Medstudent Dyslexic Sues Over Multiple Choice Exams

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My personal opinion is that this is a load of BS. Particulary the part about "having difficulty with the precise definition of the meaning of words":rolleyes::rolleyes:

http://www.thisisplymouth.co.uk/new...oice-exams/article-241552-detail/article.html

Dyslexic medical student takes legal action against multiple choice exams
11:06 - 29-July-2008
A PLYMOUTH medical student who suffers from dyslexia is to take legal action in an attempt to stop the use of multiple choice questions in examinations.
Naomi Gadian, 21, from Manchester, claims that multiple choice testing discriminates against people with dyslexia.
She hopes that legal action will result in multiple choice testing being scrapped for students with dyslexia.
The second year medical student, who studies at The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry in Plymouth, intends to take the General Medical Council (GMC) to an employment tribunal.
But the GMC said it has no powers to set medical examinations which, it said, are controlled by individual colleges and universities. Gadian is determined to press on with her case and intends to take action against the GMC and her college under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
She said: “In normal life you don't get given multiple choice questions to sit. Your patients aren't going to ask you 'Here's an option and four answers. Which one is right?”'
Her solicitor, John MacKenzie, said legal action was in its early stages and no date or venue had yet been set for the tribunal hearing.
He said Ms Gadian's college predominantly used multiple choice questions for assessments of medical students, which was placing her at a disadvantage.
He explained: “Naomi is very bright, very dedicated and very hard-working.
“She also has a form of dyslexia which means she has difficulty with multiple choice questions.”
He said this was manifested with Ms Gadian having difficulty with the precise definition of the meaning of words, which was the essence of a multiple choice question test.
He added: “She's had to resit last year because of this but got through.
“She's now faced with the prospect of her final two or three years taking these tests, which she finds extremely difficult.
“This is not a question of a lack of intelligence or a lack of intellect.”
Mr MacKenzie said Ms Gadian did not want to take legal action but had been left with little choice.
He added: “They have got to come up with a different way of testing her knowledge.
“The stress she's under is simply battling with these tests, she doesn't want to take legal action but she's been left with little choice.”
A spokeswoman for the GMC said they did not comment on individual cases, but added: “The GMC does not prescribe the reasonable adjustments that should be made by medical schools with respect to students with disabilities and has no statutory power to do so.
“However, we have recently issued new guidance for medical schools, Advising Medical Schools: Encouraging Disabled Students, which outlines ideas and suggestions and offers practical advice to help them put adjustments in place to improve the accessibility of medical education for students with disabilities.”
A spokesman from The Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry, said a number of students suffering from dyslexia had already graduated from the college.
He said: “We are unable to comment on individual cases, especially one such as this which is still the subject of discussion between the student, the Peninsula Medical School and the University of Exeter.
“We take our responsibility to students with dyslexia seriously and we can report that, within the two cohorts to have graduated from the Peninsula Medical School so far, nine have done so with dyslexia.
“Our ultimate responsibility is to produce doctors of the highest quality who are fit for practice, and any reasonable adjustments we have made for students with dyslexia reflect this objective.”
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If she has trouble with the "precise definition of the meaning of words" shouldn't she have trouble with life in general. Hhhhmmmm...
 
i also agree that this is a complete load of bullcrap. if you can't take the test, too bad, in my opinion. i'm sure that some people will say, as this chick is claiming "that's discrimination.. yadda yadda." what a load of hooey. and anyway, who cares? if you want to be a doc, you gotta take the board exams. i think it's unfair to force board exams to be non-manditory for a small number of dyslexic students. it's like the thread about the c7 quadriplegic - there are certain tasks that must be demonstrated, like doing a complete physical exam for the quad and taking MC exams for the dyslexic. maybe giving a little more time to figure out the 'precise meaning of words' or whatever isn't unreasonable. but come on, some people need to suck it up and realize their limitations. it's noble and awesome to try to overcome difficulties, but realize that when your attempts to do whatever, at any price, makes things unfair for the rest of the majority, but you'll be damned if you're gonna quit - in fact, now you're gonna sue - you've just become a peckerhead.

maybe i should sue the nba to lower the basket so i can be a competetive player at 5'9". oh wait, spud webb made the nba at 5'7"- and he still shot at the 10 foot hoops... and didn't he win the dunk contest one year?

this chick should practice taking mc tests - it's a skill. try to get a special arrangement to get a bit more time to take the test - that's fair. but to try to ****can THE test because she thinks it's unfair??? these things are almost too ******ed to make up. put up or shut up - don't be a d!ck. actually, if her dyslexia is REALLY THAT BAD, and she has problems with precision in meaning, perhaps it's better that she doesn't become a doctor.

