Today's Students, Tomorrow's Doctors

Book excerpt: This work includes forewords by Sir Kenneth Calman, Lynn Calman, and Rita Charon. Respectively Vice-Chancellor and Warden, University of Durham and former Chief Medical Officer for England; Research Associate, School of Nursing, Midwifery and Social Work, University of Manchester; Professor of Clinical Medicine, College of Physicians and Surgeons, University of Columbia, New York, USA. "Today's Students, Tomorrow's Doctors" offers actual accounts of life as a trainee junior doctor in the health service today. It is an intriguing read which includes student contributions that are witty, humorous, poignant and sometimes harrowing. With a strong focus on the personal, powerful and emotional experiences of trainee and junior doctors, this unique book challenges medical educators to understand the demands placed on graduates and will stimulate change and curriculum development. The book is also a great reference for medical students - preparing them for the realities of ward life. It aids in developing an understanding of the skills and experience required to survive and thrive in the healthcare environment. This is an invaluable resource for medical educators in both work-based and university roles. It will also be of great interest to healthcare managers and curriculum developers and shapers. 'A joy to read, full of hope. We were delighted, surprised and at times concerned. Delighted because of the issues raised and the sophisticated ways in which students responded to the challenges; surprised at the range of issues raised and the obvious importance of relationships in the clinical setting; finally concerned at some of the attitudes which were commented on, especially of senior staff, and on the adequacy of preparation for house officer posts. This book is inspirational and should be read by all who have any part to play in the education of doctors.' - Sir Kenneth Calman and Lynne Calman, in their Foreword. 'Extraordinary. This is autobiographical insight at its most powerful, for it leads to transformative growth and true learning. I am first of all impressed with the emotional valence of these writings. They reflect the students' interior states of sadness, empathy, and awe as they bear witness to patients' suffering. The essays reflect a fresh calculus of sickness and duty [and] give me great and glad hope that our doctors of the future will be efficient with the forms of medicine as well as courageous in braving their contact with the ill, with the dying, with the humans who confront them evermore seeking care, seeking comfort, seeking their full capacity to heal.' - Rita Charon, in her Foreword.