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Medical students welfare survey report

• This report presents the results of a national survey of medical students on their views and concerns with regard to the welfare services and support available to them.
• More than two thirds of respondents are female and the average age is 24 years. The majority of respondents describe their ethnic background as ‘White’ and describe their sexual orientation as heterosexual.
• Three quarters of respondents agree that the welfare needs of medical students in general are adequately met by the medical school/faculty at their higher education institution.
• Almost three quarters of respondents report that they have a tutor in the medical school to whom they can turn to in confidence to voice any welfare concerns. Availability is ranked as the most important quality in a personal tutor, followed by compassion and confidentiality.
• Two out of five respondents report that work/study at medical school affects their personal health and wellbeing very much and only one in ten respondents report that their medical school work/study has no impact on their personal health and wellbeing.
• Whilst half of respondents report that stress has a moderate effect on their health, 8% report that stress has an extreme impact on their health. The main factor causing stress appears to be the heavy workload of respondents, followed by financial concerns and family/domestic responsibilities.
• Whilst a fifth of respondents admit that they use alcohol to help cope with the pressures of work, very few admit to the use of smoking or drugs to help cope with the pressures of work. In contrast, more than half of respondents report that they are aware of colleagues who smoke and two-thirds report that they are aware of colleagues who use alcohol to cope with the pressures of work.
• Whilst 15% of respondents report that they have suffered from depression in the past or currently, more than half are aware of colleagues in a similar situation. A third of respondents report that they are aware of colleagues who use anti-depressant medication.
• Only half of respondents are of the opinion that there is enough teaching in the medical curriculum on substance misuse. Teaching provided on substance misuse in the areas of alcohol, management/treatment of addiction, illegal drugs and models of addiction are the most effective.
• Most respondents report that they have never been a victim of bullying and harassment whilst at medical school or on placement. However, almost a fifth report experiencing bullying or harassment infrequently and 2% report being the victim of bullying or harassment at least monthly. Respondents who report that they have been the victim of bullying or harassment, are more likely to be the victim of verbal abuse or exclusion by doctors or nurses.
• More than half of respondents do not think that the medical school makes the rights of students with regard to bullying and harassment clear.
• The majority of respondents do not know whether their medical school has a policy on whistleblowing and most respondents are unsure as to whether there is adequate support for individuals who whistleblow.
• The majority of respondents agree with the general concept of fitness to practise and most view it as a positive aspect of medicine. Only a third of respondents know whether their medical school has its own fitness to practise committee and half are aware of the existence of any fitness to practise procedures at medical school.
• Two thirds of respondents agree that if medical schools were to assess the ‘fitness to practise’ of their students and provide feedback to students, this should be an on-going assessment, rather than at any one point in the medical course.
• Less than half of respondents agree that their medical school would be supportive if a medical student became pregnant. In contrast, three-quarters of respondents agree that their medical school is supportive of students who have children or dependents whilst studying medicine.
• Only one in ten respondents are aware of additional support provided by their medical school to students with children or dependents, whilst almost two-thirds are unsure as to the provision of additional support. The most common form of support is financial, followed by childcare and emotional.
• More than a third of respondents are of the opinion that students with a physical disability are treated the same as others whilst at medical school. Furthermore, around a fifth of respondents are of the opinion that students with a physical disability are treated the same as others whilst working with patients on the wards, but most are unsure.
• Most respondents report that they have not been discriminated against, either directly or indirectly, or made to feel uncomfortable because of their own beliefs or culture. The majority of respondents feel that others at medical school are tolerant and respectful of their beliefs and culture.
• Two out of five respondents agree that their medical school is supportive of students who require time away from studies to observe a religious occasion. Two-thirds of respondents are of the opinion that their medical school prepares them for clinical practice in a multi-faith society.
• Three-quarters of respondents are of the opinion that holding religious beliefs does not disadvantage medical students. The majority of respondents are of the opinion that religious beliefs do not influence or have an impact on patient care.
• Two out of five respondents agree that their medical school does provide adequate facilities for observing religious and cultural practices/rituals, whilst almost half of respondents are unsure. The majority of respondents agree that their course and curriculum support students of all faiths and reflect a society where patients of different religions and faiths exist.
• The majority of respondents are of the opinion that others at medical school are tolerant and respectful of people who are lesbian, gay or bisexual. Among the small minority of respondents who perceive a degree of intolerance of sexual orientation, this is largely from medical student colleagues or staff on placements.
• Whilst more than half of respondents agree that medical school prepares them for patients of different sexual orientations, a quarter of respondents do not agree. Around three-quarters of respondents are of the opinion that their course and curriculum support students of all sexual orientations and reflect a society where patients of different sexual orientations exist.