(this is where the rolling stones come in)

you can't always get what you wa-ant...
 
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surebreC said:
My personal opinion is that this is a load of BS. Particulary the part about "having difficulty with the precise definition of the meaning of words":rolleyes::rolleyes:
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WTF!?!?!:mad:

This is ****ing great!!! All we need is more special needs physicians
 
what, now is she going to ask for a non-MC Step 1 exam too??

JEESH
 
surebreC said:
My personal opinion is that this is a load of BS. Particulary the part about "having difficulty with the precise definition of the meaning of words":rolleyes::rolleyes:
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I don't think "the precise definition of the meaning of words" is the problematic part of this article -- I've seen more than a few board questions that were unintelligible even to non-dyslexics (and I have no doubt that med school evaluation exams could be more poorly written than these). The writers of these licensing and med school exams simply don't do as good a job in terms of precision as, say, law.

What I found absurd was the quote, "In normal life you don't get given multiple choice questions to sit. Your patients aren't going to ask you 'Here's an option and four answers. Which one is right?"' First, I'm not sure that is true. You are going to create a differential diagnosis in many specialties, and so in life it's always does patient have a, b or c and how can I narrow the choices. Second, dyslexic or not, would this dude really prefer a short answer test with the same questions but no multiple choice? Knowing everything out of your head without a prompt? By doing that you lose the 20% or so chance you might get by guessing when you don't know, can't get lucky by rapidly answering things when you run out of time, etc. As bad as the multiple choice tests are (and those in medicine are particularly badly written compared to those administered by other professions), multiple choice always favors the student because he doesn't have to remember the terminology, just choose among it.
 
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I guarantee you that if this is posted in Pre-Allo >50% of posters will be in support of the plaintiff.

After all, she probably knows she is going to be a great doctor.
 
AmoryBlaine said:
I guarantee you that if this is posted in Pre-Allo >50% of posters will be in support of the plaintiff.

After all, she probably knows she is going to be a great doctor.
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Well, dyslexia is trickier than some of the other infirmities that the PA folks don't see as an impediment, because a dyslexic might actually know the material quite well, be able to perform all the procedures quite well. It's an access problem. I'm not saying that med school testing should be revised to accommodate the handful of folks who don't score their best because of the way questions are worded. But a stronger argument can be made that it's knowing and using the material, not navigating the format of the test, that is integral to being a physician. So I don't really see this is the same as a quad trying to get through med school without doing a physical exam or putting in a line or tube. This person can theoretically still be tested on all the material on the multiple choice test in a different format, without the concern that this person cannot do everything that is the essence of a physician. (Unless you are arguing that taking multiple choice tests is the essence of being a physician). I'm not saying this person should prevail -- it's probably not a "reasonable accommodation" to have a different test for each person who tests differently, nor is it reasonable to have everyone take dyslexic friendly tests. But an argument can be made that it's different.
 
sendwich said:
what, now is she going to ask for a non-MC Step 1 exam too??

JEESH
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PMS is a UK med school.

Dyslexic students already get loads of extra time in exams so I don't really see what her problem is. Not all UK med schools use multiple choice exams so she should have applied to ones that don't, it's stupid.
 
What if the disability was intellectual inferiority in the forms of mental ******ation? Would it be fair to discriminate against somebody like this? After all - they couldn't help it if they got an extra chromosome, why not adjust the testing to allow a pt with Downs Syndrome to become a physician?
 
