We Need Solutions to Prevent Burnout

The stress of clinical care deserves specific attention. The overall risk and prevalence of burnout in medical students is clear as are the key factors as described in Medical Student Age, Debt & Support -> Burnout. Burnout will impact medical student health during medical school, their eventual practice of medicine, and the patients they care for. The research is clear that medical students must Take care of their well-being.

We’re working to create a novel solution to address burnout in medical students. Check out how our 2D and VR BurntOut simulation experience builds resilience and coping strategies in clinical year medical students for the stresses and challenges that await them in their transition from student to clinical practitioner.

We are building on a complete understanding of the causes of burnout to create a novel solution. In the BurntOut role-playing simulation medical students

• explore common stresses and challenges in the clinical years of medical school,
• identify potential coping strategies,
• make decisions,
• perceive negative and positive outcomes associated with those choices
• gain confidence in how to best apply attitudes and actions that ameliorate the stresses identified
• investigate external wellness resources if coping mechanisms fail, and
• anonymously communicate the challenges to the institution in order to foster institutional change.

The need for the product is clear:

1. Medical students are not Leaving College Coping Strategies Behind
2. Burnout & Decreased Personal Accomplishment are probably happening but the scales aren’t measuring it.
3. As described in Does Burnout Get Better During Medical
   School? burnout persists into later years of training.
4. Physician burnout has downstream negative effects on patient care
5. Burnout and resiliency are best addressed early in medical training so physicians recognize poor coping strategies and are resilient to the stresses of clinical practice
6. Burnout -and Med Student Risky Alcohol Use & SI are related; addressing burnout decreases the risk of alcohol use in professionals
7. Supporting resources exist, but students are often reluctant to seek help and express concerns at an individual level

Wellness centers for undergraduate medical centers need feedback from clinical year students to guide institutional change that can decrease burnout. Our solution can provide collective experience to guide institutional level change by anonymously communicating students’ concerns during clinical training.

Measure your level of burnout and see how your well-being is changing over time. Consider taking our survey about Stresses And Coping Mechanisms.