Burnout and psychiatric morbidity in new medical graduates.
OBJECTIVE
To determine the prevalence of psychiatric morbidity and burnout in final-year medical students, and changes in these measures during the intern year.


METHODS
Prospective longitudinal cohort study over 18 months, with assessment of psychiatric morbidity and burnout on six occasions.


METHODS
All 117 students in the first graduating cohort of the University of Sydney Graduate Medical Program were invited to participate in the study; 110 consented.


METHODS
Psychiatric morbidity assessed with the 28-item General Health Questionnaire and burnout assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory.


RESULTS
The point prevalence of participants meeting criteria for psychiatric morbidity and burnout rose steadily throughout the study period.


CONCLUSIONS
Internship remains a stressful time for medical graduates, despite initiatives to better support them during this period. The implications for the doctors themselves and for the communities they serve warrant further attention, including programs specifically aimed at reducing the rate of psychological morbidity and burnout during internship.
Academic General Practice Unit, Hornsby Hospital, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Simon M
SM
Willcock
Michele G
MG
Daly
Christopher C
CC
Tennant
Benjamin J
BJ
Allard
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001008:Anxiety Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D015331:Cohort Studies; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate; D005260:Female; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D009517:New South Wales / Q000453:epidemiology; D015995:Prevalence; D011336:Probability; D011446:Prospective Studies; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D016526:Workload