The Role of Wellness and Well-being in Addressing Medical Student Burnout in the United States: A Scoping Review

Abstract

This scoping review explores factors that contribute to medical students’ burnout and identifies the barriers hindering efforts to address burnout and interventions implemented to improve well-being. This scoping review was conducted using the Arksey and O’Malley York methodology. The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidelines guided the processes of data extraction, evaluation, and reporting of findings. The most common interventions included peer-mentorship programs (n = 6), well-being curriculum interventions (n = 5), virtual wellness programs (n = 1), exercise-based events (n = 1), fireside chats (n = 1), reflective writing courses (n = 1), and faculty-led life coaching (n = 1). Commonly identified risk factors consisted of failure to nurture personal relationships that support emotional resilience (n = 4), the academic rigors of medical education (n = 4), poor time management (n = 3), and poor financial planning or a high debt burden (n = 3). In summary, these studies demonstrate a diverse range of approaches to improving student wellness as influenced through peer and faculty mentoring, highlighting the importance of intervention frequency, continuity across all stages of medical training, and the value of intimate, informal settings in enhancing faculty and student engagement. Our findings will inform future efforts in improving medical student burnout through the design and implementation of various types of wellness programming and systemic changes in medical education.