Educating tomorrow’s doctors

In spring 1992, Student BMJ was launched as one of the first international peer reviewed journals written by and for medical students.1 The journal was created as a place for students and junior doctors to find out about developments in medical education, career planning, and research, and to access education and opinion on matters that might not be comprehensively taught at medical school.

Twenty years on, much has changed. For example, in 1993 British universities adopted undergraduate core curriculums to standardise medical education. And in 2009, implementation of the European Working Time Directive (EWTD) restricted junior doctors’ hours of work across the European Union to 48 hours a week. At the BMJ our aim has been to help students and educators keep abreast of these changes and to understand what they mean for curriculums and careers. With a monthly print readership of 21 000, 24 000 unique visitors each month online from around the world, and growing opportunities for interactivity, …