I hate to hijack the thread but i came across an interesting case at work. There is a new resident in the ER who is deaf. The state pays for an intepretor to go his shifts with him.
I think he would have been better served in a different specialty other than ER. i mean, i dont even know how he would auscultate. i heard that there might be a special electronic sthethescope on the market for people like him.
How common are cases like this especially in a specialty like ER.
 
i don't know, i have a problem with the state, i.e. the taxpayers, paying for an interpreter for the deaf physician. it just seems like such a waste of resources. this interpreter, besides bieng in the way in the er, probably makes close to the same salary as the resident. taxpayers could pay for TWO non-handicapped er residents for almost the same as this er doc - could very well be a liability in any of a number of situations - and his interpreter.

i think this all goes back to whether or not a person's disability will unfairly cost others if they choose to pursue their dream. if it does, and they still have an attitude of ENTITLEMENT with which they will go after what they want, regardless of the impact on others, then i say it is an issue of selfishness.
 
alfonzarel said:
i think this all goes back to whether or not a person's disability will unfairly cost others if they choose to pursue their dream. if it does, and they still have an attitude of ENTITLEMENT with which they will go after what they want, regardless of the impact on others, then i say it is an issue of selfishness.
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There was a case of that Harvard MD-PhD student that had taken every accommodation for her various learning disabilities and then still complained that since she was nursing, it was unreasonable for her to take her Step II in the alloted time.

I think I blame it on how society has raised children with the belief that 'you can do anything!', and that all important self-esteem booster which every teacher has to nurture.

There's nothing wrong with being encouraging, but you have to let your children know limitations. Clearly, some people feel they have no limitations because society should provide unreasonable accommodations for any job they choose to pursue. Frankly, I think that's extremely selfish.
 
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I think they should let her do it. Then I think UW should make a non-multiple choice qbank just to appease this one girl. Then I think NBME should offer a non-multiple choice step 1. Then maybe we can appease this one person, because obviously she is the first dyslexic to ever go through med school.


Also, do *****s like this not realize that when it comes time for residency they are never going to get a spot because no residency in their right mind is going to pick up the stupid girl that sues people over nothing?
 
I think we should also work on shortening medical terminology for this woman. I mean if the words were shorter they wouldn't be as confusing. I am going to sue the person that penned pneumoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosises (or however you spell it).
 
Blesbok said:
I think they should let her do it. Then I think UW should make a non-multiple choice qbank just to appease this one girl. Then I think NBME should offer a non-multiple choice step 1. Then maybe we can appease this one person, because obviously she is the first dyslexic to ever go through med school.


Also, do *****s like this not realize that when it comes time for residency they are never going to get a spot because no residency in their right mind is going to pick up the stupid girl that sues people over nothing?
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Again, PMS is a UK school, she won't be taking the USMLE and in the UK this wont affect her getting a job in any way.
 
bambi said:
Again, PMS is a UK school, she won't be taking the USMLE and in the UK this wont affect her getting a job in any way.
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The Harvard woman who sued about nursing time was in the US, so this isn't exclusively a UK issue, even though this case is. I agree that folks who are quick to bring lawsuits tend not to be snatched up by future employers. Nobody wants a trouble-maker. They want someone they can exploit for 80 hours/week at a measly $40k, and never hear a complaint, never hear that someone can't show up for a shift or won't work on xmas etc. You can really damage your prospects by getting the legal machinery moving, so it ought to be a last resort.
 
Sounds bla. She's 21 years old. I think she must have encountered a multiple choice test or two on her way to medical school. Why is it all of a sudden a problem now?
 
GoofyDoc said:
Sounds bla. She's 21 years old. I think she must have encountered a multiple choice test or two on her way to medical school. Why is it all of a sudden a problem now?
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Not that likely actually, we only do one in the UK, don't think all schools even do it and it's totally pointless, it pretty much counts for nothing, at my school we were never even given our scores.
 
:rolleyes: the chair of our department is dyslexic, but somehow he managed. I'm sure she can do the same.
 
alfonzarel said:
i also agree that this is a complete load of bullcrap. if you can't take the test, too bad, in my opinion. i'm sure that some people will say, as this chick is claiming "that's discrimination.. yadda yadda." what a load of hooey.
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Well, it's not a load of hooey in that it IS discrimination. And that's OK. This is a perfect example of why we must get rid of the idea that non-discrimination is the highest value, the most important moral principle. Until we do, situations like this will keep occurring and getting worse.
 
