10 physician memoirs that offer inspiring accounts of life in medicine - American Medical Association

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It seems similar memoirs by celebrated radical are connected bookshelves crossed the country—from erstwhile presidents to musicians and world TV stars. But there’s thing much eye-opening astir speechmaking memoirs written by physicians from antithetic specialties to get a amended knowing of medicine and the challenges faced by aesculapian students, residents and attending doctors.

Whether doctors oregon aesculapian students are successful hunt of books to work for relaxation oregon to larn much astir a peculiar aesculapian topic, the AMA “Shadow Me” Specialty Series—which offers proposal straight from physicians astir beingness successful their specialties—provides immoderate outstanding memoir recommendations to get a broader glimpse into beingness successful medicine.

Here, successful alphabetical bid by publication author, are 10 memoirs that AMA members who person participated successful the “Shadow Me” Specialty Series urge reading.  

In Shock: My Journey from Death to Recovery and the Redemptive Power of Hope

By Rana Awdish, MD

“It’s the communicative of an intensivist who had a catastrophic aesculapian lawsuit during gestation and survived countless complications,” said Devang Sanghavi, MD, a captious attraction medicine specialist. “It showcases the tremendous powerfulness of anticipation and is simply a must-read for each aesculapian students.”

Anatomy of an Illness arsenic Perceived by the Patient: Reflections connected Healing and Regeneration

By Norman Cousins

The publication offers “an outstanding reminder that we are each humans and medicine is an creation and a privilege to provide. We are portion of a patient’s wellness team,” said Diana Ramos, MD, an ob-gyn.

Brain connected Fire: My Month of Madness

By Susannah Cahalan

For transfusion medicine, Scott Koepsell, MD, a pathologist, recommends this publication due to the fact that the writer “tells her communicative astir processing a neurological illness that was treated with an apheresis humor procedure.”

Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness

By Kay Jamison, PhD

This publication is astir “a scientist who suffers from bipolar disorder,” said Lisa MacLean, MD, a psychiatrist. “It's an casual read, but besides a testament of however palmy a idiosyncratic tin beryllium with unchangeable treatment.”

When Breath Becomes Air

By Paul Kalanithi, MD

“It is simply a posthumously published memoir of a singular doc who died of precocious lung crab astatine a young age,” said Omar T. Atiq, MD, a aesculapian oncologist. “It encapsulates life, its triumph and fragility, and makes 1 ponder astir life’s priorities.”

Anesthesiologist Gerald R. Callas, MD, besides recommended Dr. Kalanithi’s memoir, saying that it “really puts beingness successful position arsenic a aesculapian pupil and physician.”

“This publication helped maine admit the joyousness of practicing medicine, arsenic good arsenic the unpredictability and fragility of the acquisition of life,” said Walter Park, MD, a gastroenterologist.

What Matters successful Medicine: Lessons from a beingness successful Primary Care

By David Loxtercamp, MD

“Dr. Loxtercamp is simply a household medicine doc and a talented writer who writes astir a assortment of topics successful superior attraction medicine, often utilizing anecdotes from his signifier successful coastal Belfast, Maine,” said Christopher Garofalo, MD, a household physician. “It is simply a large work astir the past of superior care.”

Black Man successful a White Coat: A Doctor's Reflections connected Race and Medicine

By Damon Tweedy, MD

Sheila Rege, MD, a radiation oncology, said this is 1 of respective books that “helped maine recognize the doctor-patient relationship, however and wherefore it's sacred, and however important the spot and enslaved betwixt america is.”

My Own Country: A Doctor's Story of a Town and Its People successful the Age of AIDS

By Abraham Verghese, MD

Dr. Park recommends speechmaking this publication due to the fact that “it emphasizes the value of being compassionate with patients.”

When the Air Hits Your Brain

By Frank Vertosick, MD

“Exploring immoderate of the memoirs written by those who person walked the way earlier tin beryllium inspiring,” said Nitin Agarwal, MD, a neurosurgeon.

Exhale: Hope, Healing and a Life successful Transplant

By David Weill, MD

Transplant hepatologist Nigel Girgrah, MD, PhD, noted that the writer of this book, Dr. Weill, “is a lung transplant doc and a person and workfellow of mine.”

“The large happening astir this publication is it talks astir the trials and tribulations of being a transplant doctor, including burnout,” said Dr. Girgrah.

For nonfiction recommendations, present are eight large books hand-picked by doctors for your speechmaking list. And for aesculapian students and physicians who are much funny successful speechmaking fiction, present are five fantastic novels doctors recommend.

The AMA Specialty Guide simplifies aesculapian students’ specialty enactment process, highlights large specialties, details grooming information, and provides entree to related relation information. It is produced by FREIDA™, the AMA Residency & Fellowship Database®.

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