Suggested Reading
We hope these diverse readings and videos offer something to remind us of the realities but also the joy of medicine. Many of these selections are grounded in how we find meaning in our lives and work, and bring meaning to what we do. Meaning may be found in those things that make us human – when we feel, make mistakes or need to connect with other human beings. To recognize this need for meaning, and then to seek to fulfill it, is a key aspect of doctor wellbeing.
Title: Better: A Surgeon’s Notes on Performance
Author: Atul Gawande
A series of real-life medical stories about little things that helped make medicine better. In particular, the afterword of this book entitled ‘Suggestions for Becoming a Positive Deviant’ offers ideas to make ourselves better and feel less like a ‘cog in the wheel’ in the daily grind of medicine.
Title: When Breath Becomes Air
Author: Paul Kalanithi
A beautiful and heart-wrenching memoir of a neurosurgeon who muses on what matters when unexpectedly diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer.