Real-Life Challenges That Face Medical Students And Physicians

One glance at the news can demonstrate how chaotic and complex the world of medicine can be. The glamorous field we all dream of entering is often riddled with bias, discrimination, inhumane expectations, and even racial bias. I am referring to recent research reporting that blacks’ pain receptors are less sensitive than whites’. Really, people?

Trying to navigate a troubling world in the midst of a high-stress profession can overwhelm any medical student or physician. Whether you’re preparing for the USMLE Step 1 exam or simply entertaining the idea of becoming a physician, the first step to success is learning how to care for yourself.

A major issue facing medical students

An unsettling reality presented to me repeatedly over the past few months involves the rates at which health care professionals turn to suicide and thoughts of suicide. What’s even more alarming is that those in higher-up positions are acting as if they don’t know why. Physicians need support systems in place to remind them that, no matter how stressful a situation gets, it doesn’t warrant taking your life—nothing does. These conversations need to happen much more frequently—and much more publicly. Any change in policy begins with awareness.

High-stakes profession

Many med students who choose to become physicians are competitive individuals who have followed paths focused on achievement their entire lives. No one takes the time to teach medical students how to fail or to assure us that failure is part of the process—even when it comes to taking board exams. Instead, we are expected to be the best and brightest at everything we do.

To make matters worse, medical students often discouraged from expressing our emotions with statements like “suck it up” or “just get it done.” Unfortunately, too much emphasis is placed on numbers, like test scores and medical school reputations. This emphasis creates an unhealthy—and unrealistic—pressure that implicitly endorses perfectionism and leaves little room for much-needed self-acceptance, which is far from a prescription for happiness.

Good health for all—patients and physicians

Having my eyes opened to the emotional challenges that medical students face has given me an even more intense desire to pursue my chosen field. I aspire more than ever to contribute to the healing of those who are hurt, unhealthy, or sick—on both sides of the profession.

These mental, spiritual, and emotional pathologies must be better understood and treated in order to fully understand and treat the pathophysiology that underlies disease. More importantly, addressing these issues is necessary for the medical field to continually thrive and make progress.

I encourage all of you who are reading—medical students, residents, physicians, or other—this to take care of yourselves mentally, emotionally, and physically. Removing stereotypes and standing up to injustices in our profession is necessary to fully understand patients and treat them effectively. The best physicians treat the whole person—mind, body, soul.



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