Introduction:

The presence of chronic stress, caused by the activities and demands of the medical course, can lead to what is called ‘burnout’, a syndrome characterized by three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, dehumanization (or depersonalization) and reduced professional achievement. Considering the increased incidence of burnout syndrome, anxiety and depression symptoms, suicide attempts and suicide rates among medical students, as a consequence of increasing demands for professional and financial success at the expense of physical and mental health, one understands the importance of studying the subject and proposing measures of prevention and control. The aim of this study was to evaluate and describe the levels of burnout and well-being of medical students at a Brazilian public university.

Method:

The stress and well-being levels of students from the first to the sixth year for the Medical Course at Universidade Federal de São Paulo were evaluated using MBI-SS and WHOQOL-BREF questionnaires, applied online on the REDCAP platform.

Results:

A total of 302 students completed the questionnaires. Regarding the MBI-SS, students showed a low value in the emotional exhaustion factor and high levels of professional disbelief and effectiveness, indicating a burnout that ranged from low to moderate. It was also observed that female students showed a greater tendency toward emotional exhaustion when compared to male ones, as well as the fact that students from the 1st and 2nd years showed higher values of professional effectiveness when compared with 3rd and 4th years, with no difference between genders. Based on the answers from WHOQUOL-BREF questionnaire, the students thought they had a good quality of life.

Discussion:

These results reinforce possible factors that might interfere with the students’ quality of life: excessive workload, teaching model based on extensive lectures, lack of stimulation, recognition for their efforts.

Conclusion:

The medical students evaluated in this study have a good quality of life and show low or moderate burnout levels.

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