Nearly 100% of medical residents believe that the number of training hours required of them is either adequate or more than adequate, according to Medscape's 2024 "Residents Lifestyle & Happiness Report," published Oct. 18.
For the report, Medscape surveyed 592 practicing U.S. medical residents in more than 29 specialties between March 25 and June 4.
Here are 11 additional things to know about resident lifestyle and happiness in 2024:
1. One in 3 medical residents either rarely or never make time to tend to their health and wellness.
2. Work-life balance is either somewhat worse (27%) or much worse (10%) for residents than they expected. It is on par with expectations for about 42% of residents.
3. More than half of residents (55%) believe job stress harms their work performance.
4. The top way that residents manage stress is through sleep (72%).
5. A plurality of residents (22%) spend 61 to 70 hours per week with patients. About 20% spend 51 to 60 hours per week in a hospital.
6. More than half of residents (51%) have one to five call nights per month.
7. The majority of residents are either very satisfied (29%) or somewhat satisfied (43%) with the quality of their learning experiences.
8. About 86% of residents are satisfied with their relationship with attending physicians.
9. Working relationships with nurses and physician assistants are also good for 49% of residents.
10. The most rewarding part of residency for the majority of residents (81%) is gaining clinical knowledge and experience.
11. The biggest challenge for a plurality of residents is work-life balance (33%).