Life After Medical School: Thirty-Two Doctors Describe How They Shaped Their Medical Careers

By Leonard Laster

Doctors tell of obstacles encountered, the ever-more demanding business of practicing medicine, and mid-career decisions to pursue something else. Dr. Laster presents interviews with both practicing doctors and those who have pursued alternative careers.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0393710300
• ISBN13: 9780393710304
• Release Date: January 1996
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company
• Length: 344 Pages
• Weight: 1.58 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Fascinating but has limits

This book is a breath of fresh air for those who are applying to or are planning to attend medical school. The perspectives from physicians (both practicing and not) in a range of careers are insightful and provide a glimpse into the many weaves and turns a medical career can take. My only criticism (and the author notes this, too) is that the profiled physicians are all very similar in terms of region where they work (mostly New England) and ethnicity, thus this book does not address such concerns as racism in medicine that may be important to minorities like myself who wonder about how such challenges can affect one's career choices. With that caveat, I fully recommend this book.

insightful first-person accounts of careers in medicine

This is a wonderful book for anyone interested in how physicians build their careers. It includes 32 first-person accounts spanning the range from caring for the homeless to becoming CEO of a health care corporation. The profiles are highly personal and give a much-needed glimpse into the factors that shape major career decisions. No other book I've read offers as much depth and insight. A must read!