NextGen Editorial: "Selecting for 'A Day in the Life of a Physician' Series"

The Next Generation's "A Day in the Life of a Physician" series is designed to give premeds and other readers outside the field of medicine a glimpse into the lives of doctors. The selection process for this Special Feature series should not be viewed as competitive or as an endorsement. We, the Editors of The Next Generation, do not feign the authority or expertise to be able to select the best physicians in their fields: this is not a peer-selection process, as we are not qualified to be the peers of practicing physicians.

Furthermore, we do not seek to select "the best physicians" for our series. Instead, we are seeking to interview a wide range of doctors: doctors from different specialties, regions, and practicing environments, and with different degrees, professional associations and activities, backgrounds, and most importantly, perspectives. Many of the interviewed doctors have been chosen because they have left an impression on our Editors or our contributing writers.

Our interviewed subjects come from different backgrounds, pursue different goals, and practice medicine with different approaches. Regarding the conditions, attitudes, and approaches of our interviewed subjects toward their profession, we hope this portion of The Next Generation will challenge our readers to think critically about how they will practice (or receive) medicine in the future.

Lester Y. Leung is the Editor-in-Chief of The Next Generation and a member of the Harvard College Class of 2006.