2012; 34: 1081–1082
Book review
Med Teach Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Kings College London on 10/17/13 For personal use only.
Succeeding in your medical degree (becoming tomorrow’s doctors), by Simon Watmough (ed.), Exeter, Learning Mattters, 2011, 168pp., ISBN 978-0857253972 ( pbk.) This part of the series ‘Becoming Tomorrow’s Doctors’ describes important non-clinical aspects of medical education, introducing UK medical students to the GMC’s Tomorrow’s Doctors framework. The 13 chapters cover a broad range of topical issues such as leadership, professionalism and communication skills in one small volume, providing a good starting point to get acquainted with these topics. The limitations this brings about regarding depth are more than adequately covered by ‘going further’ sections at the end of each chapter highlighting interesting references for those who wish to read more. The book is easy to read, and with a glossary and sufficient introduction to each topic, it is accessible to everyone. The layout includes case studies, summaries of available evidence and highlighted key points. These are informative, act as a reference for students facing challenges in their studies, and provide a method by which more abstract topics can be applied to everyday life. The case-study on Facebook, for example is a topic students can easily relate to, and encourages consideration of our usage of this medium as future professionals. The proposed activities could be used as a stimulus for interactive discussion but their added value for individual readers seems limited. The chapters – each authored by different authors – are stand-alone and can be read independently. However, if one reads the book cover to cover it seems that there is no coherent flow; we grapple to identify the overarching message the authors wish to convey. As the title suggests, medical students seeking information and advice on how to succeed in their medical degree would find this book useful. However, some chapters seem to be more suitably targeted at medical educators and might be less relevant for medical students without experience in medical education. On the other hand, medical educators looking for information on these topics will be more likely to refer to other more specialised references rather than this book. Thus, we feel the lack of clarity as to the intended audience reduces the coherence of the book as a volume. We applaud the inclusion of chapters on topics that are not covered adequately elsewhere; leadership, SSC and career choices and CV building are valuable skill-based additions to
ISSN 0142–159X print/ISSN 1466–187X online/12/121081–2 ß 2012 Informa UK Ltd. DOI: 10.3109/0142159X.2012.724735
the factual teaching traditionally encompassed within a medical curriculum. We would have welcomed developing these aspects even further, perhaps by deeper consideration of topics such as how to develop appropriate levels of empathy (and more emphasis upon the ways in which communitybased volunteering projects can help to develop this understanding), use of reflective learning, and how to challenge and change the status quo when appropriate, perhaps through a discussion of the use of advocacy within the role of a physician. All these characteristics of a medical practitioner are rarely formally taught, and thus we feel books such as these can provide a valuable resource through which to develop these skills. Despite this book representing an excellent collection of insightful and thoughtful essays on various topics in medical education, we feel that there is room for improvement. A key method by which to improve the next edition would be to involve students throughout the process. Engaging students as advisors at an early stage could help to ensure the relevance of each chapter to day-to-day experiences, and form a clearer over-arching message linking the themes. In addition, the use of some personal case-studies, written by students themselves would facilitate student engagement with the issues at hand, allowing them to identify with experiences of other students. Ultimately, we feel it is critical to engage the audience for which the book is intended throughout its synthesis in order to maximise its impact and utility. Furthermore, we feel that the book limits its own remit by focusing exclusively on UK systems and experiences, since many of the issues covered are relevant to medical students worldwide. Neglecting to discuss the role of the physician within our increasingly globalised world risks promoting insular thinking by students, and we believe this is a key topic that should have been discussed within the introduction, and ideally as a chapter in its own right. Thus, engaging with students in other countries to determine which topics they would wish to see covered could prove a practical and beneficial manner to broaden both the reach and readership of this book.
Conclusion All in all, this book provides interesting and easy-to-digest information for medical students in all stages of their studies.
1081
Book review
Med Teach Downloaded from informahealthcare.com by Kings College London on 10/17/13 For personal use only.
Pre-clinical students will benefit from chapters on assessment and career planning, while the chapters on clinical placements, leadership and professionalism provide useful information for students in later years. The progressive and diverse topical issues covered offer a broader perspective for medical students. Thus we feel that the edition fulfils the book’s title in supporting students to succeed in their medical education, and with a little further refinement it could prove an essential manual for the development of tomorrow’s doctors.
1082
Felicity Jones Guy’s Campus, King’s College London, London, SE1 1U, UK Email: felicityaejones@gmail.com Robbert Duvivier Maastricht University, the Netherlands Margot Weggemans University of Utrecht, Heidelberglaan 100, 3584 CX, Utrecht 3531 PA, The Netherlands Email: margotw88@gmail.com