about the kind of care you want at the end. While I believe this book is a very eye-opening book for anyone, this is an absolute must-read for anyone interested in geriatrics, palliative medicine, or hospice care.
Open Heart: A Cardiac Surgeon's Stories of Life and Death on the Operating Table
One of the patient populations I had the chance to work with a lot was LVAD (left ventricular assist device) patients and heart transplant patients. So when I realized this book was about one of the surgeons who has his hands (literally) in the beginnings of artificial hearts and LVADs, I was thrilled. Full of riveting cases that make you want to cheer for the medical team (and plenty that leave your heart heavy), this book was a great page-turner.
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down
We talk a lot about cultural competency, but what does that really mean? This story is about a young Hmong child with epilepsy and the winding and often very unfortunate course of her medical care and interactions with American doctors. How do you provide care to a patient whose family has beliefs that often don't align or grossly contradict what you know as a medical professional? How do you bridge that cultural gap... or, rather, is it even possible?
This is another book that I think should be mandatory for all healthcare workers to read because it makes you really think hard about cultural differences through a real-life example.
Do No Harm: Stories of Life, Death and Brain Surgery
In addition to cardiac patients, I also worked with neurology patients in an NICU. The brain is a really fascinating and often frightening organ, if you ask me. So reading this book and getting a glimpse into life as a brain surgeon was enthralling. When do you operate? What risks are you willing to take? What kind of toll does this level of responsibility take on you? Explore these questions and the inside of the neurosurgery operating suite in this riveting and honest story. "Terrible job, neurosurgery. Don't do it."
Other books I hope to find time to read:
- Better
- How Doctors Think
- Diagnosis: Solving the Most Baffling Medical Mysteries
- In Pursuit of Memory: The Fight Against Alzheimer's
- Left Neglected
- Admissions: Life as a Brain Surgeon
- Hype: A Doctor's Guide to Medical Myths, Exaggerated Claims and Bad Advice
- Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science
Any books you would recommend? Leave them in the comments!
Take Care,
Olivia
Comments
Post a Comment