What I Learned in Medical School: Personal Stories of Young Doctors

by Kevin M. Takakuwa, Kevin M. Takakuwa (Editor), Nick Rubashkin (Editor)

Like many an exclusive club, the medical profession subjects its prospective members to rigorous indoctrination: medical students are overloaded with work, deprived of sleep and normal human contact, drilled and tested and scheduled down to the last minute. Difficult as the regimen may be, for those who don't fit the traditional mold―white, male, middle-to-upper class, and heterosexual―medical school can be that much more harrowing. This riveting book tells the tales of a new generation of medical students―students whose varied backgrounds are far from traditional. Their stories will forever alter the way we see tomorrow's doctors.

In these pages, a black teenage mother overcomes seemingly insurmountable odds, an observant Muslim dons the hijab during training, an alcoholic hides her addiction. We hear the stories of an Asian refugee, a Mexican immigrant, a closeted Christian, an oversized woman―these once unlikely students are among those who describe their medical school experiences with uncommon candor, giving a close-up look at the inflexible curriculum, the pervasive competitive culture, and the daunting obstacles that come with being "different" in medical school. Their tales of courage are by turns poignant, amusing, eye-opening―and altogether unforgettable.

Genres: Medicine, Medical, Nonfiction, Memoir

210 pages, Paperback

First published December 7, 2003

Reviews

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book opened my eyes to what I wanted to do with my life. While reading this, I stopped applying to the liberal arts Master's degree programs I had planned on, and completely changed course in order to start all over again. Medicine, in some capacity, became a priority.

This book was exceptional. It was eye-opening in that it shed light on the typically dogmatic approach employed throughout all 4 years of medical school. The ways students find to deal with this emotionally, intellectually, and physically are truly incredible. The essays are by many different types of people, though almost all eloquent. While I do not agree with some of the author's core values, I feel each has a valuable story to tell. Their stories were inspiring, touching, and they helped me rediscover some of the fighter in myself. As one of the reviews printed on the front of the book says, "It will make you proud to know your Doctor." I agree.

[Heather Goff]

my name in print!
Okay, it's probably not really worth 5 stars (closer to 3) but I have to give myself some grade inflation, don't I???

[Esha · Rating 3 out of 5]

While some stories were touching, the general tone of the book is overwhelmingly negative and depressing. This book is more discouraging than it is insightful.

[Asuma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5/5
I really liked this book .
The book is a collection of stories written by medical students from different backgrounds and that have divergent point of views about medicine and life in general . It is divided into 03 Thematic sections .
The first section : life and family history : A compilation of stories from people from all around the world who live in the US and with different social backgrounds . I enjoyed this part the most . All the stories were inspiring , but a special mention to the black teenage mother , the gay and the latina.
The second section : " Shifting Identities " : Stories once you entered med school . While there is stories that i didn't appreciate that much ( the political radical doctor and the one ), this part includes the best story in the book ( The recovering alcoholic ) It was insightful and painful at the same time .
The Third Section : "Confronted " :Non traditional students ( as if the other students where traditional , but whatever ...) In this part it felt a little bit draggy for me even though the majority of the stories were excellent especially the sickle cell anemia Doctor and the one who suffered from sexual harassement .
Overall , the book was inspiring , insightful especially for me , a resident doctor in a country far away for The USA . It showed me , that the medical system in the USA is not that perfect and that some points that must be changed are common worldly .
I checked in Google all those Doctors to see what they've become and it was a ray of hope to see them successful after all those hardships .

[Becca · Rating 3 out of 5]

I simply lacked sympathy for most of these medical students. Medical school is hard; it is demanding and it requires compassion and a love of science. One of the writers complained how her classmates were shallow for enjoying their science classes and how they didn't care that she didn't have time for poetry, which she claimed was the underlying discipline that drove her to medicine. Whatever made her think that being a doctor and being a poet were the same job is beyond me.

Some of the stories were touching -- a lesbian mother and an older student with sickle cell syndrome both had stories that called to me. But others simply were naive, self-centered and at the end of the day, whiners. The stories were prosaic, although it was clear the authors thought they were insightful and the writing was amateur.

[Jen · Rating 2 out of 5]

When I picked this book up I wanted an insider's view of the life, tips or something with a tinge of optimism. Instead it read as some true crime piece focused on a selection of nontraditional medical and aspiring medical students who underwent borderline traumatic experiences. I would be dismissive and not let it get to me but I feel like I'm more similar to these folks than to others in the field. I'm left more discouraged than I've ever been.

[Teawench · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'll be honest...I didn't read the whole book. I skimmed over the intro to each chapter and by the end, I was skimming the actual stories. I did get a little tired of hearing people whine about medical school. Of course it's hard, of course you're going to meet some mean people. Life isn't all sunshine & roses so I'm unsure why some of these people think medical school should be. Not all of the stories were like this. Some weren't too bad but they were few and far between.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was exasperating. I just plain didn't like some of the medical students, and I cringed at some of their beliefs. Medicine is compatible with creationism? I did like the diversity. I expected more medical content - classes, patients - but it was all about the students themselves. Which was fine, but most of their stories were mildly interesting, not engrossing.

[Helen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I expected these to be trite stories about diverse medical students. It turns out that they were well-written and thought-provoking! Recommended for all teens and adults interested in medicine, diverse populations of Americans, or the subcultures within the hospital or clinic setting!

[Megan Brokamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

Super heavy read. Read for class but engaging.

[Nikita · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of the stories that show how the face of medicine is changing. The students of medicine are like you and me and everyone around us, and they bring a new perspective.

The book is a bit outdated now, I really feel as though a lot of the problems these students bring up have been addressed by many of the top medical schools in America.

Looking forward to seeing the effects a changed medical education will have on future doctors.

[Victoria Hess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Medical School is not easy. Some find it harder. Discrimination, handicaps, liberal views, gender preferences, gender, immigration status. All this can make life a little difficult in the boiling pot of medical school. This collection of essays addresses some of these difficulties. How the students rose to the challenge, or not. It is an interesting read.

[H Hornbacher · Rating 2 out of 5]

Realistic but also dwelt heavily on the negative. It seemed many who wrote were angry and disgruntled with their experience. This was not 100% across the board but could have used some variety of opinion.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

What I Learned in Medical School: Personal Stories of Young Doctors edited by Kevin Takakuwa, Nick Rubeshakin, Karen E. Herzig (University of California Press 2004) (610.711). This was a dry and boring take on a potentially fascinating topic. My rating: 4.5/10, finished 2005.

[Gwen · Rating 3 out of 5]

read this in my quest to learn more about medical school. A wide variety of pieces written by medical students or new doctors. I definitely got a feeling for how much work med school is, and how stressful it can be.

[Alicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was 99.7% sure I didn't want to go to medical school...now I am 100%. This narrative-based compilation featured a diverse sampling of medical students and doctors. The Afterword offered pages of "suggestions" for changes and innovations in med school and beyond.

[john · Rating 3 out of 5]

some good testimonies, some bad. the book opened my eyes to the diversifying field of medicine.

[Cynthia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would have given this one more star except for the bad language.

[Ashley · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I enjoyed most of the stories, and they were overall well-told, I would have preferred that some of them had a bit more depth.

[Bojan Land · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing insight into atypical medical students. The book's title is hugely misleading - this book isn't about your average medical student.

[kathi · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't finish the book...i didn't like it