Top 16 Books For Medical Students Updated 04 /2024

A lot of people who study medicine have to study long hours and have very little time to read.

However, even though studying medicine can sometimes feel like it's taking over your life, you might be interested in hearing from people who have already been through it and come out on top.

Here are seven great books that are mostly written by practicing doctors. They should help you remember why you decided to study medicine in the first place, and they are all good.

This is Going to Hurt: Secret Diaries of a Junior Doctor by Adam Kay

Over the past year, this book has been a bestseller, won four National Book Awards, and been the Sunday Times No. 1 Bestseller for over eight months. It's also been a lot of fun.

To find out why this book has enthralled so many people. Adam Kay, a Junior Doctor who writes about his work for the UK's NHS in obstetrics and gynecology, has to be the reason for this. He is so open about his work for the NHS.

Kay doesn't leave anything out when he writes about his life as a junior doctor, and the results are often shocking, funny, and heartbreaking.

A lot of people who study medicine will like this book because it can make you laugh out loud, but they'll also like that it's not always pretty.

Anyone who really likes this book will be happy to hear that the BBC is making a TV show out of it. Fans may also want to read Kay's new book, T'was the Nightshift Before Christmas, which came out this year.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

When Paul Kalanithi was 36, he was about to finish medical school. He was diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer and had to give up his job as a neurosurgeon. After a long time as a doctor, he became the person who was dying.

What comes out of this is a heartfelt look at life and death, as well as the relationship between a doctor and a patient.

In spite of its gloomy subject matter, this book will be hard for you to forget. Anyone who wants to become a doctor or is already a doctor should read this book.

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat by Oliver Sacks

The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat, which has sold more than a million copies, is a "provocative exploration of the mysteries of the human mind." It was written by Oliver Sacks, who has been a neurologist for 50 years.

Sacks tells stories about people who have lost their memories and can no longer recognize things or people they used to know. He also tells stories about people who are very good at art or math.

These case studies are part of what made this book so popular. Medical students will enjoy this book because it shows how medicine and psychology work together in a very interesting way.

The Intern Blues by Robert Marion

This movie is about three interns who had to deal with 100-hour weeks, being given life or death responsibility, and surviving on very little sleep during their year-long internships.

There are strict rules about how many hours residents can work now. This book was written in 1985, and there have been many changes since then.

Even so, many medical students say that the book is still very relevant today. This is why it has been called a "contemporary classic."

Unnatural Causes by Dr Richard Shepherd

In his job, Dr. Richard Shepherd is a forensic pathologist, which means that he solves the mysteries of sudden, unexplained deaths. Over the course of his career, he has been a part of many high-profile cases, like the Hungerford Massacre, 9/11, and the Princess Diana inquiry. He has also done over 23,000 autopsies.

Unnatural Causes is a fascinating look at his career, which can be scary and gruesome at times, but is always interesting. It also gives a glimpse into Dr. Shepherd's personal life, and how his job puts a lot of stress on his relationships and his own emotions.

Those who are studying or are thinking about studying medicine will enjoy this book because it shows a side of medicine that isn't talked about as much and gives readers a real look at both the good and bad parts of the job.

In Stitches by Anthony Youn

Dr. Youn, an Asian-American boy with thick glasses and a big, protruding jaw, was the only one in his small town who looked different from everyone else.

Even though the oral surgeon who helped him rebuild his jaw had a big impact on his life's work. As a celebrity plastic surgeon, Youn became very successful. He tells how in this book that he did this in the text.

He was a student who spent a lot of time studying and trying to learn how to date while he was trying to get a medicine degree.

With Youn's sense of humor, you'll both laugh and think about what he has to say.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

Stiff is a look at what happens when you give your body to science after you die.

Roach talks about a very grim subject in a very funny way. He talks about things like human decomposition, using corpses in car crashes, crucifixion experiments, and head transplants.

If you're not a fan of disgusting things, this book isn't for you. It gives you a good look at how bodies work and what happens to them after you die. Every thing you didn't know to ask about dead bodies is here.

Oliver Sacks – The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat and Awakenings

Oliver Sacks was a doctor who wrote books based on the patients he saw while working in the US. Awakenings is a book about people who had a sleeping sickness in the 1920s and how they were treated with levodopa, which was then a new treatment. The Man Who Mistook His Wife for a Hat is a collection of 24 essays about how the brain works. A lot of people like Oliver Sacks because he wrote a lot of books about medical problems and how people deal with them. Definitely worth it.

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