Best 5 Books to communicate with Doctors, Patients and other Medical Students
Do you need help building rapport with patients and colleagues? This list of books will have you effectively conversing with people and looking good while you do so. Plus they will probably make you perform better than you classmates in clinical settings.
1) Influence: Science and Practice (5th Edition)
This book is one of the most influential purchases you can make to help you become a better conversationalist when dealing with any kind of patient. Don’t let the title fool you into believing that you will be manipulating people in anyway, in fact it is quite the opposite; not only will you become better at negotiating your way around ‘problematic’ patients, but you will be able to direct dialogue in a fashion you want – which ultimately leads to a favourable outcome for the patient.
2) The Definitive Book of Body Language
If you have ever been a fan of body language (like me) then this is the next book you should be reading. It covers EVERYTHING from hand signals, eye movements to cultural differences, and how these factors affect body language. Furthermore, it is easy to read through, though I recommend reading it twice to really benefit from it. This Book + You = Master of Observation.
3) The Psychology of Persuasion: How to Persuade Others to Your Way of Thinking
He is another book unlike ‘Influence’ which deals in the psychology of people. The author, Paul Hogan, continuously repeats his belief in the Win/Win concept which I thought applied very well to the doctor-patient relationship – You Win = Patient Wins. This is not just another “persuasion” book that teaches you how to exploit the weaknesses of others, but is a book that encourages the reader to use his/her new found psychological skill set to help others (another similarity to medicine). While Robert Cialdini’s book is still the number one on this subject, Paul Hogan’s effect comes a close second.
4) How to Win Friends & Influence People
It is still surprises me how long ago this book was written (first edition 1936) and how it still manages to remain relevant 70 plus years on. This book is written like a story and gives numerous examples as well as analogies which help stress the points he wants you to understand. ‘How to Win Friends…’ will be of great assistance when dealing with colleagues of any kind. As a medical student, you are exposed to a myriad of people all from varied backgrounds and the easier you can ‘blend’ in the better for you, not matter the situation.
I initially thought there was too much hype around this book, but after one read through I regretted not having started on this paperback earlier. If you don’t have Dale Carnegie in your collection, you really ARE missing out on some really brilliant life advice.
Also See:
Leave a Reply