The Relationship Between Spirituality and Burnout in the Lives of Medical Students

This study addresses medical student burnout, the physical and emotional exhaustion experienced due to chronic stress, which is prevalent among medical students. The relationships between spirituality and personal well-being were assessed across the 4 years of a medical school in southeastern USA using the Maslach Burnout Inventory General Survey, World Health Organization Quality of Life-Spiritual, Religious, and Personal Beliefs Survey, and the narrative HOPE Spiritual Assessment Tool. The instruments measured exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy pertaining to medical students’ work environment as well as levels of spirituality extracted from facets such as personal practices, sources of hope and strength, and meaning and connection in the world. A significant inverse relationship was found between spirituality and exhaustion as well as spirituality and cynicism. Conversely, spirituality shared a significantly positive relationship with professional efficacy. A significantly higher level of exhaustion and cynicism and lower reported professional efficacy were found in M2 students compared to M4 students. Important sources of student support identified in thematic analysis of narrative were family, friends, a connection to God or a higher power, being part of a religious or spiritual community, prayer/meditation, music, and time spent outdoors. The data suggest that spirituality may be a protective coping tool against burnout in medical students; students nearing the end of pre-clerkship training were in the most need of coping resources. The integration of spirituality into medical school wellness programs may prove beneficial to students specifically before the stressful second year curriculum and can serve students well into their medical profession