medicine + media

Nonfiction books, TV documentaries, and news articles can be surprising resources to get a glimpse into the field of medicine (I'm not talking about House or Grey's Anatomy - such shows portray an entirely different kind of "TV medicine"). If you're still unsure about becoming a doctor, these resources can shed light on the profession in a way that you might not get from volunteering/shadowing. If pre-med classes are torturing you, these resources can be extremely inspirational, and remind you what you're working for. And finally, when you're writing your statement and secondary essays, these can spark your creative writing.

A word of caution: books and TV give you a just a glimpse into medicine. Don't let them fool you into thinking you know what it's like to actually be a doctor yourself.

Here are some of my faves:

Nonfiction books
- Complications: A Surgeon's Notes on an Imperfect Science, by Atul Gawande
- Better: A Surgeon's Notes on Performance, by Atul Gawande
- probably anything else by Gawande, although I haven't read any others myself
- First, Do No Harm, by Lisa Belkin
- Intensive Care: The Story of a Nurse, by Echo Heron (written by a nurse, but still my all-time favorite book about healthcare!)

TV documentaries
- Boston Med (search online)
- Hopkins (available on Hulu)
- NY Med (available on abc's website)
- Doctors' Diaries (search online) <- kind of sad because none of the doctors maintain a lasting relationship

News/articles
- New York Times, Health section
- US News Health
- Bioethics topics by U of Washington

<3 (kathleen)