Student Burnout in Healthcare Programs: You Are Not Alone

Between classes, work, and everything else pulling at your attention, it can feel like there are not enough hours in the day. For many students in healthcare programs, that pressure becomes overwhelming. The good news is that you are not alone, and there are real tools and people ready to help.

In Episode 6 of Voices of Vital Care, host Nohelani Graf sits down with two guests: Michelle Carlin, a board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner and founder of Monarch Health and Wellness, and Brenna Drago, a student services leader at Pima Medical Institute. They unpack what student burnout really looks like, why it’s so common in allied health programs, and what you can do about it right now.

“A lot of burnout is happening and a lot of anxiety that can lead to depression as well.”
–Michelle Carlin, PMHNP-BC, founder, Monarch Health and Wellness

Burnout does not arrive all at once. According to Carlin, it builds quietly. Students juggling jobs, families and coursework often start to feel it in their sleep, their appetite, and their ability to concentrate. By the time they notice something is wrong, they have often been running on empty for a while. That pattern is something both Carlin and Drago see consistently, and it is exactly why early awareness matters.

“Whenever we’re uncomfortable, that means we’re growing, and you’re going through a growing phase that you had the courage to start.”
–Brenna Drago, student services leader, Pima Medical Institute

In this episode, you will learn:

• The early warning signs of student burnout, including disrupted sleep, social withdrawal, fatigue and changes in personal care
• Why post-pandemic students are experiencing higher rates of social anxiety and how it has impacted asking for help in class and clinical settings
• How Pima Medical’s student services team works with students from orientation onward to offer personalized coaching, mentoring and access to a student assistance program
• Two evidence-based techniques you can use in under five minutes to reset when anxiety spikes: square breathing and the 5-4-3-2-1 grounding method
• Why guilt around asking for help is so common among future healthcare professionals, and how reframing that guilt can actually strengthen your skills as a caregiver
• What balance realistically looks like during school, including time-budgeting tools, self-advocacy skills, and how to identify your priorities
• How to tell the difference between a rough week and a moment that calls for more support, and why that skill will serve you throughout your career
• How telehealth has made mental health care more accessible for students in the middle of busy clinical schedules, with appointments possible between classes or during breaks on site
  
  

Who this episode is for: Anyone currently enrolled in a health care program who is feeling stretched thin, first-generation students navigating school without a family roadmap and anyone who has quietly thought about quitting but has not yet asked for help.