Trismegistus4 said:
Well, it's not a load of hooey in that it IS discrimination. And that's OK. This is a perfect example of why we must get rid of the idea that non-discrimination is the highest value, the most important moral principle. Until we do, situations like this will keep occurring and getting worse.
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ok, your point is well taken.

the thing is, i guess i thought of it more as discernment, rather than discrimination - seeing as how discrimination, in this day and age, has such a negative connotation.

i think the girl in question is contending unlawful discrimination, which i DO think is a load of hooey.

the fact that she has a learning disability does not make her stupid. the fact that she thinks that her dyslexia entitles her to have the system bend over backwards to accomodate her is what makes her stupid.

nowadays, so many people shirk personal responsibility and, more importantly, a sense of reality.
 
alfonzarel said:
ok, your point is well taken.

the thing is, i guess i thought of it more as discernment, rather than discrimination - seeing as how discrimination, in this day and age, has such a negative connotation.

i think the girl in question is contending unlawful discrimination, which i DO think is a load of hooey.

the fact that she has a learning disability does not make her stupid. the fact that she thinks that her dyslexia entitles her to have the system bend over backwards to accomodate her is what makes her stupid.

nowadays, so many people shirk personal responsibility and, more importantly, a sense of reality.
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I agree with you, but I think the important lesson to underscore here is that we should have the same exceptions for everyone. Can dyslexia really be distinguished from simply a lower level of general verbal intelligence? Can dyslexia even really be precisely defined? Maybe not, I don't know, but the important thing is that whatever it is, it results in people doing poorly on the test. And if you can't pass the test to become a doc, you don't get to become a doc. It is, or should be, that simple.

If this woman has such difficulty reading and writing, how is she going to read journal articles to keep up with her field? How is she going to write clear notes in charts or write letters and emails to her colleagues?
 
Mr hawkings said:
I hate to hijack the thread but i came across an interesting case at work. There is a new resident in the ER who is deaf. The state pays for an intepretor to go his shifts with him.
I think he would have been better served in a different specialty other than ER. i mean, i dont even know how he would auscultate. i heard that there might be a special electronic sthethescope on the market for people like him.
How common are cases like this especially in a specialty like ER.
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Not common, so much so that I am calling BS. There is no possible way someone could function in emergency medicine w/o full use of their ears.

-you could not auscultate the chest to verify ETI, r/o tPTX etc
-you could not appreciate stridor in children
-you could not hear alarming monitors
-you could not EVER run a code or a trauma, way to much info being conveyed way too fast
-1/3 of EM is spent on the phone, enough said
-is the "state" paying for an interpretor to sleep in his call rooms when he is on MICU?
-is an interpretor staying up all night with him on q3 call?
 
AmoryBlaine said:
Not common, so much so that I am calling BS. There is no possible way someone could function in emergency medicine w/o full use of their ears.

-you could not auscultate the chest to verify ETI, r/o tPTX etc
-you could not appreciate stridor in children
-you could not hear alarming monitors
-you could not EVER run a code or a trauma, way to much info being conveyed way too fast
-1/3 of EM is spent on the phone, enough said
-is the "state" paying for an interpretor to sleep in his call rooms when he is on MICU?
-is an interpretor staying up all night with him on q3 call?
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You just listed all the questions i asked myself when i first saw him.
I dont know how all that is managed, but trust me, hes very real.
 
I'm not sure how I feel about someone who has dyslexia so bad she can't take a test but wants to write prescriptions.

There are other people who manage it but I guess she's SPECIAL.
 
Mr hawkings said:
You just listed all the questions i asked myself when i first saw him.
I dont know how all that is managed, but trust me, hes very real.
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Program?

How is this guy going to get a job? Community EM docs are hired to move patients. Is he going to sign a contract where the hospital agrees to hire him and 4 ASL translators to accomadate him? Is he going to be able to be as productive as his colleagues or is he going to leave a full board/waiting room at every sign out? Unless this dude has found a way to be lightning fast he is quickly goiing to be resented by his colleagues.

