Burnout and Stressors in a Single Institution’s Premedical Master of Biomedical Sciences Graduate Students: An Understudied Population

<ns5:p> Background With the increasing competitiveness of the medical school application process, concerns have been raised regarding the mental health of premedical students. However, the current literature predominantly examines medical students, residents, and practicing physicians. This study aims to examine the prevalence of burnout and its associated risk factors in premedical students enrolled in a graduate program during their gap year. Methods Fifty-nine Master of Biomedical Sciences (MBS) were surveyed using the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory and seven proprietary questions that examined academic, financial, and social stressors that this study’s participants may deal with in their daily lives. Twenty-one responses were recorded for three weeks, resulting in a response rate of 35.6% ( <ns5:italic>N</ns5:italic> = 21/59). Results Participants as a whole reported moderate Personal burnout, moderate Work-related burnout, and low Client-related burnout. It was also found that those applying to medical school were more concerned about finances than their additional gap-year peers. Conclusion The financial burden of medical education is a significant concern to premedical students and gap years may serve to alleviate this by providing students time to earn money for their educational expenses. Additionally, MBS students with dependents were more likely to state that they did not have enough energy for family and friends during leisure time, indicating the high pressures even premedical students face. Therefore, further study into premedical student mental health is warranted to prevent adverse mental health outcomes in future physicians. </ns5:p>