Warning: medical education is hazardous to your mental health. Medical students should make an informed decision to begin and continue training

Authors

  • Adam Stacey University of Saskatchewan
  • Marcel D'Eon Augusta University
  • Melissa Andersen University of Saskatchewan
  • Niels Koehncke University of Saskatchewan
  • Jessica Campoli University of Saskatchewan
  • Galilee Thompson University of Saskatchewan
  • Kylie Riou University of Saskatchewan

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.73959

Abstract

For decades there has been ample evidence that training to become a physician and practicing medicine is hazardous to one’s health and wellness. In the face of the extremely high rates of suicide, substance abuse, depression and burnout in the medical student, resident, and physician populations, it would be dishonest to suggest medical education and practice is all gain and no pain. This article is directed to members of the medical education community and challenges stakeholders to view their teaching and training of medical students as an intervention requiring free and informed consent. We hope this exercise shifts the paradigm of educators and enables students to enter medical training from a free and informed position. 

References

Canadian Medical Association. CMA code of ethics and professionalism. Available at

https://policybase.cma.ca/en/permalink/policy13937#_ga=2.83777748.391414900.1626202876-29424022.1626202876 [Accessed Jul 10, 2021].

D'Eon M. Is medical education hazardous to your health? Can Med Ed J. 2014;5(1), e1-e4. https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.36738

Bligh J. Problem-based, small group learning. BMJ. 1995;311:342-343. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.311.7001.342

Government of Saskatchewan. Safety in the workplace: approved standards and practices | Available at https://www.saskatchewan.ca/business/safety-in-the-workplace/approved-standards-and-practices. [Accessed on Jul 15, 2021].

Sletta C, Tyssen R, Løvseth LT. Change in subjective well-being over 20 years at two Norwegian medical schools and factors linked to well-being today: a survey. BMC med ed. 2019 Dec;19(1):1-2. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-019-1476-3

Rotenstein LS, Ramos MA, Torre M, et al. Prevalence of depression, depressive symptoms, and suicidal ideation among medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Jama. 2016 Dec 6;316(21):2214-36. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2016.17324

Dyrbye L, Shanafelt T. A narrative review on burnout experienced by medical students and residents. Med ed. 2016 Jan;50(1):132-49. https://doi.org/10.1111/medu.12927

Erschens R, Keifenheim KE, Herrmann-Werner A, et al. Professional burnout among medical students: systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Med Teach. 2019 Feb 1;41(2):172-83. https://doi.org/10.1080/0142159X.2018.1457213

Blacker CJ, Lewis CP, Swintak CC, Bostwick JM, Rackley SJ. Medical student suicide rates: a systematic review of the historical and international literature. Acad Med. 2019 Feb 1;94(2):274-80. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000002430

Arnetz, BB. Psychosocial challenges facing physicians of today. Soc Sci Med. 2001; 52(2), 203-213. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0277-9536(00)00220-3

Wallace JE, Lemaire JB, Ghali WA. Physician wellness: a missing quality indicator. The Lancet, 2009; 374(9702), 1714-1721. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(09)61424-0

Yung E, Lagacé F, Zhong YJ, Tabry V, Sarkis B, Sun-Drapeau L, Jin S. CFMS position paper on responding to medical student suicide. In Proceedings of the 2018 CFMS Annual General Meeting. Ottawa: Canadian Federation of Medical Students (CFMS). 2018; pp21-23.

Slavin S. Reflections on a decade leading a medical student well-being initiative. Acad Med. 2019 Jun 1;94(6):771-4 https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000002540

Dyrbye LN, Thomas MR, Shanafelt TD. Medical student distress: causes, consequences, and proposed solutions. In Mayo Clinic Proceedings 2005 Dec 1;80.12: pp1613-1622. https://doi.org/10.4065/80.12.1613

Slavin SJ, Schindler DL, Chibnall JT. Medical student mental health 3.0: improving student wellness through curricular changes. Acad Med. 2014 Apr;89(4):573. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000000166

Pell G, Fuller R, Homer M, Roberts T. Is short-term remediation after OSCE failure sustained? A retrospective analysis of the longitudinal attainment of underperforming students in OSCE assessments. Med Teach. 2012 Feb 1;34(2):146-50. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.643262

Ellaway RH, Chou CL, Kalet AL. Situating remediation: accommodating success and failure in medical education systems. Acad Med. 2018 Mar 1;93(3):391-8. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000001855

Chia TI, Oyeniran OI, Ajagbe AO, Onigbinde OA, Oraebosi MI. The symptoms and stress experienced by medical students in anatomy dissection halls. J Taibah Uni Medical Sci. 2020 Feb;15(1):8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtumed.2020.01.001

Klender SM. Fear of death, dissection avoidance behaviors, and performance in gross anatomy courses with cadaveric dissection. In Doctoral dissertation, The University of Mississippi Medical Center. 2020.

