From the Editor in Chief
Sep 2009
Ten years and counting. This month marks a decade of continuous publication for Virtual Mentor (VM). Numerous feature and layout improvements have been made since we built and debuted our first issue of VM. Through all the changes, our editorial mission has remained true and unchanging—to strengthen the ethics and professionalism of the next generation of physicians.
We have strived to fulfill this mission by delivering practical guidance to help medical students and resident physicians better address ethical scenarios in their everyday professional lives. Hundreds of case-based scenarios, each accompanied by expert commentaries, have been published and are archived in VM for easy access and use. These cases and the “mentoring” guidance that accompany them form the editorial foundation for every issue of VM.
To further ensure that we are covering topics of relevance to our core audience, most VM issues for the past 6 years have been edited by either a medical student or resident physician. Student and resident “theme issue” editors are selected each year through a competitive process. Each editor is responsible for selecting a topic to explore and works closely with the VM editorial staff from idea to ultimate publication of the issue. The journal has benefited tremendously from the energy, creativity, and dedication of our large and growing alumni group of issue editors.
These and other improvements that we have instituted no doubt contributed to the decision by the National Library of Medicine to accept Virtual Mentor as a MEDLINE-indexed journal. This development is an important milestone for any journal, and I want to extend my sincerest appreciation to all, especially editors and authors, who have contributed their time and expertise to the continuing growth and evolution of VM.
If you build (and renovate) it, they will come. I am happy to say that our readership has grown steadily over the past 10 years. I am confident that this growth reflects not only our value to our readers and stakeholders, but also our shared commitment to upholding and strengthening the core values of medicine.
