Views of suffering among medical students

Abstract Background Medical students are exposed to human suffering more frequently and intensely than before they began their training, but they are often not sufficiently educated for these experiences. To our knowledge, perspectives of suffering among medical students have never been explored or classified. We aimed to measure and describe the philosophical and religious views of human suffering among medical students. Methods First- through fourth-year medical students at a midwestern medical school were asked to complete an anonymous survey about their views of suffering using the Views of Suffering Scale. Information regarding student demographics, specialty interests, previous experiences, raised religious identities, and current religious identities were collected and evaluated against ten subscales common to specific religious and non-religious groups. Results Students identifying with a religious tradition tended to endorse suffering perspectives consistent with that tradition, while atheist and agnostic students were more likely to endorse Random and Unorthodox perspectives. Compared to preclinical medical students, clinical students reported higher scores for the subscales of Limited Knowledge, Providence, and Soul-Building. Conclusions Students differed in suffering perspectives, especially by religious identity and preclinical and clinical cohorts. This study provides a foundation to further explore beliefs about suffering among healthcare trainees and how these beliefs may influence patient care and student resilience.