Academics might be a little better but once again the question comes up, the cost to the hospital would be like getting 1 doctor for the price of 2 since they are going to have to hire additional staff.
 
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AmoryBlaine said:
Program?

How is this guy going to get a job? Community EM docs are hired to move patients. Is he going to sign a contract where the hospital agrees to hire him and 4 ASL translators to accomadate him? Is he going to be able to be as productive as his colleagues or is he going to leave a full board/waiting room at every sign out? Unless this dude has found a way to be lightning fast he is quickly goiing to be resented by his colleagues.

Academics might be a little better but once again the question comes up, the cost to the hospital would be like getting 1 doctor for the price of 2 since they are going to have to hire additional staff.
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welcome to california. We are not exactly known for making financially sensible decisions.
 
One of my classmates is lysdexic;) and gets extra time for all of her tests. I think it gets the ire of many people in the class, especially since she's the somewhat-socially-inept-gunner-raises-her-hand-all-the-time student. Double whammy.
 
surebreC said:
My personal opinion is that this is a load of BS. Particulary the part about "having difficulty with the precise definition of the meaning of words":rolleyes::rolleyes:
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I suppose that means that she has difficulty with the precise definition of the meaning of words found in Harrisons and Medical dictionaries as well. Not to mention patient charts, progress notes, and everything else.

Time for her to find another line of work.
 
AZhopeful said:
One of my classmates is lysdexic;) and gets extra time for all of her tests. I think it gets the ire of many people in the class, especially since she's the somewhat-socially-inept-gunner-raises-her-hand-all-the-time student. Double whammy.
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I agree that the article posted is ridiculous - asking for a change in the format of the exam is definitely pushing it, especially when the required licensing exams are multiple choice as well.

However, the attitude expressed in the above quote is a disgrace. I know a few dyslexic women in medical school, and they simply need more time to read. That's it. No problem with comprehension, certainly no question of their intelligence, and i'm sure they are quite capable of becoming fantastic physicians as long as they have extra time to read exam questions (which, to their credit, are often convulated and nearly unintelligible to the rest of us anyhow). I sincerely think it would be a shame if people like this were blocked out of medical education, and I think you and your classmates are totally unprofessional for holding this girl's learning disability against her. First of all, her testing situation is none of your business and does not effect any of you, so who cares. Second, dyslexia, in most cases, will not prevent someone from becoming a successful physician (though some fields may be better suited for them than others - medicine happens to be a giant field with room for many kinds of people, don't forget). Third, I give people who have learned to deal with dyslexia a lot of credit - I know one girl who goes home once or twice during the semester to consult with a reading tutor to deal with whatever concerns may arise. Her dedication is admirable.

Are physicians not supposed to demonstrate some degree of empathy and flexible thinking? You and your classmates certainly aren't with that attitude.
 
Meesh83 said:
I sincerely think it would be a shame if people like this were blocked out of medical education, and I think you and your classmates are totally unprofessional for holding this girl's learning disability against her.
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Uh-oh. Somebody pulled the unprofessional card. I've heard my fair share of "you aren't professional because you don't agree with my opinon" comments. That word should be buried forever.
 
Fair enough, but way to miss the point. How about they're just being plain mean and immature.
 
Meesh83 said:
I agree that the article posted is ridiculous - asking for a change in the format of the exam is definitely pushing it, especially when the required licensing exams are multiple choice as well.

However, the attitude expressed in the above quote is a disgrace. I know a few dyslexic women in medical school, and they simply need more time to read. That's it. No problem with comprehension, certainly no question of their intelligence, and i'm sure they are quite capable of becoming fantastic physicians as long as they have extra time to read exam questions (which, to their credit, are often convulated and nearly unintelligible to the rest of us anyhow). I sincerely think it would be a shame if people like this were blocked out of medical education, and I think you and your classmates are totally unprofessional for holding this girl's learning disability against her. First of all, her testing situation is none of your business and does not effect any of you, so who cares. Second, dyslexia, in most cases, will not prevent someone from becoming a successful physician (though some fields may be better suited for them than others - medicine happens to be a giant field with room for many kinds of people, don't forget). Third, I give people who have learned to deal with dyslexia a lot of credit - I know one girl who goes home once or twice during the semester to consult with a reading tutor to deal with whatever concerns may arise. Her dedication is admirable.

