Main stressors for foreign medical students at Medical University – Sofia

Information for nursing staff, 2024, 56(1), 26-33.

K. Milenov, V. Vodenicharov

Sector Hygiene, Department of Epidemiology and Hygiene, Medical University – Sofia

Abstract. Stress is defined as a non-specific response or reaction of the body to requirements imposed on it or to disturbing events in the environment. Medical students all over the world are exposed to many stressors of various nature in their daily lives – conversations with seriously ill patients, numerous and complex exams, many exercises and a huge amount of reading materials, as well as high demands for competence. Frequent exposure to high pressure could have many negative consequences such as low self-esteem, the appearance of temporary or chronic depression, the development of many harmful habits such as excessive alcohol consumption, bad attitude towards others, cynicism, etc. Severely affected students could drop out of their universities, with some even committing suicide. All these factors would lead to lower productivity and less qualified specialists unable to treat effectively their patients, which is a serious problem because doctors contact with a wide range of people and thus have a huge impact on our lives. The purpose of the present study was to identify the biggest stressors (grouped and overall) for foreign medical students at the Medical University – Sofia, and to propose the appropriate measures so that they can adapt more easily and their years in university can be less problematic, more successful and more enjoyable. Material and methods: In order to achieve the goal, 115 foreign students from the fourth year of the Medical University were surveyed anonymously, using a documentary, sociological and statistical method. The results of the study strongly supported the claims for multiple stressors in the lives of medical students and showed which of them were dominant. The most severe of them were the academic factors and the factors related to teaching and learning. Measures were proposed to deal with them. By enforcing them, students will feel fully functional and develop themselves as better doctors.

Key words: stressors, foreign medical students, medical university

Address for correspondence: Kamis Milenov, e-mail: k.milenov@medfac.mu-sofia.bg