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Posted on March 25th, 2010

Medical School Drop Outs

Medical school presents a worthy challenge to its applicants. Less than half of the students who apply to medical school are accepted. On one hand, students face tough competition for entrance; on the other hand, they face a difficult academic program once they've been accepted. In spite of the academic rigor, relatively few students drop out of medical school. The rate of attrition (drop out rate) after the first semester is six percent; after second semester, only two percent of students drop out. Hardly any students drop out of medical school after that.

There are a number of reasons students drop out of medical school. Some discover that it is much more difficult than their undergraduate pre-med programs. Others find that family or other relationships conflict strongly with the academic immersion of medical school. Some students choose to enter the workforce earlier with a different career in health care. Other students simply realize that practicing medicine is not their passion and pursue a career in another field. Dropping out of medical school is not exclusively a negative choice that should bring shame; many students have very good reasons for not finishing their graduate medical programs.

For students who want to finish medical school but are struggling with a decision about dropping out, there are several ways to help stay in school to complete the program. Medical schools often have peer support groups where med students can meet with one another for encouragement and help. Making time for exercise has benefits for mental and emotional stability. Breaking for recreation helps prevent burn-out. If a student must take time away from medical school, it may be better to request a one year leave of absence from the administration, rather than completely dropping out. This allows an easier return to school and protects the integrity of the student's record and reputation. Though there are acceptable causes for dropping out, a serious medical student does not need to burn out and cut short a potential medical career.

In spite of the competitive entrance requirements for medical school, only about eight percent of accepted students drop out during their first year of classes. In many cases, there are legitimate reasons for this. Many students, however, feel burned out and drop out because of fatigue; however, they can take advantage of several supports in order to complete medical school successfully.

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