7 Healthcare Books to Read This Summer

7 Healthcare Books to Read This Summer

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One of the best ways to relax and unwind is to kick back, take a load off, and grab a good book, especially for healthcare professionals. No matter where you are in your healthcare career, there’s always room for growth and improvement. Do you want to increase the knowledge of your industry and offer your patients better care? If so, check out these awesome healthcare books to read this summer!

7 Healthcare Books to Read This Summer

healthcare books to read

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1. The Creative Destruction of Medicine by Eric J. Topol, M.D.

Though the title may imply the opposite, this book outlines the positive impact of the digital revolution on healthcare. While it seems that the whole world is “plugged in” to technology, the healthcare field tends to resist change. In this book, Dr. Topol – a leading voice on the digital revolution in healthcare – offers his stance on digital medical innovations. These innovations are within reach, but only if consumers demand them…

2. How Doctors Think by Jerome Groopman, M.D.

On average, a physician will interrupt a patient describing her symptoms within eighteen seconds. In just a third of a minute, many doctors decide on a likely diagnosis and best treatment. Often, these decisions are correct but if they’re wrong, the consequences can be catastrophic. In this book, Dr. Groopman details the thought processes behind doctors’ decisions and how they can communicate effectively and offer patients better care.

3. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

While this book isn’t directly related to the healthcare industry, it’s a valuable read to any professional attempting to balance work and life. In his book, Pausch discusses the importance of overcoming obstacles, enabling the dreams of others, and seizing every moment. After being diagnosed with terminal cancer, Pausch wrote this book to share valuable lessons on hard work and perseverance. This is a must on many professionals’ list of healthcare books to read.

 

4. Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End by Atul Gawande

In Being Mortal, Gawande discusses what he considers the hardest part of his job – how medicine can not only improve life but also the process of its ending. Medicine has triumphed in modern times and has transformed the lives of many. However, in the inevitable condition of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should. Doctors are so committed to extending life that they sometimes carry out procedures that extend a patient’s suffering. In this powerful book, Gawande asserts that medicine can comfort and enhance the end of life experience.

5. The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

In 1951, Henrietta Lacks was diagnosed with terminal cancer and was treated at Johns Hopkins University. During her treatment, doctors took a sample of Lacks’ cells without her knowledge. These cells been cultured and used in experiments, and are still alive today, though Lacks has been dead for over 60 years. In this book, Skloot takes us on a journey, from the “colored” ward of Johns Hopkins in the 1950s to today, where Henrietta’s family continues to struggle with the legacy of her cells.

6. The Comfort Garden: Tales from the Trauma Unit by Laurie Barkin

Told from the perspective of a trauma nurse, this book discusses the plight of people who have survived massive trauma before being admitted to the hospital. Throughout the story, Barkin hones in on the issues of compassion fatigue and how caregivers are affected by regular exposure to tragedy. The Comfort Garden is a powerful metaphor for the emotional support that caregivers need.

7. Attending: Medicine, Mindfulness, and Humanity by Ronald Epstein, M.D.

In his powerful book for medical and non-medical professionals alike, Epstein details the importance of mindfulness in the practice. By drawing on his clinical experiences, Epstein emphasizes that mindfulness is the secret to making more accurate diagnoses, developing stronger connections with patients, and more.

8. Medicine Men: Extreme Appalachian Doctoring by Carolyn Jourdan

This might become a new favorite for you rural healthcare professionals. This collection of true stories highlights some of the wildest and innovative techniques that rural healthcare professionals have had to use in the past. While we don’t recommend trying to recreate these techniques, we hope it will provide some inspiration for those healthcare professionals working off the beaten path.

9. Bellevue: Three Centuries of Medicine and Mayhem at America’s Most Storied Hospital by David Oshinsky

Written by a former Pulitzer prize winner, Oshinsky details the history of arguably the most famous hospital in the country. The 250-year-old hospital has housed some of the most wicked criminals, tackled every disease outbreak in the book, and is home to some of the most bizarre patients and cases ever found in the U.S. This is a great summer read for those healthcare professionals looking for the odd and peculiar within the industry.

10. The Healing of America: A Global Quest for Better, Cheaper, and Fairer Health Care by T.R. Reid

It’s no secret that universal healthcare is a hotly-debated issue within the industry. Have you ever wondered how some countries have had so much success with the concept? Reid takes an in-depth look at some countries that offer universal healthcare and offers a few suggestions for implementing it into the U.S. When it comes to healthcare books to read, this is great for those healthcare professionals looking to stay up to date on the latest healthcare issues.

Will you be adding any of these to your list of healthcare books to read? If so, which ones? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Author: Allied Travel Careers

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