[2] The novel follows Nan as she encounters strife when she decides to go against the traditional values of the day and become a doctor.

[3] The work has been compared to Elizabeth Stuart Phelps Ward's Doctor Zay, which also depicted a woman seeking a medical career in the late 1800s.

[4] The book has been listed as an example of the shift in the perception of the role of women in society, with the main character of Nan choosing to pursue her career in medicine rather than a marriage and family.

[5] Themes addressed in A Country Doctor include the difficulty of meshing together the past and the future.

[5][8] There is also reference within the book to the idea that "all people, regardless of sex, receive individual vocational calls".