Every doctor starts as a student. And the experiences students have in medical school help shape the kind of doctors they become.

But the reality is, many medical students are painfully unhappy. That’s the issue explored by Dr. Pauline W. Chen in her latest “Doctor and Patient” column.

Medical school was not easy for me. I knew that I wanted to become a doctor to help people, but I had given little thought to the process. I was poorly prepared for many things: the pressure to excel in ways that seemed so far from caring for people; rapidly mounting debts I signed off on every semester; a roller coaster existence from chronic lack of sleep; hazing from the more experienced students and residents; and the realities of patient suffering despite my best efforts.

Dr. Chen explores the fascinating research about medical student burnout and why it happens. Click here to read “Medical Student Burnout and the Challenge to Patient Care,” and then join Dr. Chen in the discussion by posting a comment below.