Erin Elbel and Dr. Mike Ren contributed to this post.

Ah, medical love: the phenomenon where, from across the lecture hall, your eye is drawn more to someone cute than it is to the acid-base lecture. This is not an uncommon occurrence; according to a recent AMA survey, 40% of doctors are married to other doctors, probably due to the vast number of hours we spend around one another during training coinciding with the prime life stage for finding a partner. With ERAS open and residency interviews fast approaching, many students are leaping into the couples match. 

The pursuit of a healthy work/life balance in medical school can seem like an impossible goal. Many of us are torn between juggling heavy workloads, academic studies, managing relationship/family responsibilities, and squeezing in outside interests. More than one in four Americans describe themselves as “super stressed.” That’s not balanced—or healthy.

Medical school can be an enormously stressful time for students and families alike. Watching your loved one struggle in medical school is sad, scary, and frustrating. You want to help but are not sure how. We have some tips to make the path forward a little easier!

Dr. Caleb Dresser and Dr. David Delnegro contributed to this post. 

Are you about to begin life as an intern during the biggest pandemic in a century? In the intensive care unit, perhaps?

Here are some tips to make your COVID-19-era ICU rotation a little smoother.

Medical school is a challenging road that requires sacrifice and dedication. However, life outside of medicine does not stop in the course of your training and sometimes will necessitate taking time away for reasons that may be personal, professional, or both. When you decide to take a leave of absence from your curriculum, you may be unsure of how best to utilize your time; while there is no single right answer to this question, this article will outline some suggestions.

The second year of medical school (MS2) is an exciting time. Most students will have completed the more basic science courses like biochemistry and physiology and move on to more clinical material such as pathology and pharmacology.

For this reason, the second year of medical school can be a time for immense academic growth. However, at many institutions, the second year curriculum is even more intense and rigorous than the first year. Maintaining a good work-life balance and reducing stress are especially important as an MS2. The following tips can help you to prevent burnout during the second year of medical school.

It takes some courage to reconsider a major life decision made long ago but for some of us it is a necessity. Many chose a career in medicine from a very young age -- sometimes childhood. As passionate as this may seem, it also begs the questions: “How thoughtful was this decision?” and “Have I changed as a person since this decision was made?”

Physician Burnout: The Common Problem

Being a medical student is one of the most anxious times of your life, and not without good reason. Medical school is stressful, from the rigor of the material to the constant testing to the frustrations of grades to residency applications. Unfortunately, these things are inherent to medical school and out of your control, and having anxiety in this situation is understandably very normal. However, much can be done for you to combat this anxiety as a medical student.

Seasonal depression, or seasonal affective disorder, is a process during which your mood changes in response to changing seasons, shorter days, colder weather, or all of the above. As medical students, seasonal depression is just one of many mental health disorders that you might encounter, which can significantly impair performance in and outside of medical school. It may be worse for medical students when rotations keep you in the hospital early morning and late in the evening so that you never even see daylight at all. The following are a few tips to assist in overcoming some of your symptoms to get you through the winter hump: