Description:
Personal essays relating key issues and insights from women in medicine
What We Bring to the Practice of Medicine brings together a collection of short essays from women physicians working in diverse fields of medicine around the world. Through compassion, humor, and resiliency, their stories reveal the truth of what life is like for a variety of women in medicine.
While men and women physicians face different challenges and bring different historical experiences to the examination table, the history of medicine has been primarily told by men. Doctors Kimberly Greene-Liebowitz and Dana Corriel compile the pieces in this collection to highlight the many topics of concern for women physicians--some of which may be unknown to medical field outsiders. Topics include the physician-patient relationship, mastery of clinical practice, barriers to career advancement and success, and the challenge of balancing a demanding professional life with domestic responsibilities, an issue brought to the fore by the COVID-19 pandemic.
What We Bring to the Practice of Medicine showcases the experiences of women physicians at every stage of their careers as well--from the beginning of medical school to the brink of retirement. These 40 essays are an expansive, unprecedented examination of what drives clinical and personal decisions and demonstrate how a physician's character is intricately intertwined with their approach to caregiving and the practice of medicine.
Review Quotes:
"I recommend this book to women in all phases of medical training, from student to practicing physician nearing retirement. Its thought-provoking prose invites journaling and careful thought for the individual reader as well as offers a group of readers interesting topics for discussion. The book, as an antidote to burnout, promotes mindfulness and a sense of purpose as we move through our days. Through its essays, we learn to appreciate our uniquely feminine traits that enhance our delivery of care, thereby increasing our fulfillment in our calling. The editors are to be applauded for their success in putting this book together." --Family Medicine
"A beautiful, poignant collection of essays that capture the rich and myriad experiences of women in the practice of medicine. Told with honesty, empathy, and humor, these stories these are a reminder of how women are changing the culture of medicine." --Eliza Lo Chin, MD, MPH, executive director, American Medical Women's Association
"A necessary and urgent collection of immense wisdom and humor, vulnerability and strength, and, most of all, the voices of extraordinary women." ―Jay Baruch, MD, author of Tornado of Life: A Doctor's Journey through Constraints and Creativity in the ER
"If it's possible for the pages of a book to actually live and breathe in your hands, this is it. These pages move and have a pulse of their own. The prose is exceptional; the stories are absolutely captivating. Each page is a gem in its own right. I will never look at my female colleagues the same way again; I don't think I appreciated the extra level of heroism required of women in medicine. I'm a better person for having read What We Bring to the Practice of Medicine." ―Louis M. Profeta, MD, author of The Patient in Room Nine Says He's God
"Raw, genuine accounts of . . . medical professionals. These are personal narratives by female physicians juggling professional and personal roles, struggling with grief and exceptionally long hours, sacrificing, and facing fear. Each vignette provides a new angle, a new struggle, a new reward." ―Kathleen O'Shea, author of So Much More Than a Headache: Understanding Migraine through Literature
"Now, when women outnumber men in American medical schools and the majority of American physicians under thirty-five are women, is an excellent time to revisit the experiences of women in medicine and this collection does so insightfully, candidly, and movingly. These female physicians' stories address work-life balance, harassment, the sorrow and joy of caring for patients, and many other subjects with a wide range of voices. Some are sad, funny, infuriating, or inspiring. All are unforgettable." ―Suzanne Koven MD, author of Letter to a Young Female Physician