From the first days of their undergraduate medical education, medical students aim to maximize their academic and clinical performance. Getting the best results in the classroom goes beyond study. It requires effort to maintain personal well-being.
“Only studying and not taking care of your whole health, your mental health and your physical body is not, is not the solution to anything,” said Wayne Bond Lau, MD, a dean for student affairs at Thomas Jefferson University's Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia.
In reflecting on how students can sustain themselves during the four-year marathon of medical school, Dr. Lau highlighted several habits that can make the difference.
Scheduling anchors well-being
Throughout the four years of medical school, free time is finite—and less abundant at certain stages. Without strict scheduling, your ability to live a life outside of medical school can disappear, Dr. Lau said.
“For this given day, I know that I have to go to school for these given hours,” said Dr. Lau, putting into words how a medical student might think through their time allotment. “I’m going to dedicate these four hours to review the two hours lecture that I had this morning, and I’m going to schedule in three hours of wellness time after dinner....Only with that regimented schedule is it possible to have bandwidth to do other things.”
Scheduling can take on particular importance in key points during your medical school journey. That includes the transition to being a first-year medical student and the prep periods for United States Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE Step 1 and Step 2), as well as Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX USA) Level 1 and Level 2.
Build recreation into your week
By treating well-being as part of the weekly routine, students can reclaim time for recovery and recreation, Dr. Lau said.
“If you work really hard between Mondays and Fridays and you prepare and you read, read the work and you keep up on it, then it’s very possible for Saturday and Sunday to have more spans of time that you can engage with relaxation,” he said.
Jefferson Health, which is the home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, is part of the AMA Health System Member Program that provides enterprise solutions to equip leadership, physicians and care teams with resources to help drive the future of medicine.
Spark joy when you can
Participating in nonscholastic activities, such as recreational sports or playing music, can serve as outlets for stress and reminders that there is more to life than coursework.
“It’s not a good idea to say that I’m no longer going to partake in activities that give me joy,” Dr. Lau said. “That does a disservice to the overall mental state of medical students. And I also think it’s important to show your residency programs, later on, that you’ve kept up with something that you truly love.”
Burnout—defined as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment or effectiveness—among medical students isn’t just an individual problem; it’s systemic. In acknowledging the burden that can come with medical training, the AMA has policy recognizing that partnerships with accrediting bodies and leading medical organizations are essential to addressing the recognition, treatment, and prevention of burnout among residents, fellows, students and faculty.
Set boundaries
As important as it is to make sure your study time is dedicated to your growth as a medical student, it’s also important to make sure that time allotted for nonscholastic pursuits is protected.
“Make sure free time with your friends is really free time with your friends, and you’re not going to be distracted by school emails or other things like that,” Dr. Lau said, “You have to partition your life well in those ways.”
Institutional interventions are pivotal to addressing medical student burnout. An AMA STEPS Forward® module—"Medical Student Well-Being: Minimize Burnout and Improve Mental Health Among Medical Students”—outlines eight concrete actions medical schools and faculty can take to promote student well-being and strengthen mental health.
Lean on your people
Stressful points are unavoidable in medical school. Dr. Lau advised students not to navigate them alone.
“Taking care of your supporting cast members—your family, your friends—is really important,” he said. “Those people will help get students through the worst times, through the times when they really need a very tight support network.”
