Temporal Trends in Medical Student Burnout

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Student Well-being
• Psychological Distress

Background:

• Longitudinal data on medical student distress and burnout development is limited.
• Understanding temporal trends in distress is essential for effective support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine trends in medical student distress and burnout over four years of medical education.
• To identify stressors associated with increased distress during medical school.

Main Methods:

• A cohort of medical students completed nine surveys from orientation to post-residency match.
• The Medical Student Well-Being Index measured distress domains.
• Descriptive analysis quantified distress trends over time.

Main Results:

• Student distress and burnout rates increased significantly from matriculation to post-residency match (2% to 12% and 17% to 38%, respectively).
• Depersonalization rose from 13% to 35%, and emotional exhaustion from 5% to 22% over four years.
• Emotional exhaustion peaked after year 1 (45%) and year 3 (44%), with some improvement after breaks.

Conclusions:

• Burnout develops progressively during medical school, aligning with existing literature.
• Depersonalization emerged early, with little subsequent improvement.
• Emotional exhaustion increased notably after clinical clerkships, highlighting critical intervention points.