Burning Out

There is a recent article on the New York Times about medical students in the US feeling burned out and depressed that contains some alarming statistics: 11% of those surveyed have had suicidal thoughts from depression, almost half of medical students surveyed suffered from emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a low sense of personal accomplishment. Among the factors cited are the constant lack of sleep, the pressure to excel, the hazing from senior students and residents, and having the firehose of information aimed at them non-stop. In the article, the author, an accomplished specialist herself, recounts her years in medical school when she felt miserable but unwilling to admit it because she did not want to admit to failure amidst the fierce competition among her fellow students. The article paints a picture of cut-throat competition and every-man-for-himself mentality in the US medical community.

After reading that article, I feel especially fortunate that I had decided to go to medical school in Australia. Now in the final month of medical school, I can say that I have not had any reason to feel burned out in the four years of medical school. Perhaps being a few years older than the average medical student has given me the emotional maturity to better deal with life's ups and downs, but if this article is an accurate reflection of the system in place in the US, I think my coping skills might have been pushed much closer to the limit there. Sure, the firehose of information has always been there, as was the pressure to excel, but to a much lesser degree because internship placements in Australia has nothing to do with one's rank in medical school. Any lack of sleep I have had was due to things unrelated to medical school; I don't remember any incidents of hazing by senior students and residents. In general, I never felt that I was alone in the course. Everyone I know has helped one another the whole time, whether it was to discuss the finer points of some intricate metabolic pathway or to lean on another's shoulder for emotional support. I would say camaraderie and cooperation are the better words to characterize the last four years.

I am not saying the medical school system in Australia is better than that in the US. The competitiveness of US medical schools is the impetus behind the constant innovation, for example. But for my own sanity and mental health, I am glad that I have been able to enjoy the relative tranquil four years in Australia.