Medical students are becoming increasingly more attractive, but the profession is still struggling to get over the stigma of being an “ex-physician.”
And this stigma is putting a strain on medical students’ mental health, according to a new report from New York University’s Graduate School of Education.
In fact, the study suggests that the stigma may be exacerbating the health problems experienced by medical students and their families.
The study was published in the American Journal of Public Health.
According to the report, “Medical students are not being treated as the caretakers of their patients, and it is unclear whether this is due to the lack of qualified medical students, or due to other factors.”
In fact the stigma has led to a significant decrease in the number of patients seeking care in medical facilities, according the study.
And this is a problem for doctors, said study coauthor Susan D. McDaniel, an assistant professor of medicine at NYU’s Langone Medical Center and an assistant dean of NYU’s Department of Medicine.
She told ABC News, “In my opinion, this could have a devastating effect on the health of the physician.”
For years, medical students have been known for their self-confidence and their enthusiasm for medical school, McDaniel said.
They’re not afraid to be themselves and they are encouraged to tell their stories, she said.
But these days, they’re increasingly finding themselves isolated from the rest of their colleagues and with fewer opportunities to collaborate with the medical profession.
The stigma of medical school has become so prevalent that McDaniel and her colleagues looked at the attitudes of medical students toward the profession as well as their relationship with their families and peers.
The researchers found that the more doctors knew that medical school was important and valued, the more likely they were to be willing to participate in medical research, work for nonprofit organizations, and even take on the roles of mentors for their students.
The students were also more likely to participate and help the profession.
These students were less likely to work on projects for which they were paid, McDavis said.
And they were also less likely than their peers to share their experiences with other medical students.
McDavis hopes the study will help medical students make their voices heard in the medical community.
“The stigmatization of medical schools is affecting the health and well-being of medical student families, as well, and our students are the people we want to help and support,” she said, adding that this stigma will continue to affect the future of medical education.
“If you’re a medical student, and you see your peers not participating in the profession, it makes you wonder if there is another path you can take.
You may think, ‘Well, what about the people in my life who are not participating?'”
The researchers said they believe the stigma is partly to blame for the students’ poor mental health.
They believe that medical students are increasingly isolated, and the stigma could be contributing to their lower mental health status, and that the stigmatization could also be preventing them from participating in research and collaborating with other professionals.
“Medical schools need to address the issues of this stigma, including addressing the lack, for example, of qualified, well-qualified medical students in medical programs,” the study said.
