Medical School Leave of Absence

To all my Nakama out there,

This is my first "blog" / "article" post on my website and I wanted to make it meaningful. About a third of the way through my clinical rotations I was struggling and approaching burnout. I had never experienced burnout before and in my mind I was someone that it could never happen to. I've always been extremely resilient and somewhat stubborn when it came to any goal or pursuit of mine. At first I couldn't even tell what the signs of burnout were but looking back they were obvious. I think the main thing was that my personality and behavior were gradually changing. I've always been extremely positive, cheerful, and optimistic. I could sense that I was becoming more jaded, colder, and less enthusiastic working with the team I was assigned to for the day. My wife was probably the first to notice since she sees me everyday haha. I recognized that my opinions towards medicine were changing and before things got any worse I decided it would be best to put a pause on my studies.

Looking back as I am about to restart my third year, I couldn’t be happier about the decision I made. Breaking up my third year like this provided me with the much needed respite from school and studying that I had devoted my entire life to up until that point. I could spend time with my wife, travel, workout, cook healthy meals. All these little but massively important things that often get neglected when you work for 12 hours a day. As I go back into my clinical duties I am more mindful of my own mental state and how to balance life outside of medical school. I’ve developed more efficient study habits and already know what is expected of me as a medical student. I’m excited and happy to be starting back up again with OBGYN. To anyone reading this that feels like they are burning out, remember there is no time wasted when that time is spent on improving yourself. Take a leave if you have to because we only get one chance at all of this.