To my Premed friends

Dear Premeds,

       I've studied with you, I've complained about Organic Chemistry with you, and after exams, I've gorged on ice cream with you. I admire your dedication and your choice of such a noble career. However, there are some times in which I question your insight, especially when I hear things like, "I hate research," or "I only do research to boost my resume".

       

      I understand research is not for everyone. It takes incisiveness, confidence, ambition, determination, intellect, creativity, and whole lot of patience. I wouldn't recommend it for everyone but I hope you realize how beneficial research is. How did doctors figure out that cat hair can cause allergic reactions? How do we know that the genital human papillomavirus can cause cervical cancer? How are the flu shots we take every year made? All of these innovations and knowledge was generated by asking questions and testing ideas, in other words, research. Medical doctors utilize the knowledge generated by researchers to diagnose and cure illness. 

     In fact, medical diagnosis is sort of like research. You observe a patient's symptoms, you make a hypothesis, you do some tests to support or negate the hypothesis, and you get results that determine the treatment of the disease. Both research and medicine originate in the scientific method. So when I hear you say,  "I hate research," or "I only do research to boost my resume", I question whether you understand what being a M.D. is. I like you guys. I like studying and hanging out with you, so one day, I hope you understand. I hope you understand how vital research and the scientific method is to medicine. And I hope you guys become great doctors.

Yours truly,

antsandpants