Content: Reflective MedEd welcomes submissions from educators and students in medical schools and related health professions.  We also welcome contributions from the perspective of patients, and scholars in the humanities, social sciences, and public policy.  In short, we seek entries from anyone whose insights regarding educational method and content or the social and interpersonal context of medicine can assist in developing future physicians who respect their patients in the fullness of their humanity and can be leaders for social justice in medicine and society.  Thus, we welcome a wide variety of types of narratives and ask that they be written in a clear, direct, conversational style…

We especially welcome pieces that are written in a reflective or experientially-based manner that makes thematic the author’s perspective.

Two Categories of Submissions:  1. Essays – these are on a topic of the author’s choosing.  Essays must not exceed 650 words.  2.  The “Hearing the Call” column. These are short reflections on how one realized their calling as (a) a physician, or (b) as a medical educator.  Submissions for this column should be approximately 300 words. (Be advised that an author need not be a physician to write on their calling as a medical educator.)

Editorial Decisions: Reflective MedEd promises a decision to accept or deny any submission within a week.  All decisions are final.

Length: Essays should not exceed 650 words.  Because maintaining this limit will significantly increase your readership, the editors will make suggestions to shorten manuscript and will return it until it meets this requirement.  Submissions for the Haring the Call column should be approximately 300 words in length.

References:  You may have up to five references in an essay.  No more than three may be to the author’s own work.  We are willing to link to online content.  Please place all references at the end of the manuscript.  We recommend that submissions for the Hearing the Call column contain no references although for important circumstances, a single reference may be permitted.

Examples of references:
Journal Article
Emily E Anderson, Katherine Wasson (2015). Personal Narratives of Genetic Testing. Narrative Inquiry in Bioethics 5(3): 229-235.
Book
Guadelupe Garcia McCall. Under the Mesquite. New York, NY: Lee & Low Books, 2011.
Blog
Mark Kuczewski, Linda Brubaker. The Medical School of Dreams and Dreamers: One Year Later, AM Rounds, September 28, 2015 http://academicmedicineblog.org/the-medical-school-of-dreams-and-dreamers-one-year-later/

Send all inquiries and manuscripts to Mark Kuczewski, PhD at mkuczew@luc.edu