Abstract

BACKGROUNDOver the past two decades, there has been a growing interest in work‐life balance (WLB) and health (wellness) among physicians.1 Physician wellness not only benefits the individual physician but is also essential to the provision of high‐quality medical care.2 It has also been shown that young people are at a higher risk of burnout, and the importance of educating medical students and residents about WLB and wellness from an early age has been demonstrated.3,4 In Western countries, the development of wellness programs and other programs is already in progress.4In Japan, where long working hours have been a problem, WLB measures were recommended in the government's WLB Charter, which was announced in 2007.5 Previously, workplace WLB measures for doctors primarily targeted married female doctors; however, with the rising movement for gender equality, support for WLB realization regardless of gender is now necessary for the medical sector.6In 2010, career education was incorporated into the model core curriculum for undergraduate medical education, and various programs, including lifelong education and professionalism education for physicians, have been implemented in response, with WLB having become a theme among them. In 2013, medical student lectures that concerned career education were given in at least 50% of