“Jane,” a 25-year old female, comes in to see her PCP with complaints of persistent low energy, difficulty concentrating and recent unintentional weight loss. She is alert and conversant, and in no acute distress. Vitals are within normal range, and her physical exam is normal, yet she insists that something is wrong and that she doesn’t feel like herself. Her doctor digs a little deeper and learns that Jane is a first-year medical student and is having a hard time keeping up with her coursework despite studying 5-8 hours per day, including weekends. She recently stopped attending social events because she wasn’t getting the same high scores, she was accustomed to getting as an undergrad. Obviously, she reasoned, it was because she should have been studying instead of socializing. Shockingly, her grades dropped even more after that! How was that possible?! She wonders that maybe she’s just not smart enough for medical school and that she’s in way over her head. What’s on our differential for Jane? What causes fatigue, difficulty with concentration, and unintentional weight loss (besides Addison’s and hyperthyroidism)?
Burnout has become almost synonymous with some medical of the specialties. Long hours, sleep deprivation, poor patient adherence, combined with personal issues can all contribute to burnout. However, it is not only physicians or residents that can suffer from burnout. Medical students, particularly in the pre-clinical years, can suffer from burnout as well.
Medical students, in general, are a pretty sharp group of people. They come from places where they were amongst the top of their class, if not at the very top. Then they enter medical school and the student population changes. It’s a smaller pond, but with bigger fish (albeit an unranked, pass/fail pond). Nevertheless, there is the pressure to perform and the inevitable cloud of utter disappointment if the mark is missed. Self-worth and academic performance can easily become one and the same, which only compounds the pressure. If Jane sounds anything like you, here are some ideas that may help deal with burnout yourself:
- Reflective journal writing — What are you feeling? Why are you feeling this way? Sometimes the writing alone can be healing and cathartic.
- Talk to a trusted peer or friend, because no one knows the medical school struggle better than someone living it!
- Seek out a learning specialist if your grades are suffering. They are experts in learning and can offer helpful strategies and solutions.
- Check out our school’s Wellness Page for resources available to students: https://wellness.arizona.edu/student-resources
- Lastly, if you’d prefer to speak to a wellness professional, U of A COM-P offers confidential counseling at no cost through the Anxiety Resource Center in Phoenix. Their phone number is (602) 604-9440.
It is possible to enjoy an amazing medical school experience despite the stress! Don’t lose heart and don’t isolate yourself. We are in this thing together after all, aren’t we?
Author’s note: If you’d like to take an anonymous well-being self-assessment from UT Southwestern, follow this link: https://www.surveygizmo.com/s3/4243677/Anonymous-Well-Being-Self-Assessment
Kristina Yancey is a member of The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix, Class of 2022. She graduated from The City University of New York-Staten Island in 2008 with a dual Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry & Chemistry, earned a master’s degree in Educational Leadership from Arizona State University in 2017 and completed a Graduate Certificate in Health Sciences through the Pathway Scholars Program at The University of Arizona College of Medicine – Phoenix in 2018. She enjoys research, community activism, singing Karaoke, dancing, and cracking up at her own jokes. But most of all, she enjoys spending quality time with her husband and daughter.
Email: kyancey@email.arizona.edu