Nearly six in ten medical and nursing students in the UK are struggling with their mental health – with some saying they are considering quitting the profession before they have even qualified.
New research from Elsevier Health, a scientific research group, found that 57 per cent of trainees say they are worried about their mental health, while a fifth are considering dropping out of their studies.
Researchers discovered that three-quarters of medical and nursing students in the UK are worried about how the health workforce shortage will affect their future careers.
The researchers surveyed just over 2,200 students around the world – including 325 UK students.
Anjola Awe, a third-year medical student at King’s College London, told The Independent she was considering quitting the NHS and looking at other areas of work.
The 20-year-old said: “I talk to a lot of doctors who are considering leaving – I assume most people are. Understaffing is definitely a factor, but not for the reason you might think, the question is why is it understaffed?
“Why are people leaving? That seems to be a red flag. I’m not just thinking about picking up the extra work”.
Ms Awe, who is interested in plastic surgery and sexual and reproductive health, said a colleague had just told her about how she sees work outside of medicine.
“Doctors will encourage you to look at other options outside of the NHS. Most of the time they suggest you go and work as a doctor in Australia or Canada.
“I am keeping my options open. My problem is that I love medicine, it’s what I’m most passionate about.”
Ms Awe raised concerns about the cost of both the entry fee and preparation for the medical exams, adding that she had not looked at the cost of any of the UK exams as she was keeping her options open.
“I was burnt out in the pre-clinical part of my training because the work we do in one semester is more than other students do in a year,” she said. “I didn’t sleep as much as I could have. I was doing all-nighters in my second year.”
Data from June shows there are more than 125,000 vacancies in hospital or clinical care in England, and more than 10 per cent of all nursing posts are unfilled, while the waiting list for NHS treatment is at an all-time high of 7.75 million.
Dr Philip Xiu, a GP who supports medical students and junior doctors in Leeds, said: “I see every day how important it is that we address the wellbeing of students.
“Doubling the number of students won’t solve the looming workforce shortage if issues affecting student wellbeing are not addressed.”
Jan Herzhoff, president of Elsevier Health, added: “It is clear that healthcare around the world is facing unprecedented pressures and that the next generation of medical and nursing students are concerned about their future.”
