14 Books to Read Before Applying to Medical School
This is by no means a comprehensive list. It’s mainly what I’ve read and liked and thought was worth sharing. If there are any books I’ve missed or that you’d recommend leave them in the responses.
The House of God (Samuel Shem)
For any wannabe MD, this is a classic. It is also easily one of the weirdest novels I have ever read. As the only work of fiction on this list, its painfully real unreality often borders on the bizarre. But don’t be fooled, this book reveals a profound truth. I’m just not completely sure what it is yet…
Hot Lights, Cold Steel: Life, Death, and Sleepless Nights in a Surgeon’s First Years (Michael J. Collins)
A surprisingly funny and candid account of what it’s like to be an orthopedic surgery resident at the Mayo Clinic. Collins is introspective, honest, and often sleep-deprived, but clearly passionate about medicine which makes for an enjoyable read. However, if you want to maintain a romanticized view of what it’s like to do a surgical residency it might be wise to skip this one.
The Night Shift: Real Life in the Heart of the ER (Brian Goldman)
The hospital is a drastically different place after 5 pm. The organized chaos of the day is replaced by empty corridors and quiet wards. The ER, however, is a different story. Day and night are essentially irrelevant concepts. You’re either busy or not busy. This is the strange world that Dr. Goldman does an excellent job of bringing to life. He doesn’t hold back when it comes to recounting tales of the weird, wild and wonderful. A must-read for anyone who has wondered what it is like to work in emergency medicine.
Complications: A Surgeon’s Notes on an Imperfect Science (Atul Gawande)
Humans are fallible. We make mistakes. We learn. We get better. Perfection is something often strived for but rarely attained. This is true of life. This is also true of medicine. Doctors are not superior beings. Even when they fight against their inherent humanity, acting like a machine is far from actually being one. Nowhere is this more clearly illustrated than in Gawade’s book of personal essays and compelling anecdotes. Set in the early years of his surgical training it serves as a much needed reminder of the uncertainties and unsolved questions that still plague modern medicine.
Other notable titles by Atul Gawande that are also definitely worth checking out include Better, The Checklist Manifesto and Being Mortal.
How Doctors Think (Jerome Groopman)
An excellent look at the psychology that drives the diagnoses doctors arrive at, the treatments they prescribe and even the general approaches they tend to favour when it comes to patient care. While Gawade addresses the concept of doctor fallibility Groopman takes it to the next level exploring what kind of mistakes doctors make, why they make them, and perhaps most importantly how they can be prevented. Do good physicians know more or do they just think better? A must-read for aspiring doctors and occasional patients alike.
White Coat: Becoming a Doctor at Harvard Medical School (Ellen Lerner Rothman)
The one who wears the white coat wields the power. They have the power to cure and the power to mend but also the power to do great harm and cause horrible suffering. They should never let it rest easy on their shoulders. This reality is not lost on Ellen Lerner Rothman as she recounts her journey from premed life to Harvard graduate. At every turn, she is aware of the responsibility conferred on her and her peers from the very first day they set foot on campus. A sobering look at the life of a medical student, this book serves as a reminder to all medical school hopefuls. The path may not be easy but it can be incredibly rewarding.
Genius on the Edge: The Bizarre Double Life of Dr. William Stewart Halsted (Gerald Imber)
Equal parts biography and history of medicine, much of this book recounts the creation of Johns Hopkins and the lives of the medical giants who helped propel it to prominence. One such man, Dr. William Stewart Halsted, carries the story. Surgical pioneer, clinician scientist, and part-time cocaine addict, he almost single-handedly lifted surgery out of the dark ages. This book is truly an eye-opening look at the medical advancements we too easily take for granted.
The Gene: An Intimate History (Siddhartha Mukherjee)
While not strictly about the practice of medicine this book is, at its core, the future of medical science. While the length can be daunting at first Mukherjee weaves a seamless narrative that is difficult to put down. In tracing the history of the gene from its ideological inception as an indivisible unit of heredity to its physical manifestation as a protein coding segment of DNA (and beyond) he has created a work of such magnitude, I cannot even begin to do it justice in the minimal space I’ve allotted myself here. It is a story of logic and experimentation, failure and success, heartbreak and triumph, but most importantly it is a chronicle of humanity, and just how far we will go to understand ourselves.
Looking for more Siddhartha Mukherjee? I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention his first book The Emperor of All Maladies: A Biography of Cancer which is a Pulitzer Prize winner.
This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor (Adam Kay)
If you have any idealism left by this point then maybe skip this one. A personal account of what it is like to be an aspiring doctor in the UK, Kay does not hold back. It’s honest and raw but also ridiculously funny in an “if we don’t laugh about it we are definitely going to cry” sort of way. An interesting look at what calls people to medicine and what ultimately drives them away.
When Breath Becomes Air (Paul Kalanithi)
If you only read one book on this list make sure that it is this one. A heartbreaking account of a top neurosurgery resident diagnosed with terminal cancer in his final year of training on the surface this book is about death. But really this is a book about life, how we live and where we find meaning. There is beauty in how seamlessly Kalanithi is able to give insight into both the role of doctor and patient. He doesn’t shy away from suffering but rather uses it to fuel his narrative. If only we all had the courage to do the same.
