MS1 Orientation: Managing Romantic Relationships During Medical Training

A dynamic session designed to help medical students build happy, healthy relationships during medical school and prevent the most common relationship issues.

Overview

Medical school is tough on relationships. We all know that.

This session is designed for MS1 orientation when students are forming expectations about how medical training will intersect with their personal lives. Addressing relationship stressors at this stage helps prevent patterns of conflict and disconnection that may intensify later in training. Addressing these topics early helps students anticipate challenges rather than respond to crises later.

This session supports:

  • Early prevention of emotional distress related to relationship conflict

  • Creation of healthy relationship strategies specific to the medical training process

  • Normalization and concrete tools during transitions faced by medical students and their partners

  • Professional identity formation, including boundary-setting and communication

  • Institutional wellness goals without crossing into therapy or treatment

By addressing relationship dynamics proactively, schools can reduce stigma, improve help-seeking behaviors, and foster a culture of emotional maturity from the outset.

Learning Objectives

 

By the end of the session students will be able to:

  • Identify common relationship issues during medical school

  • Build a healthy framework to keep the relationship resilient through difficult stretches

  • Make space for what medical school demands and what a relationship needs to survive and thrive

  • Communicate expectations, boundaries, and needs effectively

  • Outline long-term goals for their relationship

Session Content (High-Level)

Topics include:

  • How medical training reshapes time, energy, and emotional availability

  • How medical trainees and their partners can find new ways to structure and relate to time

  • Common misunderstandings between medical students and their partners

  • Boundaries around availability, caregiving, and emotional labor

  • Managing guilt, resentment, and misaligned expectations

  • Maintaining connection during periods of high academic demand

  • Knowing when support is needed—and how to seek it appropriately

By addressing relationship dynamics proactively, schools can reduce stigma, improve help-seeking behaviors, and foster a culture of emotional maturity from the outset.

Format & Logistics

  • Length: 60 minutes (adaptable based on orientation schedule)

  • Format: Interactive large-group session
    Optional small-group discussion or Q&A add-on

  • Delivery: In-person or virtual

  • Audience: Incoming MD or DO students (class sizes adaptable)

The session is designed to integrate seamlessly into existing orientation programming.

About the Facilitator

Sarah Epstein, LMFT, is a licensed marriage and family therapist with extensive experience supporting medical students, residents, and physicians. She has:

  • Specific expertise helping medical trainees manage the stress and relationship impact of a life in medicine

  • Worked with learners and physicians at every career stage

  • Has spoken to audiences both domestically and internationally, with audiences from 10-700 participants

  • Authored “Love in the Time of Medical School,” a book on relationships in medical training

  • Written for KevinMD and Psychology Today (3.5M+ readers)

  • Served as a media source for Forbes, NBC, Reader’s Digest, HuffPost, and others