Twelve tips for medical students experiencing an interruption in their academic progress

For every commencing cohort of medical students, a small but significant number will experience an interruption to their academic progression because of academic difficulties, health concerns or external influences outside of the students' control. During the process of researching the factors surrounding difficulties with academic progression, students told us many ways that they have learned from that experience, which then allowed most of them to graduate. This paper combines the shared experiences of students who have had an interruption, and those of the authors as medical educators.

Automated summary

For a small but significant number of medical students, interruptions in academic progression can occur due to academic difficulties, health concerns, or external influences. By sharing experiences and learning from setbacks, both students and medical educators can help more students graduate successfully.