Work-life balance in medical students: self-care in a culture of self-sacrifice

Abstract

Background Work-life balance is a key contributor to doctors’ wellbeing and consequently is a central factor in their career decisions. General Medical Council guidance outlines the importance of work-life balance as part of compassionate self-care. Learning self-care should begin as an undergraduate, when academic and clinical workload can contribute to stress, anxiety and burnout. Methods Sequential mixed methods study of medical students in Years 3–5 at the University of Birmingham, UK. Students (n = 145) defined work-life balance in free-text answers and self-assessed their current work-life balance via questionnaires. Following this, a sub-sample of students (n = 44) participated in exploratory individual mini-interviews. Results Work-life balance emerged as a broad and multifactorial concept. Questionnaire respondents most frequently referenced enjoyment, meeting work requirements and time management in their definitions. Interview participants highlighted additional influencing factors such as peer groups, study skills, family and professional culture. Students expect a significant shift towards work after graduating and expressed concerns about the stresses of delivering patient care. 42% (n = 60) of students felt they had received support with their work-life balance during their training, mostly from family and friends. Most students had not received support or advice on their work-life balance from University or hospital staff. Conclusion Self-care and work-life balance are essential for medical students and doctors to cope with lifelong learning and deliver effective care. Medical school staff should be pro-active in supporting students to develop these skills, particularly during critical transition periods. Early interventions targeting study skills and time management may be beneficial. Further research should include students in Years 1–2 and compare different institutions.

The Protective Role of Self-Compassion in the Relationship between Perfectionism and Burnout in Portuguese Medicine and Dentistry Students

“…The high rates of burnout are also observed in dentistry students [ 8 , 9 ], as well as its negative consequences [ 10 ].…”

The Matthew effect in talent management strategy: reducing exhaustion, increasing satisfaction, and inspiring commission among boundary spanning employees

“…Our present study bridges the gap between theory and practice and applies to modern organizations. Service sector employees are more likely to experience higher burnout and work-family conflict than the general population (Picton, 2021). TMS improves satisfaction, work-family balance and sales commission.…”

Harassment in the Field of Medicine: Cultural Barriers to Psychological Safety

“…There is also a widely held belief within medicine that dehumanizing behaviour is to be expected given the high-stress nature of the profession, and an inability to tolerate this behaviour is a sign of weakness or a lack of professional "fit" (20,37). Others have reported that the culture of self-sacrifice in medicine facilitates the J o u r n a l P r e -p r o o f acceptance of harassment as a normal part of the professional journey (albeit a significant barrier to personal wellness) (38,39). Similarly, physician and resident wellness programs that emphasize resilience without addressing the harassment problem can tacitly validate the view that medicine is a rough business.…”

“… 13 , 37 There is also a widely held belief within the field of medicine that dehumanizing behaviour is to be expected, given the high-stress nature of the profession, and an inability to tolerate this behaviour is a sign of weakness or a lack of professional “fit.” 20 , 37 Others have reported that the culture of self-sacrifice in the field of medicine facilitates the acceptance of harassment as a normal part of the professional journey (albeit a significant barrier to personal wellness). 38 , 39 Similarly, physician and resident wellness programs that emphasize resilience without addressing the harassment problem can tacitly validate the view that the field of medicine is a rough business. Authentic promotion of health and safety in our profession is clearly important; however, if organizations focus on individual resilience training without addressing prevalent, system-enabled harassment, resilience training may inadvertently contribute to normalizing mistreatment, and entrenching the weak ethical climate.…”