Abstract
BackgroundSociety invests huge financial resources in training medical students. However, the academic and personal demands placed on these students can be taxing and may be detrimental to students’ quality of life leading to high levels of burnout and academic dropout rates.AimTo determine the association between the levels of burnout and quality of life among fourth-year medical students at the University of the Free State (UFS).SettingSchool of Medicine, UFS, Bloemfontein.MethodsAll fourth-year medical students in their first semester of the clinical phase were included. Data were collected using anonymous self-report measures. The Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) measured the levels of burnout according to three subscales (emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal achievement), and the World Health Organization Quality of Life Assessment (WHOQOL-BREF) measured the quality of life.ResultsOf the 121 enrolled fourth-year medical students, 91 (75.2%) completed the questionnaires. The MBI personal achievement subscale had the highest number of participants (n = 53; 58.2%) with high levels of reported burnout. Significant associations were found between the psychological health subscale of the WHOQOL-BREF and all three subscales of the MBI, in particular emotional exhaustion.ConclusionAn association exists between the levels of burnout and quality of life among fourth-year medical students. This information could be of value to medical schools as they are in a position to implement interventions that promote students’ well-being.
Highlights
Medical students are faced with gruelling academic demands on the one hand and personal demands on the other
The Personal accomplishment (PA) subscale had the highest number of participants (n = 53; 58.2%) with high levels of burnout out of all three subscales
A Brazilian study that assessed the association between empathy, quality of life and burnout in medical students found the presence of burnout in all stages of medical education with students in their final year scoring higher in emotional exhaustion (EE) and DP.[21]
Summary
Medical students are faced with gruelling academic demands on the one hand and personal demands on the other. These demands can be very taxing and may be detrimental to students’ quality of life.[1] Factors that negatively affect students’ quality of life are linked to the academic environment and an inability to manage time well.[2] The transition to the clinical phase during the undergraduate medical programme presents another occasion for intense anxiety, uncertainty and fear caused by feelings of limited scientific knowledge. The academic and personal demands placed on these students can be taxing and may be detrimental to students’ quality of life leading to high levels of burnout and academic dropout rates
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