Relationship of Stress, Academic Pressure, and Burnout in New York’s Pre-med Programs

It is widely recognized that the medical industry is among the most demanding and intense, which has a detrimental effect on students' mental health. Inspired by personal experiences, my aim was to evaluate the levels of stress, pressure, and burnout experienced by students enrolled in pre-medical programs across New York, spanning from high school to medical school. As I witnessed the conditions that my brother is placed in throughout his journey in the medical sector, a question was proposed: how significantly are students in New York's pre-medical programs affected by the rigorous conditions, and to what extent do these conditions influence their levels of stress, pressure, and burnout? I conducted a mixed-method approach, collecting quantitative and qualitative data to weigh the factors that impacted a student's well-being. The findings of my study indicate that while pressure and burnout are directly correlated to impacting a student's academic performance, there was no association between their stress levels. Furthermore, a students available support systems did not mitigate their level of burnout. Upon compiling my results, I can conclude that students enrolled in New York's pre-medical programs undeniably experience substantial levels of stress and pressure within the academic environment. While the intensity of their pressure correlates with their educational level, their stress itself holds no relation. The burnout that these students experience is a direct cause of their perception of pressure, however, the support systems put in place for these students fail to mitigate the adverse effects. Given the indications of the challenging environment that medical students face, it becomes imperative to promptly address health concerns at an earlier stage in their medical journey.