Longitudinal Mental Health Outcomes of Third-year Medical Students Rotating Through the Wards During COVID-19.

This study investigated third year medical students' psychological well-being during clinical rotations at Mount Sinai hospitals in New York City during the COVID-19 pandemic. All students (n = 147) starting rotations (psychiatry, surgery, obstetrics-gynecology, neurology, pediatrics, and medicine) could participate in quarterly, online, anonymous surveys comprised of validated screeners for: psychological symptoms, risk, coping, and protective factors, demographics, COVID-19 worries, and stressful clerkship-related events. Associations between variables were examined with Chi-squared, Fisher's exact, t-, Wilcoxon Rank Sum, one-way ANOVA, and McNemar tests. Significant univariate predictors of psychological distress were included in stepwise multivariable linear regression models. The baseline survey was completed by 110 (74.8%) students; ninety-two (62.6%) completed at least one other survey. During the year, 68 (73.9%) students screened positive for depression, anxiety, or PTSD. The prevalence of psychiatric symptoms peaked in June 2020 without significant changes in average scores over time. COVID-19 worries decreased over time but did not influence psychological symptoms at year-end. Eighty-three students (90.2%) experienced stressful clerkship-related events, which were traumatic and/or COVID-19-related for 26 (28.3%) and 22 students (24.0%), respectively. Baseline psychological distress, childhood emotional abuse, and resilience predicted depression, anxiety, and/or PTSD by year-end. This study highlights the importance of recognizing psychological distress and implementing interventions to support students' well-being.

Factors Associated With Burnout Among Nurses Providing Direct Patient Care During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify factors associated with burnout in nurses and nurses' opinions regarding interventions to promote well-being during crisis conditions such as those experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic. BACKGROUND: Burnout among nurses is prevalent under usual conditions and may increase during crises such as COVID-19. METHODS: Researchers conducted a survey of 1103 frontline nurses in a single New York City hospital during the first (spring 2020) and second (fall 2020/winter 2021) local waves of COVID-19. RESULTS: Burnout prevalence increased from 45% to 52% between the first and second wave. Younger age, female gender, posttraumatic stress, anxiety or depressive symptoms, history of burnout, feeling less valued by hospital leadership, less informed of responsibilities, less certain about duration of enhanced workload, and prepared by prepandemic experience were predictive of burnout in multivariable analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Although some identified risk factors for burnout were nonmodifiable, others may be modifiable by hospital leadership.