About a quarter of medical students rarely or never see their friends, amid busy class loads and work expectations, according to Medscape's 2024 "Medical Student Lifestyle Report," published Sept. 4.
Here are eight additional things to know about medical student lifestyles in 2024:
1. Over half of medical students believe that carving out time for dating is either difficult (59%) or very difficult (16%) amid busy schedules.
2. Over half of students carve out time to exercise at least two to three times per week. Forty-six percent of students workout two orthree times per week, while 17% workout four to five times per week and 6% workout every day.
3. The majority (67%) of students sleep six to seven hours per night.
4. Over half of the students have met with a mental health professional, whether it be a licensed therapist (41%) or a school counselor (12%).
5. Over half of medical students face regular burnout, either sometimes (44%), frequently (29%) or constantly (9%).
6. School is the leading cause of burnout for the majority of students (56%).
7. The most common way for students to relieve their burnout is through sleeping (68%).
8. About 1 in 6 medical students have faced suicidal thoughts.