Stress In Medical School

At times, it may seem there is no end to the stresses of medical school. In addition to academic stress, the stress of developing clinical skills and working in an unfamiliar environment can be overwhelming.

Find information and other resources about stress management, mindfulness, financial support, and mental health education on our website. Also, check out our BurntOut simulation, where students can practice coping strategies to improve their resilience and assess the impact on both patient responses and personal stress. Hands-on scenarios deepen medical student understanding of how to address and overcome burnout during game-play and beyond.

Studies have look at the stress of medical students around the world and have shown that students experience similar stresses which can contribute to burnout^{1, 2, 3, 4}. For example, medical students from Brazil and Saudi Arabia^{1, 2} complain of stress from:

Lack of time
Excessive subject content
Too many tests
Expecting too much of themselves
Competitiveness
Family problems
Worry about the future
Interpersonal conflict
Low self-esteem

Sound familiar?

Common Coping Mechanisms

If you find yourself resonating with any of these stresses, you may want to try some of the most common coping mechanisms used by medical students in several countries other than the U.S.:

Avoiding comparisons¹
Better time management⁷
Emotional support⁷
Finding comfort in religion²
Getting good sleep⁷
Participating in leisure activities (cinema, reading, sports, meeting friends and family)¹
Respecting one’s limits¹
Seeking advice and help from others²
Setting priorities¹
Talking to family members/friends⁷

Psychological/Inward and Active/Outward Coping Mechanisms

Choose a coping approach that fits your preferred style. In a given situation, there often is more than one healthy way to cope⁵. Do you favor a more psychological, inward approach? Or are you more active or externally oriented?

Examples of psychological/inward coping mechanisms used most often by medical students include:

Acceptance of current situations
Positive reinterpretation (“reframing”)
Open expression of emotions, and
Planning³

Examples of active/outward coping mechanisms⁶ include:

Exercise
Participating in available programs
Engaging with extracurricular activities

Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms

Be careful to avoid unhealthy coping mechanisms, however. Medical students’ most common unhealthy coping strategies are:

Self-blame²
Being self-critical²
Use of escape or avoidance⁴
Substance use – typically alcohol, but increasingly cannabis

Knowing the coping strategies used most often by other medical students may give you ideas of how you can respond to the stresses of medical school and avoid burnout, whether you are new to medical school or facing new challenges in your clinical years.

References