Earlier this month, Dr. Anne Thorndike, a physician in internal medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital and an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School, wrote that physician burnout starts with the medical school admissions process, which takes almost twice the length of time as other graduate admissions processes. In an opinion piece for STAT, an online health, medicine, and scientific discovery publication, she called for a shortened admissions timeline for medical school applicants and says the current process is time-consuming, expensive, highly-competitive, and intensely stressful.
Referencing a plethora of studies, she goes on to describe the stress that medical school applicants face prior to even beginning their professional journey. A 2012 study showed higher emotional exhaustion, a symptom of burnout, in pre-medical students compared to non-premedical students. In another study, 33 Black and Hispanic medical students interviewed from across the country described medical school admissions as “very negative” because it was overwhelming and required an “extensive investment of time.” A 2020 online survey found that 73 percent of 556 medical school applicants had depression or anxiety symptoms, with half reporting uncertainty related to the application timeline.
So, how can you manage effectively this daunting process as an applicant? We encourage you to explore and refine various coping mechanisms—exercise, mindfulness, talk therapy, and/or outside adventure activities—that work for you. Taking this step will be just as critical to any application prep course you will take. And you will certainly carry with you these practices into your future career in medicine.
A recent article in the Washington Post covers the physical effects of stress and the practices that may mitigate its impact. Ahmed Tawakol, Director of Nuclear Cardiology at the Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, recommends regular exercise, and high-quality sleep which “...can reduce stress activity in the brain, systemic inflammation, and your risk of developing cardiovascular disease.” Others interviewed point to the power of deep-breathing exercises, muscle relaxation techniques, meditation, and/or yoga, which can actually decrease your body’s reactivity to stress.
As you prepare for medical school, consider carefully how your habits may help or hinder you. Then you can work to integrate stress-reducing practices and positive choices into your daily life.
Related Blogs:
Pre-Med Students Face Stress as Clinical Experiences Become Harder to Find
Narrative Medicine Helps Physicians Gain Empathy, Make Connections, and Accept Difficult Experiences