Are physicians not supposed to demonstrate some degree of empathy and flexible thinking? You and your classmates certainly aren't with that attitude.
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Pulled the unprofessional card indeed. Come on man, read what I wrote. I did not say I was upset about it- in fact, I don't really care. I relayed the observation that some people don't like it. I haven't said anything about my thoughts of her ability to be a physician(the truth is I think she's one of the smarter, albeit more gunneresque, people in my class). In fact, if you weren't so ready to play up your righteous indignation:sleep:, you might notice that all I said was that she got extra time, and some people don't like it.

In FACT, I think that my story about my classmate builds her up at the expense of the dyslexic student in Britain- my classmate works within the system and takes the allowances she's given without demanding a wholesale change just to suit her better.

Meesh83 said:
Fair enough. How about they're just being plain mean.
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I'm not so sure that I'm just being plain mean, in fact, I think I was just sharing some information salient to the conversation. I do get the inkling, though, that you're just being plain overreactionary and hyperbolic. I don't want to be mean to you, Meesh. Just lay off me. We don't hold anything against my classmate because she is freaking dyslexic. I don't consider her less of a person or less of a student because of it. In fact, I think the British student might learn something from her. Have fun, it's a Friday.:luck:
 
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Meesh83 said:
. First of all, her testing situation is none of your business and does not effect any of you, so who cares. .
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Actually, medical students here ARE directly graded against each other at most schools, and certainly for the USMLE. Because we are all graded against each other, the perception that somebody has an unfair advantage actually IS our business. Can I get you a stool to help you off of your high horse?
 
Just an extension of the typical, "I could be a great doctor, if they didn't rely on these arbitrary _________ (grades, MCAT, USMLE, tests, pimp sessions, oral exams, simulated clinical scenarios, etc)."
 
AmoryBlaine said:
I guarantee you that if this is posted in Pre-Allo >50% of posters will be in support of the plaintiff.

After all, she probably knows she is going to be a great doctor.
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This is the best post I have ever read on this website.
 
alfonzarel said:
i don't know, i have a problem with the state, i.e. the taxpayers, paying for an interpreter for the deaf physician. it just seems like such a waste of resources. this interpreter, besides bieng in the way in the er, probably makes close to the same salary as the resident. taxpayers could pay for TWO non-handicapped er residents for almost the same as this er doc - could very well be a liability in any of a number of situations - and his interpreter.

i think this all goes back to whether or not a person's disability will unfairly cost others if they choose to pursue their dream. if it does, and they still have an attitude of ENTITLEMENT with which they will go after what they want, regardless of the impact on others, then i say it is an issue of selfishness.
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It's called the Americans with Disabilities Act, and if you don't like it feel free to call your congressman.
 
DocPsychosis said:
It's called the Americans with Disabilities Act, and if you don't like it feel free to call your congressman.
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no, no, no. you got it ALL wrong. you might think about actually reading the ADA, and you'll see that the law was not enacted to screw things up, just to make things accessible to disabled folks. there are limits.


here's some Q&A from the ADA website:

Q. Who is a "qualified individual with a disability?"

A. A qualified individual with a disability is a person who meets legitimate skill, experience, education, or other requirements of an employment position that s/he holds or seeks, and who can perform the oeessential functionsî of the position with or without reasonable accommodation. Requiring the ability to perform "essential" functions assures that an individual with a disability will not be considered unqualified simply because of inability to perform marginal or incidental job functions. If the individual is qualified to perform essential job functions except for limitations caused by a disability, the employer must consider whether the individual could perform these functions with a reasonable accommodation. If a written job description has been prepared in advance of advertising or interviewing applicants for a job, this will be considered as evidence, although not conclusive evidence, of the essential functions of the job.

Q. What is "reasonable accommodation?"

A. Reasonable accommodation is any modification or adjustment to a job or the work environment that will enable a qualified applicant or employee with a disability to participate in the application process or to perform essential job functions. Reasonable accommodation also includes adjustments to assure that a qualified individual with a disability has rights and privileges in employment equal to those of employees without disabilities.


