Many of blogs specifically cover the risk of burnout including the association of Burnout with Med Student Risky Alcohol Use & SI and some potential solutions like Trying Mindfulness to Counter Burnout
A review of the literature clearly shows the high risk of burnout. And keep in mind that the burnout problems seen in medical students persist in practicing physicians.
Medical school teaches you to take care of a patient. Make sure you are aware of your emotional state and paying attention to your own well-being. Consider checking in with yourself in one of our self-checks.
In future blogs we’ll dive more closely into the literature on burnout in both populations, but here are ome recently-published articles and their basic findings.
- Bugaj TJ, Cranz A, Junne F, Erschens R, Herzog W, Nikendei C, Psychosocial burden in medical students and specific prevention strategies. Mental Health & Prevention. 2016:4:1(24-30). doi: 10.1016/j.mhp.2015.12.003.
“Burnout during medical school can have long-term effects, as physician impairment in terms of mental health could compromise patient safety. Counteracting the effects of burnout early, by providing the student ways of identifying and coping with burnout, can help them achieve long-term success for both themselves and their patients.”
- MacLean, L., Booza, J. & Balon, R. The impact of medical school on student mental health. Acad Psychiatry. 2016:40:89. doi:10.1007/s40596-015-0301-5
“In a recent study of medical students, 82% reported an increase in their stress levels over the past year, 25% had moderate to severe anxiety, and 11.7% had suicidal ideation. This underlies a definite need to support and treat issues of stress and burnout among the medical student population because, left untreated, these symptoms can compound and negatively affect the student’s ability to cope with life events and their subsequent ability to treat patients could be impacted as well.”
- Puthran R, Zhang MW, Tam WW, Ho RC. Prevalence of depression amongst medical students: a meta-analysis. Medical Education 2016: 50:456–468. doi: 10.1111/medu.12962
“Although depression among medical students is quite common, the rates of treatment are not comparable. This could be related to a stigma towards getting care or the lack of availability of care in general. This indicates a need for medical schools to provide more detection and treatment options for their students in order to counteract the issue of burnout and the mental health effects it can have.”
- Rotenstein LS, Ramos MA, Torre M, Segal JB, Peluso MJ, Guille C, Sen S, Mata DA. Prevalence of depression, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation among medical students: A systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA. 2016;316(21):2214-2236. doi:10.1001/jama.2016.17324
“The identification and treatment of burnout is important, as it can lead to long-term mental health impairment. In a recent study, medical students have noted symptoms of depression (27.2%) and suicidal ideation (11.1%). These rates are higher than their non-medical student counterparts, which means that factors involved in medical education are contributing to the mental health impairment and need to be counteracted to ensure that they will not have long-term negative ramifications.”
- Tolentino JC, Guo WA, Ricca RL, Vazquez D, Martins N, Sweeney J, Moalem J, Derrick EL, Sholevar F, Marchionni C, Wagner V, Orlando JP, Paul E, Psaila J, Papadimos TJ, Stawicki SP. What’s new in academic medicine: Can we effectively address the burnout epidemic in healthcare?.Int J Acad Med. 2017;3:1-12.
“Burnout among medical professionals, both practicing and students, can have wide-reaching ramifications in the healthcare industry. Not only does physician impairment put patients at immediate risk, burnout could lead to less medical professionals entering or remaining in the profession, which will cause a deficit in the available care that can be provided to patients.”
We’re building 2D and VR BurntOut simulation experiences to build resilience and strengthen coping strategies in clinical year medical students and prepare them the stresses and challenges of clinical care.
It is evident that physician burnout, especially medical student burnout, is an area that requires more attention and more care. By addressing the mental health impairment that results from burnout, as well as the underlying factors that lead to burnout, the future quality of the medical profession will be enhanced and long-term health outcomes can remain strong or improve.
