Harvard’s Teresa Amabile has famously highlighted the importance of progress to our sense of wellbeing at work. She argues that unless we feel like we’re making progress in our work, it’s very difficult to feel content. It’s a theory that perhaps underpins a recent study from Ohio University, which found that 80% of medical students feel a low sense of personal achievement.
The researchers quizzed several hundred medical students to explore their levels of burnout. The authors highlight the three dimensions of burnout:
- Depersonalization
- A low sense of personal achievement
- Emotional exhaustion
Whereas progress in Amabile’s framing of the word revolves around achieving what you want to achieve, the Ohio research suggests that medical students don’t believe their achievements are anything noteworthy.
“That 80 percent feel a low sense of achievement is a bit ironic, considering that these are all high-performing individuals,” the researchers say. “However, it also makes sense in that they have gone from an environment where they were standouts to one where they are now on an equal academic playing field.”
Sense of achievement
The researchers highlight the particular characteristics of medical schools that place unique stresses on students. For instance, in the first year students are often presented with a vast array of knowledge to absorb, while in year two they begin the process of board examinations.
“Throughout medical school there is always another test or requirement for students to prove themselves in a new way,” they explain. “Over time that can feel quite discouraging.”
This sense of accomplishment was far and away the biggest concern for medical students, with very few reporting any issues with emotional exhaustion or excessive levels of depersonalization.
While the researchers believe personal achievement is related to the prestige associated with the medical profession, it would be interesting to explore the Amabile sense of achievement, as healthcare systems around the world struggle with growing demand, burdensome bureaucracy and stretched budgets, all of which make delivering the kind of care professionals would like to deliver that bit harder.
Alas, it doesn’t seem to be an area the researchers will be exploring any time soon, with the authors instead suggesting they will explore the issue of smartphone addiction among medics.
