If you are thinking of applying to medical school, it’s definitely a good idea to read at least a few books written by professionals in the field. While reading is not hands-on and cannot replace work experience, these books will give you astounding insight into patient interaction, issues in healthcare, the essence of Medicine, and so much more.
They will inspire you and provoke deeper thought. Perhaps some will eventually serve as catalysts for writing your personal statement(s) or for discussion during the interviews.
1. When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi
Published in 2016, this book has since become a perennial favourite among current and prospective medical students alike. Its immense popularity is testament to the poignant narrative and deep introspection of a young neurosurgeon forced to confront his own mortality.
Diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer at the peak of his career and a life brimming with possibilities, Kalanithi finds his role instantly reversed from doctor to patient. As he navigates this unfamiliar landscape, he constantly questions, what makes life worth living in the face of death?
Despite the sheer magnitude of his loss, rather than filling the pages with heavy-hearted rumination, Kalanithi shares stories of his surgical training and his patients—all of which reflect a unique understanding of his life’s purpose.
A “profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir”, When Breath Becomes Air is definitely top on the reading list for anyone aspiring towards a medical profession.
The fact of death is unsettling. Yet there is no other way to live.
2. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
Another oft-recommended title, this book explores mortality through the lens of modern medicine and its limitations—particularly when it comes to issues of ageing and terminal illness.
Gawande, a surgeon and public health researcher, sets out to answer the conundrums surrounding life’s two big ‘unfixable’s—ageing and dying. To illustrate the issues, he draws on both stories of individual patients and studies done on a wider scale.
From nursing homes to palliative care to assisted suicide, this book delves into some of the most pressing issues in modern medicine. Not only does it illuminate the intricacies of end-of-life care, Being Mortal offers insight into what we—and future generations—should focus on in our never-ending crusade to improve healthcare.
Our ultimate goal, after all, is not a good death but a good life to the very end.
3. Complications by Atul Gawande
While Being Mortal focuses on the ‘big issues’, Complications—Gawande’s first published book—is an exhilarating journey into the very heart of the hospital as we follow Gawande through his years of surgical residency.
Personally, I thoroughly enjoyed this book—even more so than Being Mortal. I am drawn to the stories of patients and fascinating medical cases that Gawande so vividly recounts. Through these cases he ceaselessly reflects on the broader implications on the field of medicine as a whole. I’m sure that you, too, will find it a no less engrossing read.
As pervasive as medicine has become in modern life, it remains mostly hidden and often misunderstood. We have taken it to be both more perfect than it is and less extraordinary than it can be.
4. This Is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay
This book is “laugh-out-loud funny and heartbreakingly sad”. While times have changed since Kay’s medical training from 2004 to 2010 (and we may never face such unthinkable working conditions), it still offers an unapologetically honest account of the myriad pains and rewards of training to become a doctor under the UK’s NHS (National Health Service).
This Is Going to Hurt is very easy to read and highly entertaining—a brilliant contrast to the scrupulous style of writing typical of most medical memoirs. Many readers raved that they “couldn’t put the book down”. It has soared onto bestselling lists and won four National Book Awards.
Beyond Kay’s natural sense of humour—which I believe is an invaluable gift in the medical profession—I sense his humility and his genuine care for patients. Above all, it is a very candid look at the true demands of a medical career.
I prescribe IV fluids for the patient, though it would be more efficient to prescribe common sense for some of my colleagues.
5. The Laws of Medicine by Siddhartha Mukherjee
The shortest book on this list, easily consumed in one sitting, this book touches on the intricacies and complexities in the field of medicine. If you’re looking for a book that can invoke deeper thought, or acquaint you with the dynamism and uncertainty of medicine, this is the one.
Mukherjee evidently ponders deeply over many issues, and his cogitations are given expression through his eloquent writing. In contrast to his more scientific and much lengthier texts The Emperor of All Maladies (on cancer) and The Gene (on genetics), The Laws of Medicine examines the field of Medicine itself—which Mukherjee describes as both the “youngest science” and the “most human science”.
It’s easy to make perfect decisions with perfect information. Medicine asks you to make perfect decisions with imperfect information.
And so many others…
It was incredibly difficult to choose just five “must-reads” for this list. Of course, there are tons of books written by doctors and medical interns out there. Many are amazing and worth a read (though some more so than others).
Those featured in this list are more “general” and will definitely appeal to all aspiring medics. I’d read all of them before my own application, with the exception of one (This Is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay).
An upcoming post will feature five other truly “worth-a-read” books on specific medical careers (think doctors in conflict zones, working in prisons, transplanting organs etc). Several of these were published quite recently and have not yet been featured on other lists out there. There are other less conventional, less widely known books that I’d like to recommend too.
What books do you think pre-med and med students should pick up? Feel free to share which are your favourite books about medicine in the Comments section below.