The impact of the core clerkships on medical students with chronic health conditions and student wellness

Bibliographic Data

ID22424497
AuthorsSamantha Little (Harvard University, corresponding author), Andréa Pelletier (0000-0003-3063-2968, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Deborah Bartz (0000-0002-3096-9715, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Norris R Johnson (0000-0002-3523-1533, Brigham and Women's Hospital), Natasha R Johnson
Year2026
Volume26
Issue1
Publication date2026-04-29
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueBMC Medical Education (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1472-6920 • E-ISSN: 1472-6920
PublisherSpringer Science and Business Media LLC (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1186/s12909-026-09217-4
PMID42057088
OpenAlexW7158458452
LanguageEN
References cited17

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study is to determine if medical students with chronic health conditions adhere to personal health appointments during their core clerkship year, the Principal Clinical Experience (PCE), barriers to doing so, and the association between missed appointments and burnout. METHODS: An email survey was sent to current medical students who had completed their PCE at Harvard Medical School. The survey assessed chronic physical, mental, and dental health conditions; registration with the Office of Disability Services; healthcare utilization; number of appointments missed; perceived barriers to attending appointments; and burnout using the Maslach Burnout Inventory- Student Survey (MBI-SS). RESULTS: Of the 90 students that completed the survey ,75% had a diagnosed chronic health condition. 72% of students had at least one medical appointment scheduled during the PCE and 43% of those missed at least one appointment. Only 12% had registered with the Office of Disability Services to attend personal health appointments, notably due to lack of awareness that disability accommodations applied to them. Female respondents were significantly more likely to miss a medical appointment than male respondents (p = 0.044). The primary barrier to attending appointments was concern about negative clerkship evaluations. Burnout (MBI-SS) was significantly associated with missing appointments (p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: Missed health appointments was linked to greater burnout. Difficulty disclosing medical appointments was independently associated with burnout, consistent with studies surveying residents. Future work is needed to improve student awareness of disability accommodations and support faculty in fostering communication about the importance of health appointments for medical students.

Chronic disease · Core competency · Health services · MEDLINE · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Innovations in Medical Education · Ophthalmology and Visual Health Research

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