Medical student burnout: Impact of the gap year in burnout prevention

Abstract

OBJECTIVE:

Burnout is a common response to stress and is pervasive among medical students. An increasing proportion of students are taking “gap years” following undergraduate education and before matriculation to medical school. This study evaluates rates of and risk factors for burnout, with a particular focus on students who took gap years.

METHODS:

Burnout was measured utilizing the abbreviated Maslach Burnout Inventory. The primary independent variable was whether a student took one or more gap years prior to medical school matriculation. Other variables included age, gender, year in medical school, choice in specialty, and status in a combined baccalaureate-M.D. program. Bivariate and multivariate regression was performed to elucidate relationships between student-level variables and burnout.

RESULTS:

A total of 31.4% of respondents were found to be experiencing high levels of burnout. In multivariate analysis, gap years were independently associated with lower levels of burnout (p = 0.041). Further, burnout decreased in a stepwise fashion with students who took 0 (p = 0.350), 1 (p = 0.192), and 2+ (p = 0.048) gap years.

CONCLUSIONS:

Students taking gap years exhibited significantly lower levels of burnout than those who did not. Efforts should be made in pre-medical and medical school curricula to better support students in their paths to medical school.