SPOTLIGHT ON ABORTION CARE & REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE 

Recharging Your Medical Passion: The Power of a Retreat

Why Every Medical Student Should Do a Medical Retreat (for any specialty)

Written by Daniel Chen, AMSA Member & M4 at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine

Medical School Years 1-4:

• • • • I was three months into my fourth year of medical school:
      • Two years of full classroom learning, followed by an intense third year of rotations in the hospital. One of the most stressful times for medical students is the end of third year, transitioning into their fourth year.
      • In the last few months, I had one month of Step 2 preparation, followed by an intense rotation in L&D as an acting intern (AI or sub-i). 
      • Students interested in surgical specialties often do three to four of these internships.

In medicine, we are pushed to our mental, physical, and emotional limits. This begins in medical school, contributing to the accumulating effect that has resulted in high rates of burnout that runs rampant among medical providers. 

While I tell myself that I’m not burned out and it’s too early for that, I did start feeling lost and out of touch with medicine at the end of this year. After three years of intense book studying, tackling thousands of practice questions, and engaging in countless interactions with medical peers, attendings, and patients, I lost sight of the big picture.

Three years ago, I was eager to make a difference in medicine. As the COVID-19 pandemic came under control, I began my journey as an enthusiastic first-year medical student in a new city.

However, by this summer, I felt I had lost the selfless, motivated, and bright-eyed perspective that initially drove me. Instead, I found myself in survival mode, focusing narrowly on memorizing, relearning, and mastering concepts to provide the best care possible to the patients I encountered at my local hospital.

Then I rediscovered AMSA and took a chance by squeezing the Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institute into my August schedule amidst my fourth-year AI rotations. Neither my parents nor I fully understood what to expect, but I assured them this program had the potential to shape my career significantly. How could a weekend retreat be so impactful? I’m not exaggerating when I say that AMSA and this retreat reconnected me with my community and reignited my passion.

The Retreat:

By the time I arrived at the retreat, deep in the Blue Ridge Mountains in Asheville, North Carolina, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I had spent the last few years in a constant state of motion—studying, rotating, preparing for exams, and trying to keep up with the demands of medical school and clerkships. But as soon as I stepped into the wooded mountain environment, surrounded by green nature and like-minded peers at different stages of their medical schools, I began to feel some things I hadn’t felt in a long time, at least together: rejuvenated ambition and relaxed calmness.

The AMSA Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institute was not just a retreat; it was a reset. Over the course of the weekend, I engaged in dynamic conversations, hands-on clinical skill-building, and issue education with experts in abortion care, reproductive health, and social justice. We explored the impact of the Dobbs decision on reproductive health access, practiced clinical skills like manual vacuum aspiration (MVA) through a “papaya” workshop, and participated in values-clarification training. Each session was thoughtfully designed to challenge us, inspire us, and reconnect us to the reasons we pursued medicine in the first place.

But it wasn’t just the content that made the retreat impactful—it was the people and the chance to take a small break. The retreat fostered a community of support, joy, and shared purpose. We weren’t just learning; we were building connections that would sustain us through the challenges of our future practice. The informal conversations over meals, the walks in the woods, and the moments of relaxation in the hot tubs under the stars created a space where we could be honest about our struggles and aspirations. I realized that I wasn’t alone in feeling lost or burnt out or overwhelmed by the complications of politics and social issues in medicine. Many of us had been grappling with the same doubts and pressures, but in this setting, we found strength in our shared experiences.

By the end of the experience, we were ready to advocate. The training was incredible and gave us the necessary background and skills to construct op-eds’, policy briefs, and potentially legislate for this next critical year.

Through this retreat, I had found something I hadn’t realized I had lost: my passion. I left the retreat with renewed energy, a clear sense of purpose, and a commitment to making a difference in reproductive health. The retreat didn’t just help me find my people; it helped me find myself again.

In summary: Pros & Things to Consider of a Medical Retreat

Pros:

• Reconnection with Purpose: Retreats offer a unique opportunity to step back from the day-to-day demands of medical school and reconnect with the reasons why you chose this path.
• Skill Building: Programs like the AMSA retreat provide hands-on training and knowledge-building in areas that may not be covered in traditional medical curricula.
• Community and Support: The retreat fosters a sense of community among participants, creating lasting connections that can offer support and encouragement throughout your medical career.
• Mental and Emotional Reset: Time away from the pressures of rotations and exams, in a peaceful environment, allows for mental and emotional rejuvenation.
• Post retreat debrief: connecting to medical providers/advocates from other parts of the US to expand my network and engagement with national organizations (The COMS Project, Reproductive Health Access Project, etc.)
• Potential: for a social justice project collaboration with the other nine students at this retreat and my colleagues in Cleveland, OH as an expectation to apply the skills gained from this retreat

Things to consider before commitment:

• Time Commitment: Taking time off for a retreat can be challenging, especially during rotations or critical learning periods, but if it can be worked out, the benefits are monumental
• Cost and Logistics: Stipends, travel expenses, and the logistics of getting away from clinical responsibilities can be barriers for some students. AMSA kindly covered all costs for this year.

A medical retreat like the AMSA Institute can be a transformative experience for any medical student. It offers a much-needed break from the grind, an opportunity to build valuable skills, and most importantly, a chance to rediscover the passion and purpose that brought you into medicine in the first place. 

For anyone feeling lost, burnt out, or simply in need of a reset, I highly recommend considering a retreat—it just might change your life.

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AMSA will be hosting a number of Abortion Care & Reproductive Justice Institutes during 2024-2025.
Add your name to the PRIORITY WAITING LIST for our next Institutes.

Those on the waiting list will receive notification prior to the applications opening for general membership. 

*Note: an excerpt of this Spotlight is included in AMSA Reproductive Health Project eNews #28: Recharging Your Medical Passion, Sept 21, 2024
Find the current and past issues in the AMSA Repro eNews Archive.

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