THE CLINICAL ENVIRONMENT AS A SOURCE OF STRESS AMONG BACHELORS OF MEDICAL SPECIALTIES

Purpose: The fundamental goal of medical education is to train knowledgeable and capable medical professionals. However, the heavy workload during the learning process and clinical practice can sometimes negatively impact students’ mental health. This research paper aims to draw attention to the stress-causing factors and strategies for coping with stress during the clinical practice of nurses, midwives, and medical assistants. An online survey was conducted to study the opinion of 100 students of medical specialties from the Department of Health Care, University “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov”, Burgas, during their clinical practice in four private and public hospitals in the city of Burgas. The research was conducted in November-December 2021.  The results of the study reveal that stress factors significantly predict the mental health of undergraduate students in medical specialties and can cause health problems and adverse situations. The study outlined the main challenge in medical education as the establishment of methods that ignore the students’ insecurities and suggests strategies for dealing with stress. Furthermore, the fears that cause stress among students about the activities performed during clinical practice were illustrated. Finally, the study found that many dynamic experiences influence the well-being of undergraduate students in medicine during their clinical practice. The findings of the study will allow the cultivation of professional endurance in patient care.