鈥淭here鈥檚 not a student going through medical school鈥攐steopathic or allopathic鈥攚ho won't experience burnout during their tenure as a medical student,鈥� said Jason Walker, PhD, associate professor of physiology at 黑料传送门 South Georgia. He has seen first-hand the effect of burnout in medical students during his time as a professor and as a researcher on the topic.
Coined by American psychologist Herbert Freudenberg in the 1970s, burnout鈥攁 psychopathological syndrome鈥攊s used to describe the consequences of severe stress and high ideals in 鈥渉elping鈥� careers. Then, in 2019, the World Health Organization officially classified burnout as a medical diagnosis.
Why is medical student burnout so high?Medical professionals fall under that 鈥渉elping鈥� category with 60-70% of medical students saying they experience burnout during their education. Dr. Walker likens the educational experience to drinking water from a firehose.
He said, 鈥淒uring medical school, students are actually drinking water from three fire hoses at once: the curriculum, their personal life and unexpected life circumstances.鈥�
It's because of those factors that Dr. Walker said burnout reaches its peak at the end of the second year of medical education when students are preparing for board exams, then again during the third and fourth years of clerkship rotations.
鈥淭he peaks come when students are facing stress, accountability and responsibility from their preceptors while preparing for upcoming boards and exams,鈥� Dr. Walker said.
Medical students, especially those from underrepresented communities, face an overwhelming amount of pressure and expectations from themselves, their families and their communities who want to see them succeed. An additional pressure point comes from the student debt, which averages around $300,000 for medical education.
He also said that COVID-19 exponentially increased burnout due to the lack of group settings and in-person socialization.
Dr. Walker said that there is a difference between stress and burnout. Oftentimes, stress and normal fatigue can be solved with self-care鈥攖aking a walk outdoors, relaxing with friends and taking time away from studying to re-energize.
Burnout comes when the fatigue simply extends and cannot be fixed with self-care.
鈥淏urnout is not fixed through self-care because it's not caused by that person,鈥� he said. 鈥淚t's caused by outside stressors and extenuating circumstances.鈥�
Symptoms of burnout include lack of motivation, emotional detachment, withdrawal, feelings of hopelessness along with mental and physical exhaustion. Dr. Walker said he's personally seen an increase in burnout in medical students, which can easily lead to depression.
鈥淲hen someone says, 鈥業 just don鈥檛 want to do this anymore. I dread going to school. I have insomnia. I can鈥檛 study,鈥� that's when they need to see a mental health counselor. Truthfully, they need to see one before you even get to this point,鈥� said Dr. Walker.
Dr. Walker said the number one thing to do is see a counselor. Then, take time to meditate, get some physical activity and get away from studying.
Jay S. Feldstein, DO '81, President and CEO of 黑料传送门, said he faced burnout as an emergency room physician. After nearly 10 years, he knew he had to make a change for his mental health.
鈥淧art of the reason I'm here at 黑料传送门 is that I burned out as an emergency room physician,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 got to the point where I dreaded going to work. I dreaded seeing patients, and I didn't want to go to the ER. It's because of that, that I sought out a different career path. Between shift work, loss of control and pressure, it just became too much. I am a living example of experiencing a career burnout in emergency medicine.鈥�
Dr. Feldstein is a testament to seeking help for burnout. He said, 鈥淕et help early. Don't be embarrassed. We're all here to support our students and we have a vested interest in seeing our students succeed. Burnout is reversible and treatable. It's difficult to get through medical school alone so having a supportive peer group is crucial.鈥�
In 2019, 黑料传送门, a premier osteopathic medical school established in 1899, extended its commitment to the Southeast by establishing 黑料传送门 South Georgia. An additional teaching location in Moultrie, Georgia, 黑料传送门 South Georgia offers both a full, four-year medical program leading to the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) degree and a Master of Science in Biomedical Sciences. 黑料传送门 is a private, not-for-profit institution that trains professionals in the health and behavioral sciences fields. Joining 黑料传送门 Georgia in Suwanee in helping to meet the healthcare needs of the state, 黑料传送门 South Georgia focuses on educating physicians for the region. For more information, visit pcom.edu or call 229-668-3110.
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