Medical students across the country today (Wednesday 19th March) will take part in a coordinated BMA day of action1 calling on the Government to fix the broken medical students finance system. This comes as a BMA survey2 of over 3500 medical students has found that nine in ten (89.7%) say that their financial situation has been detrimental to their mental wellbeing.
As part of the day of action, medical students from across the county will attend a rally outside the Department of Education at 2.30pm on Weds 19th March. Representatives of the BMA medical students committee will deliver a letter to the Secretary of State for education the Rt Hon Bridget Phillipson MP, which calls on the Government to address the drop in funding faced by medical students by ensuring they have access to full student finance maintenance for the entirety of their course.
New BMA survey findings highlight growing concerns around the impact of insufficient student financial support on student mental wellbeing. This follows BMA findings3 last month, that warned medical students were being plunged into financial hardship, with 43% having considered leaving or pausing their course due to financial pressures.
In the latest set of survey findings, 90% of students said they felt that their financial situation was extremely (48%) or slightly (42%) detrimental to their mental wellbeing4.
The BMA medical students committee are warning that insufficient Government financial support is forcing many students to take on additional jobs that are unmanageable alongside the demands of the course and forcing many into burn out and poor mental health.
One third year medical student at Keele university in Newcastle, spoke about her struggles with balancing multiple jobs alongside studying medicine and the damaging impact this had on her mental wellbeing.
“I think in terms of wellbeing, having to work in med school is brutal, particularly with the unsocial hours that comes with working in hospitality. I kept one of my jobs from home, which is an agency job, but I needed the extra money, so I got a job bar tending, but I really struggled with it. It started off on a casual basis, one night a week, but the longer I was in the job, the more they were keen for me to do. Everything is zero hours contracts, so you don’t have much choice, you either have a job or you don’t.
“I was doing a 2am close on a Friday, a 2am close on Saturday and still trying to fit in a 12-hour day Monday to Friday – it was completely unsustainable. I did end up going to the doctors in second year when I ended up failing an exam. It all got a bit too much and they ended up giving me anti-anxiety medication and anti-depressants.”
The BMA is warning that burnout among medical students can be even more acute in the final years of medical school, where students must balance placements alongside intense studying schedules and possibly additional jobs. This is also exacerbated by the drop in funding - often thousands of pounds - for those years eligible for the NHS bursary.
The survey found that of those students who took on additional paid work, over nine in ten (93%) said it was to cover every day living costs5. Additionally, 89% of students who had a part time job said that additional student funding would mean they could work fewer hours (43%), or not at all (45.9%)6.
Another BMA survey7 carried out last year looked at discrepancies of wellbeing provisions across medical schools in response to worsening student mental health and wellbeing. It found that students already find balancing 9-5 placements with self-directed learning to be challenging as one student commented, “No one really cares how much we do because apparently being burnt out is just part of being a med student.” These recent findings highlight how students who have to resort to additional work during placements as a necessity due to poor financial support will be placed at event further risk of burn out and poor mental health.
Delivering the letter to the Secretary of State for Education today, champions of the Fix our Funding8 campaign and BMA medical student’s deputy co-chairs (finance) Henry Budden and Sophie Mitchell, said:
“We have listened to the concerns of our fellow medical students and are taking them straight to the door of the Government.
“The evidence is clear – with even more survey findings highlighting the harmful impact of the current student finance system on medical students’ mental wellbeing, the Government cannot ignore us any longer.
“It is simply absurd that at a time when there are serious medical workforce shortages, medical students are being faced with such enormous financial barriers to studying medicine.
“We know that students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds can be more adversely impacted by the drop in funding during years in receipt of the NHS bursary. By failing to fix the funding system, the Government risks alienating and discouraging hardworking students from a diverse range of backgrounds training to be the future doctors of tomorrow.
“The Government have it within their gift to drastically improve the financial situation for medical students across the country and now is the time to show us they care.”
Notes to editors
1.If you are interested in attending the event and would like to set up an interview or photo opportunity outside the Department of health, or for any additional requests please contact [email protected]. The rally will take place at 2.30pm outside the Department of Education - Great Smith St, London SW1P 3B
2. Students were asked “To what extent do you feel your financial situation is detrimental or beneficial to your mental wellbeing?” 47.9% answered “extremely detrimental” and 41.8% answered “slightly detrimental”. (Survey question available on request)
4.Students were asked “To what extent do you feel your financial situation is detrimental or beneficial to your mental wellbeing?” 47.9% answered “extremely detrimental” and 41.8% answered “slightly detrimental”
5. Students were asked “Why have you taken on paid employment work? Please tick all that apply” 92.9% ticked “To cover everyday living costs” (Survey question available on request)
6. Students were asked “Which, if any, of these statements about paid employment work and student funding applies to you?” 43% said “I would work fewer hours if I could access additional student funding” and 45.9% said “I would not work at all if I could access additional student funding”(Survey question available on request)
7. BMA wellbeing survey August 2024.