An assessment of internship at the teaching hospitals of the University of the Witwatersrand.

Medical internship can be a physically exhausting and emotionally traumatic experience. This study assesses various aspects of internship, including continuing medical education, workload and stress, at the five Johannesburg teaching hospitals during 1985 and 1986. Data were analysed from a confidential questionnaire. Eighty-two interns completed the questionnaire at the end of 1985 and 120 at the end of 1986. Problem areas defined were excessive patient load, sleep deprivation and severe stress. The commonest symptoms of stress were fatigue, irritability and weight loss. In 1985, 53% of interns stated that they could not cope, and in 1986 this increased to 65%. Forty-eight per cent of 1985 and 69% of 1986 interns lost interest in medicine during their intern year. The implications of these results are discussed and the importance and impact on the medical profession and hospital services analysed.