Report: Medical student distress rises amid overall healthcare burnout improvement

Editor's Note

The 2023-2024 State of Well-Being Report shows a modest improvement in healthcare worker burnout, with 50% reporting feeling burned out in 2023, down from 54% in 2022. HealthLeaders Media reported on the results January 2.

According to the article, The Mayo Clinic’s Well-Being Index compiled 79,022 assessments to measure distress levels across various roles. Key findings include:

• Pharmacy professionals reported the highest burnout rates at 62%, though this marks an improvement from 66% in 2022.
• Nurses experienced a notable drop in burnout, from 60% in 2022 to 52% in 2023. Additionally, 51% of nurses in 2023 agreed that their work schedules allowed time for personal life, up from 47% in 2022. Fewer nurses reported emotional problems (60% in 2023 versus 64% in 2022).
• Physicians also saw a decline in burnout, from 53% in 2022 to 51% in 2023.
• Medical students were the only group with rising burnout, increasing from 51% in 2022 to 58% in 2023. This reflects the mounting pressures of medical education and industry demands.

Younger clinicians (ages 18-29) particularly value workplace initiatives addressing racism and discrimination, HealthLeaders reports, citing a separate survey by the African American Research Collective and Commonwealth Fund. The shortage of critical care workers is projected to reach 100,000 by 2028.