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This Side of Doctoring: Reflections from Women in Medicine

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As a recent med school graduate, I found this book to be enlightening on many fronts. I have wrestled with similar issues and have had to make my own hard choices about my career and life, while living with the guilt and self-doubt of my decisions. This book touched a nerve with me because it presents the many issues women in the field of medicine have to deal with daily, and for the rest of their lives from the perspective of women who have tread this path and understand the complex conflicts and possibilities of being a woman and being in medicine. I especially enjoyed the section on the early pioneers of woman in medicine, as well as sections written by doctors who faced much harder decisions in their time, and helped make the options available to today's modern med school graduate possible. My favorite part though, is the way the editor culled not just stories and histories from her contributors, but POEMS which evoke the emotional struggle of women in medicine, that many have had to repress and not face in their daily hectic time short juggling routine. I found myself forced to stop running on the treadmill of life and really reflect. Thank you for helping me to really reflect on my own life in medicine and for helping me honor and respect those who have made the joys of medicine and womanhood possible for everyone.

This book is not only informative and enlightening but enjoyable and inspiring. There is something in this book for everyone, whether you are a medical student, premed, physician or retired physician. Historians, feminists and the medical community will also find this book invaluable. 'This Side of Doctoring' is like a time-capsule of women in medicine, from the days of pioneer Elizabeth Blackwell to female medical students today (who are also still pioneering change in medicine). Lo Chin has compiled the who, what, why, when and how of women doctors. The stories, essays, and especially poems, capture the spirit of women physicians past and present. With more than 100 women's stories, it accurately portrays the sacrifices and rewards of this challenging career. I especially enjoyed the chapters on mothering, the early pioneers and barriers to women in medicine. Because it is an anthology, you can digest at your own convenience, read one piece or a chapter, good for busy women like me! It is a book to which I will constantly refer.

Having recently graduated residency with two young children, I couldn't stop reading this book. I want to plaster these essays on the cover of the Wall Street Journal: this is why medical training has to change! I am buying this book for all of my friends.

This Side Of Doctoring: Reflections From Women In Medicine showcases a superbly presented and collection of stories, poems, and essays capturing what it means to be a female physician. Ranging from pioneering lady doctors to today's increasing numbers of women medical students, This Side Of Doctoring explores and reveals the struggles and triumphs of women in the past 150 years of western medicine. Included are intimate sketches of the contributors personal lives and experiences that seldom (if ever) appear in traditional, male oriented medical writings and histories. This Side Of Doctoring is strongly recommended for personal, professional, and academic reading lists and reference collections, especially in the areas and disciplines of Medical History and Women's Studies.

Of course, in a book with this many contributors, the writing is a bit uneven. but the overall effect is wonderful. Actually, it is somewhat surprising that there is relatively little non-fiction about men physicians. About women, there is practically nothing. This volume tries to cover everything, from the first "lady" doctors to graduate from medical school to the multiple paths medical study takes now that about 50% of medical school classes are women. The pulls between family and practice are well described. Some women choose not to have children of their own. I was especially struck by the story of an orthopedic surgeon who sacrificed 20 years of her life to be one of the boys and then hit the glass ceiling with a crash. Fortunately, she found a good position at another academic center. How many do not? I loved the editor's poem, which both in form and in words illustrated the family/physician duality. There are too many to cite in a review. I recently talked to my daughter about how much I disliked the use of "female" doctor instead of woman doctor. She said, "Why don't you just call them "doctor?" I'm afraid we're not there yet. Women tend to crowd into psychiatry, pediatrics, and now internal medicine and even ob/gyn. This volume illustrates in many ways what we can hope is to be a total success story.

As a pre-med student, thinking about entering the field of medicine, I have been searching for a place to find honest pictures of what my life might look like as a woman and a physician. I appreciated the candid images of both the challenges and rewards I will have ahead of me. I continue to read and reread some of the most powerful stories, and I hope they will help give me a sense of belonging and connection, as I move forward in my own journey into medicine as a young woman.