Short summary

This study aims to investigate the level of anxiety in medical students and young doctors, and to describe individual trends from final semester as medical students through 1, 5 and 11 months of work experience as a doctor. The participants will be analysed in a descriptive cohort study of participants and their answers provided both as cross-sectional descriptions of the four measure points and as an individual-based change over time. We expect the level of anxiety increases from the status of a medical student to the first months as a young doctor, but returns to the initial level when the person has worked eleven months.

Rationale

The transition from student to doctor can be a stressful and difficult time for many. However, some are affected more severely than others, which can result in a level of anxiety that can have a negative effect on the doctor's ability to practice medicine safely and effectively. Pathological anxiety is documented to occur in a significant proportion of young doctors, and the proportion seems to rise. This is troubling, because stressed and anxious doctors have a higher risk of making mistakes, both fatal and minor, losing empathy as well as leaving the field of medicine for good. One survey done on well-being shows that young doctors can be characterized as a group of people that experience satisfaction with their work, but also a group where work challenges their mental health. There is very little research done on the level of anxiety in young doctors in Denmark.

Data and biological material

In a cohort design the information is gathered by four questionnaires. We invite all 150 medical students, attending the last semester of the master's degree program at the University of Southern Denmark, in December 2020 to answer the first questionnaire. For the second questionnaire we invite all newly started doctors in the spring of 2021 in the Region of Southern Denmark to participate. Approximately 122 young doctors will start their "Den kliniske basisuddannelse" (KBU) in the period of February to April. The questionnaires will be distributed when the doctors have been at the hospital for 1 month. The third questionnaire will be sent to the KBU doctors after 5 months of employment. The fourth will be sent out 11 months after the start of the KBU. The second, third and fourth survey will also include a number of first attenders who just moved to the region to start their KBU.

Collaborating researchers and departments

The Emergency Department, Esbjerg Hospital, Sydvestjysk Sygehus

The Emergency Department, Kolding Hospital, Sygehus Lillebælt

The Emergency Department, Aabenraa Hospital, Sygehus Sønderjylland