Suffering Should Not Be a Requirement for Success in Medicine

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Ms. Paula Feijen, a 25-year-old recently graduated medical doctor with a strong background in student organizing and advocacy, especially in sexual and reproductive health and rights. She is an active member of AECS (Association for Health Sciences Students of Catalonia). She is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Medical students are often told to be resilient. They are encouraged to manage stress better, sleep more, practice mindfulness, and “take care of themselves.” While these suggestions may help temporarily, they avoid a more uncomfortable truth: many mental health struggles among future healthcare professionals are not caused by personal weakness, but by unhealthy systems.

The problem is not that medical students are failing to cope. The problem is that medical education often demands too much while offering too little support.

Behind the image of the confident future doctor are students who are exhausted, anxious, and emotionally overwhelmed. Many spend years under constant pressure to perform perfectly. Long hours, competitive environments, financial stress, sleep deprivation, and fear of making mistakes become normalized. Students learn quickly that admitting they are struggling can be seen as weakness. In a profession built around caring for others, many feel unable to ask for care themselves.

Burnout among healthcare workers is often treated as an individual issue, but it is deeply structural. A student cannot meditate their way out of chronic exhaustion caused by unsafe workloads. A wellness workshop cannot fix a culture that rewards self-sacrifice and silence. Offering support services matters, but support alone is not enough if the system continues to create harm.

If medical institutions truly want to protect mental health, they must focus on prevention rather than damage control. That means rethinking how healthcare professionals are trained. Universities and hospitals should create environments where rest is respected, mentorship is accessible, and asking for help does not threaten someone’s future career. Students should not be praised for ignoring their own wellbeing in order to prove dedication.

Structural change also means challenging the culture of perfectionism in medicine. Future healthcare professionals are human beings, not machines. They will make mistakes, feel emotional strain, and experience limits. Teaching students to hide these realities only increases isolation and shame. Instead, medical education should encourage honesty, collaboration, and compassion, not only toward patients, but toward healthcare workers themselves.

Future healthcare professionals have an important role in changing this culture. By speaking openly about mental health, setting boundaries, and supporting one another, they can help normalize conversations about wellbeing. However, the responsibility for change should not rest only on students. Institutions must also listen, adapt, and take accountability for the environments they create.

Healthcare systems depend on the people working within them. When those people are pushed beyond their limits, everyone is affected, including patients. Protecting the mental health of future healthcare professionals is not simply about helping individuals survive difficult training. It is about building a healthcare culture that no longer treats suffering as a requirement for success.

About the author

Paula Feijen is a 25-year-old recently graduated medical doctor with a strong background in student organizing and advocacy, especially in sexual and reproductive health and rights. She is an active member of AECS (Association for Health Sciences Students of Catalonia), where she has held several roles both locally and nationally. Currently Vice President for External International Affairs representing catalan students in IFMSA spaces. Her years of involvement in student associations reflect her strong commitment to improving health systems and empowering students to create meaningful change.