Interns soon lose enthusiasm

Interns' moods turn sour only months into their first postgraduate year, an US study suggests (JAMA 2002;287:3143-6).

The moods of 61 internal medicine interns at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia were measured at the beginning of training in June then in November, February, and at the end of the first year in June. The internship year is typical of those in the United States. It consists of two months in the intensive care unit with every third night on call, seven months in inpatient care with every fourth night on call, two months …