The following study identifies the prevalence of burnout, variation of its prevalence during medical school, and the impact of personal life events on burnout and other types of student distress. Findings indicate that burnout appears common among U.S. medical students and may increase by year of schooling. Despite the notions that burnout is primarily linked to work-related stress, personal life events also demonstrated a strong relationship to professional burnout. The authors’ findings suggest both personal and curricular factors are related to burnout among medical students. Efforts to decrease burnout must address both of these elements.