Under Fire
Abstract
The medical school experience is often romanticized and not authentically portrayed. The profession is touted as an honorable way to serve and help others; self sacrifice is encouraged. However, most medical students do not fly through the curriculum as portrayed in Day in the Life videos online. These videos normalize the idea that students study 11 hours a day, coping easily with the high pressure and ever looming debt. In reality, around 50% of medical students experience symptoms of burnout and it is increasingly being recognized as an epidemic within medical schooling.
After viewing the previously mentioned Day in the Life of a Medical Student videos online, I scrolled down to the comments section of the videos to see medical students leaving comments such as “couldn’t be me” and “this simply isn’t how my life is”. The students seemed dejected and at times incredulous that someone would portray life in medical school like that.
My project was inspired by and made for the medical students who struggle to find their work-life balance in medical school and at times wonder if they’ve made the correct decision in attending medical school. It consists of short quotes that aim to capture the less glamorous aspects of medical school, such as self doubt and uncertainty. I’d best describe it as a medical school confessions page. In this project, I am tying together clinical research on burnout alongside anecdotal information from interviews of medical students in order to give insight into medical school burnout and to turn these hypothesized risk factors into stories. My project will be included in a group Instagram page that focuses on burnout in the field of medicine, encompassing schooling and the profession. My portion of the project aims to help medical students who are feeling symptoms of burnout by sharing important resources and providing a sense of community.
Content
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References
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“Transitioning to Medical School – How It Begins!” Medical School Headquarters, June 9, 2020. https://medicalschoolhq.net/mshq-033-transitioning-to-medical-school-how-it-begins/.