2023-12-05 11:58:15
According to a study by the Swiss Association of Medical Students, 34% of students want to change careers following their final internship in a Swiss hospital. © Keystone / Gaetan Bally read aloud pause
Becoming a doctor is one of the most prestigious professions in Switzerland, but the reality seems very different: a third of medical students say they are ready to leave following their first internship in a hospital due to the long working hours and heavy workload. administration that awaits them in the coming years.
This content was published on December 5, 2023 – 1:30 pm December 5, 2023 – 1:30 pm
RTS
According to a study by the Swiss Association of Medical Students, 34% of students want to change careers following their final internship in a Swiss hospital. These internships usually take place in the sixth year of the degree and consist of a stay of 6 to 12 months in a hospital to assist junior doctors.
Marc Reynaud de la Jara, a fourth-year student at the University of Lausanne and one of the authors of the study, says that when students face the reality of their profession “they are not willing to make all these sacrifices.”
According to Swiss law, they should not work more than 50 hours a week, but in many cases they work an average of 56 hours a week, he told Swiss public radio RTS.
“In the hospital, doctors spend little time with patients today. Most of it is dedicated to administrative work,” he said.
The digitalization of processes also poses significant problems, because the systems are not compatible between hospitals, which wastes a lot of time, the study points out.
Many medical students would like to work part-time when they graduate: 80% if possible. But this still represents regarding 42 hours per week.
“The situation is getting worse and more and more attending doctors say they see medical errors, especially due to fatigue,” he points out.
The students quickly realize that they will not be able to practice the medicine they would like and that their sacrifices will not allow them to achieve their goals.
“They will be tired, overworked, and ultimately not the good doctors they would like to be for their patients,” says the study’s author.
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