Surviving Medical School

Book excerpt: Robert H. Coombs's Surviving Medical School offers both an orientation to the hectic, anxious realm of medical education and a resource for coping with and succeeding in that environment. Coombs begins with questions regarding expectations and intellectual and emotional capacities. The author then examines matters related to career doubt and alienation often experienced by medical students. Following an orientation to the clinical experience, the book concludes with discussions about physician fallibility, residency, and professional practice. Surviving Medical School is for medical students at all levels and provides excellent preparation for baccalaureate students anticipating medical school. It also serves as a shelf reference for medical school instructors, advisors, and counselors.