Themistocleous, Sophia C.

Aim: To investigate medical students’ burnout and motivation levels in each of the six years of their studies during the COVID-19 pandemic and identify independent predictors of burnout and motivation. Methods: An anonymous cross-sectional survey was sent to the students of all six years within our school. Burnout was measured with the adapted Oldenburg Burnout Inventory questionnaire (OLBI-S) and motivation with the updated Strength of Motivation for Medical School (SMMS-R) questionnaire. Univariate analysis was performed with the Kruskal–Wallis test and Spearman’s correlation, while multivariable analysis with linear regression models. Results: A total of 333 medical students (52% of student body) responded. Higher burnout levels correlated with lower motivation to study medicine (rho = −0.30, p < 0.001). Burnout levels differed between the six years of medical studies, peaking in years two and four whereas being the lowest in year one (p = 0.01). Motivation levels differed significantly as well, peaking in years one and four whereas being the lowest in years five and six (p = 0.012). In the multivariable linear regression models, being a female (b = 2.22, p = 0.016), studying in the fourth year vs. first year (b = 2.54, p = 0.049), having a perceived beginner/intermediate vs. advanced/expert technology level (b = 2.05, p = 0.032) and a perceived poor school support system (b = 6.35, p < 0.001) were independently associated with higher burnout levels. Furthermore, studying in the fifth year vs. first year (b = −5.17, p = 0.019) and a perceived poor school support system (b = −3.09, p = 0.01) were independently associated with a reduced motivation to study medicine. Conclusion: Our study highlighted potential areas for intervention to decrease the rate of burnout and low motivation among medical students. However, further research is needed to unravel the full effect of the pandemic on medical students.

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted medical education, shifting it towards emergency remote delivery. This cross-sectional study aimed to assess the impact of the pandemic on preclinical medical education and identify predictors of the virtual learning experience and perceived stress. An anonymous survey was delivered electronically to the students of the authors' medical school that attended either histology or pathology. This survey contained two scales, the virtual learning experience (VLE) and the perceived stress scale-10 (PSS-10). A total of 173/255 (68%) responded, showing a positive perception towards the remote delivery of both courses. An exploratory factor analysis was performed on the VLE scale items and four new dimensions were formed: “course quality and learning outcomes”, “student motivation”, virtual against F2F learning”, and “virtual laboratory sessions”. The following significant predictors of enhanced VLE, in at least one dimension, were identified: female gender, pathology course, final examination grade >80%, lower perceived stress levels, studying in home country, and holding of another degree before medical school. In addition, the following predictors were significantly associated with higher levels of student perceived stress: female gender, pathology course, studying away from home, and suboptimal internet connection. Notably, the quality of internet connection was significantly associated with the students' final examination performance. Concerning the best mode for future delivery of both courses, most students proposed a blended, rather than an entirely on-campus or online approach. In conclusion, despite its problems, a high-quality remote preclinical medical education was possible in the authors' school and offered tremendous opportunities for future improvement.