BACKGROUND It has previously been demonstrated that there is a significant drop in all domains of quality of life among interns during internship. OBJECTIVE A modified version of the health consultant's job stress and satisfaction questionnaire (HCJSSQ) was used to assess and quantify aspects of internship that were perceived as stressful and satisfying. Methods used to cope with work place stress were explored. METHODS A prospective cohort study was undertaken among 93 medical interns doing a rotating internship at the Christian Medical College and Hospital, a tertiary-care hospital in southern India. METHODS After completion of 6 months of internship, the modified version of the HCJSSQ was administered to all participants. METHODS The data were entered into Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 9 by double data entry technique. Percentages of interns reporting high levels of stress, satisfaction were calculated. RESULTS While 63.4% of interns reported high levels of satisfaction, 45.2% of the interns experienced high levels of stress, 17.6% coped with work stress by using alcohol and nicotine, and 37% coped through unhealthy eating habits. CONCLUSIONS More people found internship satisfying than stressful. However, a high proportion found it stressful, and many reported unhealthy coping mechanisms.