Q. Can an employer be required to reallocate an essential function of a job to another employee as a reasonable accommodation?

A. No. An employer is not required to reallocate essential functions of a job as a reasonable accommodation.


Q. Can an employer maintain existing production/performance standards for an employee with a disability?

A. An employer can hold employees with disabilities to the same standards of production/performance as other similarly situated employees without disabilities for performing essential job functions, with or without reasonable accommodation. An employer also can hold employees with disabilities to the same standards of production/performance as other employees regarding marginal functions unless the disability affects the person's ability to perform those marginal functions. If the ability to perform marginal functions is affected by the disability, the employer must provide some type of reasonable accommodation such as job restructuring but may not exclude an individual with a disability who is satisfactorily performing a jobs essential functions.


***Q. Can an employer consider health and safety when deciding whether to hire an applicant or retain an employee with a disability?

A. Yes. The ADA permits employers to establish qualification standards that will exclude individuals who pose a direct threat -- i.e., a significant risk of substantial harm -- to the health or safety of the individual or of others, if that risk cannot be eliminated or reduced below the level of a oedirect threatî by reasonable accommodation. However, an employer may not simply assume that a threat exists; the employer must establish through objective, medically supportable methods that there is significant risk that substantial harm could occur in the workplace. By requiring employers to make individualized judgments based on reliable medical or other objective evidence rather than on generalizations, ignorance, fear, patronizing attitudes, or stereotypes, the ADA recognizes the need to balance the interests of people with disabilities against the legitimate interests of employers in maintaining a safe workplace.

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since, as a previous poster mentioned, this deaf er doc can't run a code, among other things, even with a signer, he is not covered legally under the ada, because an employer can hold employees with disabilities to the same standards of production/performance as other similarly situated employees without disabilities for performing essential job functions. not to mention the safety issues in the emergency dept.

so, whatever hospital hired this er doc who can't hear, didn't do so under the ADA, they just used bad judgement it seems.
 
DocPsychosis said:
It's called the Americans with Disabilities Act, and if you don't like it feel free to call your congressman.
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That's a big no. If someone has no function in their arms, they cannot operate at a job as a baggage handler, and the government will not force the employer to hire the person as a baggage handler.

Would you hire a blind radiologist?
 
TheProwler said:
That's a big no. If someone has no function in their arms, they cannot operate at a job as a baggage handler, and the government will not force the employer to hire the person as a baggage handler.

Would you hire a blind radiologist?
Click to expand...

...might as well. You send a patient to get a mass scanned and the report comes back telling you that there might be a mass but they're not sure, if it is a mass it could be cancer but they're not sure, or that there is a structure there that is characteristic of but not diagnostic of a mass.

What does that even mean?
 
Afer reading this, I'm going to sue the NBA for not letting me play professional basketball.

I should play professional basketball since I am very bright and hardworking.

It's not my fault that I'm not really tall enough, fast enough, or skilled enough to compete in the NBA...they should make special accomodations to help me.
 
DarknightX said:
Afer reading this, I'm going to sue the NBA for not letting me play professional basketball.

I should play professional basketball since I am very bright and hardworking.

It's not my fault that I'm not really tall enough, fast enough, or skilled enough to compete in the NBA...they should make special accomodations to help me.
Click to expand...

It's spelled "accommodations".

Due to the language disability you display, you may be eligible for malpractice immunity for such common prescription errors as "QD" vs. "QOD" vs. "QID", or "ug" vs. "mg", etc. Heck, with a good enough lawyer, you may be eligible for immunity from harming patients, too. Will you need a government-sponsored tutor to spell-check the lawsuit for you, or will MS Office Spellcheck meet your special needs? I admire your bravery.
 
I must say, I actually feel bad for the dyslexic. How terrible would any of you feel if you were judged based solely on your performance? How would any of you feel if you dropped the ball on a test, no matter the circumstances, and your grade actually reflected it? I would be just plain pis*ed.

If a person does well, it is because they deserved it.
If they did poorly, it has to be someone else's fault.
That's all there is to it.
 
I don't really see what the schools problem... If someone doesn't like having a multiple choice test... then just take away the choices...

voila! short answer test!
 
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