Purpose Surgical trainees are at high risk of burnout and poor wellbeing during their training. A range of workplace factors have been linked to poor wellbeing, including excessive work hours, lack of support networks, and training program demands. However, little is understood about the individual experiences of Australian trainees and their perceptions of the impact of the work environment on wellbeing. The aim of this study was to explore the experiences of Australian surgical trainees regarding their wellbeing in the surgical learning environment.
Methods Eleven semi-structured interviews were conducted with Australian surgical trainees at the start of their training and 18 months later, exploring their perspectives of wellbeing in the workplace. Results were analyzed thematically using the Job Demands-Resources model as a scaffold.
Results Seven themes emerged: (1) relationships with colleagues, (2) work hours and workload, (3) the learning environment and supervision, (4) training program requirements, (5) moving around, (6) hospital and team administration, and (7) hospital facilities and programs. Participant experiences between training commencement and 18 months follow-up did not change.
Conclusion Trainees have unique experiences of wellbeing in the workplace. Some workplace factors, such as relationships with colleagues, can be demands or resources depending on their nature. Effective leadership and administrative practices, mentorship, and proactive rostering act as resources for trainees to balance workplace demands, and these should be prioritized by hospitals and training institutions to improve and protect trainee wellbeing.
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Surgeon’s mental health: an overlooked crisis in the post-pandemic surgical landscape G Gulothungan, Ramkumar Vahalingam, Y P Ragini, Hitesh Chopra, Talha Bin Emran International Journal of Surgery Open.2026; 64(2): 153. CrossRef
PURPOSE Medical schools and graduate medical schools should understand the personality and psychological qualities of graduate medical students, medical students, and premedical students and link them with the curriculum.
METHODS In this study, through June 2010 we analyzed medical papers that were published in Korea. The search terms were psychological terminology, including emotion, cognition, intelligence, social ability, stress, motivation, judgment, and learning style.
RESULTS In the cognitive and learning aspects, preliminary doctors were under the influence of prior knowledge; cumulative learning; self-efficacy; and visual, logical, non-self-led learning types and had external learning motivation. In the emotional adaptive aspects, they appeared to be the ISTJ (introversion, sensing, thinking, judging) personality type with regard to the Myers-Briggs indicators and perfectionists, suffering from severe academic stress.
Their motivation on matriculation was associated with their interests and aptitudes, and through community service, they adapted to the learning and living environment of medicine.
In the social and moral aspects, they did not have high moral judgment, felt devaluated about their job than before, and tended to have an open and flexible doctor-patient relationship.
CONCLUSION Medical graduate students, medical students, and premedical students have greater likelihood to cultivate their character and capacity for adaptation.
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