An Introduction to the Next Generation
A Letter from the Editor, by Lester Y. Leung, Editor-in-Chief
Those of us who aspire to become doctors are met with a variety of encouraging and discouraging prospects. We look to our elders, the doctors of today, with respect and admiration as role models and benevolent citizens that dedicate their lives to the betterment of the lives of their patients. Some of us have been those patients, or the sons and daughters, grandsons and granddaughters, of those who have tread the line that we all must cross someday. Or perhaps we are the sons and daughters of those who took their hands and held them in a dark hour, with the confidence and love of saints. They are our heroes, and we want to follow in their footsteps.
But then again, we also live in a time marked by cynicism and distrust. The term "physician" no longer carries the "god-figure" connotation it once had from "a better time," and for good reason too: there have been doctors who have abused their authority and the trust of their patients. The term "malpractice" is universally understood and recognized. From the outside, we also question the motives of why people desire to become doctors: should we trust our health and our lives to individuals who have chosen this profession in order to secure a solid and enviable salary or appease the wishes of their parents? Those of us within the large population of undergraduate premeds not only face some stigmatization as "cutthroat" or "pod people," but we also sometimes doubt our fellow students, questioning their motives and thinking twice about whether or not to share our own insights and unique experiences. Perhaps, much potential for future collaboration, alliances and friendship are lost through our excessive, competitive behaviors.
For undergraduates, there seems to be too much emphasis on the process of getting accepted by a medical school and too little emphasis on the actual profession we are entering. What is the life of a doctor actually like on a daily, weekly, monthly, yearly basis? What activities on a professional, academic, government or commercial level might a doctor participate in? What are the differences between the various medical and combined medical degrees, and what opportunities are offered by each? What current issues in medicine will affect the practice of medicine when I become a doctor?
For the rest of us in the general public, we wonder about who these people really are: the men and women wearing the white coats and all of their colleagues and supporting staffs. And there are also questions that we should be asking: how can I receive the best medical care? How can I help my doctor fully understand my situation and my health so that we can develop a strong bond of trust? What future prospects are promised by today's changes in research and policy?
The Next Generation is merely one step in a cycle of improvement: by exposing many aspects of the field of medicine to premed students and general audiences, we hope to encourage the development of broader and better educated perspectives amongst a new generation of doctors, researchers, and a health-conscious public. By directing the content of the Next Generation toward a wide audience without the benefit of a medical education, we hope this effort will contribute to the betterment of health care delivery and the gradual renewal of a culture of trust between doctors and patients with a better understanding of medicine. In some ways, the Information Age and the Internet have introduced changes in the practice of medicine, for better or worse; yet, we hope to encourage the next generation of doctors and patients to adapt and take advantage of these new resources without losing the ideals of trust and collaboration of our predecessors. While we currently look to the past for "a better time," we must realize that we can also look to the future - and that we are the future.
Founder and Editor-in-Chief, the Next Generation