Kwok S, Ostermeyer B, Coverdale J. A systematic review of the prevalence of patient assaults against residents. JGME. 2012 Sep;4(3):296. https://doi.org/10.4300/JGME-D-11-00184.1

Benbassat J. Changes in wellbeing and professional values among medical undergraduate students: a narrative review of the literature. Adv Health Sci Ed. Oct 1 2014;19(4):597-610. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-014-9500-1

Kemp S, Hu W, Bishop J et al. Medical student wellbeing-a consensus statement from Australia and New Zealand. BMC med ed. 2019 Dec;19(1):69. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-019-1505-2

Radcliffe C, Lester H. Perceived stress during undergraduate medical training: a qualitative study. Med Ed, 2003;37(1), 32-38. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2923.2003.01405.x

Cusimano MC, Baxter NN, Sutradhar R, et al. Delay of pregnancy among physicians vs nonphysicians. JAMA Intern Med 2021;181:905–12. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.1635

Adesoye T, Mangurian C, Choo EK, et al. Physician moms group study group. Perceived discrimination experienced by physician mothers and desired workplace changes: a cross-sectional survey. JAMA Intern Med 2017;177:1033–6. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2017.1394

Rangel EL, Castillo-Angeles M, Easter SR, et al. Incidence of infertility and pregnancy complications in US female surgeons. JAMA Surg. 2021;156(10):905–915. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamasurg.2021.3301

Stentz NC, Griffith KA, Perkins E, et al. Fertility and childbearing among American female physicians. J Womens Health. 2016;25:1059–65. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2015.5638

Bering J, Pflibsen L, Eno C, et al. Deferred personal life decisions of women physicians. J Womens Health. 2018;27:584–9. https://doi.org/10.1089/jwh.2016.6315

Cusimano MCBN, Sutradhar R, Ray J, et al. Reproductive patterns, pregnancy outcomes and parental leave practices of women physicians in Ontario, Canada: the Dr. Mom cohort study protocol. BMJ Open 2020;10:e041281. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-041281

Mills G, Ruzycki SM, JeSabourin J, Dance E. Experiences of breastfeeding among women residents in Alberta: a cross-sectional survey, Postgrad Med. Sept 20,2020; 133:1, 42-47. https://doi.org/10.1080/00325481.2020.1814581

Győrffy Z, Dweik D, Girasek E. Reproductive health and burn-out among female physicians: nationwide, representative study from Hungary. National Library of Medicine. BMC women's health. Oct 2, 2014; 14:121. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6874-14-121

Kaye EC. One in four - the importance of comprehensive fertility benefits for the medical workforce. N Engl J Med. Apr 16, 2020;382(16):1491-1493. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMp1915331

Mohan H, Ali O, Gokani V, et al. Surgical trainees’ experience of pregnancy, maternity and paternity leave: a cross-sectional study. Postgrad Med J. 2019;95:552-557. https://doi.org/10.1136/postgradmedj-2018-135952

Willoughby KA, Yaworski MJ, Zendel BR, Curran V. National survey of the transition back to Canadian residency programs after parental leave. CMEJ. 2020; 11(5), e16-e30; https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.68486.

Melnitchouk N, Scully RE, Davids JS. Barriers to breastfeeding for US physicians who are mothers. JAMA Intern Med. 2018;178(8):1130–1132. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2018.0320

Giantini Larsen AM, Pories S, Parangi S, et al. Barriers to pursuing a career in surgery: an institutional survey of Harvard Medical School students. Ann Surg 2021;273:1120–6. https://doi.org/10.1097/SLA.0000000000003618

Halley MC, Rustagi AS, Torres JS, et al. Physician mothers' experience of workplace discrimination: a qualitative analysis. BMJ 2018;363:k4926.https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.k4926

Schiller JH, Stansfield RB, Belmonte DC, et al. Medical students' use of different coping strategies and relationship with academic performance in preclinical and clinical years. Teach Learn Med. 2018 Jan 2;30(1):15-21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10401334.2017.1347046

Jahrami H, Dewald-Kaufmann J, AlAnsari AM, Taha M, Al Ansari N. Prevalence of sleep problems among medical students: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Public Health. 2019 Apr 1:1-8.

Abdulghani HM, Alrowais NA, Bin-Saad NS et al. Sleep disorder among medical students: relationship to their academic performance. Med Teach. 2012, 34 Suppl 1. S37-41. https://doi.org/10.3109/0142159X.2012.656749.

Soomi L. Naturally occurring consecutive sleep loss and day-to-day trajectories of affective and physical well-being. Ann Behav Med, 2021; https://doi.org/10.1093/abm/kaab055

D’Eon MF. Enabling and encouraging sleep deprivation among medical students. Can Med Ed J. 2020 Mar;11(1):e1. https://doi.org/10.36834/cmej.69918

Dyrbye LN, Satele D, Shanafelt TD. Healthy exercise habits are associated with lower risk of burnout and higher quality of life among US medical students. Acad Med. 2017 Jul 1;92(7):1006-11. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACM.0000000000001540

Stathopoulou G, Powers MB, Berry AC, Smits JA, Otto MW. Exercise interventions for mental health: a quantitative and qualitative review. Clin Psychol. 2006 May;13(2):179-93. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-2850.2006.00021.x

Landau C, Hall S, Wartman SA, Macko MB. Stress in social and family relationships during the medical residency. J Med Ed. 1986;61.8: 654-660. https://doi.org/10.1097/00001888-198608000-00004

Tillett R. The patient within-psychopathology in the helping professions. Adv Psychiatr Treat. 2003; 9(4):272-279. https://doi.org/10.1192/apt.9.4.272

Wikipedia contributors. Outcome bias. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Dec 5, 2020. Available at: https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Outcome_bias&oldid=992511968. [Accessed Jul 15, 2021].

Downloads

Published

2022-06-14

How to Cite

1.
Stacey A, D’Eon M, Andersen M, Koehncke N, Campoli J, Thompson G, et al. Warning: medical education is hazardous to your mental health. Medical students should make an informed decision to begin and continue training. Can. Med. Ed. J [Internet]. 2022 Jun. 14 [cited 2024 Dec. 19];13(5):39-44. Available from: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/cmej/article/view/73959

Issue

Section

Original Research

Most read articles by the same author(s)

<< < 1 2 3 > >>