“Why I . . .” medical students discuss their hobbies and passions

The medical student identity encompasses far more than juggling placement and exams. Beyond the scrubs, medical students engage in diverse hobbies and interests. The satisfaction and contentment that can be found in the everyday is not to be underappreciated.

Hobbies and passions enrich our lives, reduce stress, and can add layers to our identities—helping to alleviate the pressure to fit an idealised mould of what a medical student should look like and who a medical student should be.

Although pursuing interests outside of medicine is not going to deal with the system-wide causes of burnout and mental illness among medical students and doctors, taking time for oneself—whether by untangling some yarn in place of a suture, exchanging the stethoscope for the paintbrush, or wild swimming in the nearest loch—can still be a valuable outlet.

So, between exams and placements, what brings medical students joy?