High School A&P teacher - what accommodations should be in my classroom?

[kataleiss]

I teach Anatomy & Physiology to High School seniors interested in the health field. I try to push them hard and prepare them mentally for the competition of getting into med school, like the importance of getting good grades from the very start of college. Now I have a special ed student in my class that wants to be an anesthesiologist. This student's accommodations currently include things like extended time on tests, reduce written work, reduce homework, spelling doesn't count. I am worried these accommodations will not prepare the student for college, much less med school.
What kind of accommodations can a student get in med school?
What accommodations in high school would be contraindicated for a student wanting to be an anesthesiologist?

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[Law2Doc]

I teach Anatomy & Physiology to High School seniors interested in the health field. I try to push them hard and prepare them mentally for the competition of getting into med school, like the importance of getting good grades from the very start of college. Now I have a special ed student in my class that wants to be an anesthesiologist. This student's accommodations currently include things like extended time on tests, reduce written work, reduce homework, spelling doesn't count. I am worried these accommodations will not prepare the student for college, much less med school.
What kind of accommodations can a student get in med school?
What accommodations in high school would be contraindicated for a student wanting to be an anesthesiologist?

You might be able to get longer time on some of the standardized tests, but other than that the accommodations in med school will be pretty limited. I wouldn't expect less workload or much forgiveness for spelling/grammar. it's not your place to kill this students dreams but rest assured that med schools won't bend over backwards for people who are far off the mark.

 

[deleted480308]

A lot of those won't exist in medical school...and shouldn't. Just follow the law for your level of educational setting and don't worry about the rest

 

[Goro]

Extra time on tests; non-distracting exam rooms. Special monitors or software for the visually impaired. Accommodations as needed for the hearing impaired.

That's it.

Spelling doesn't count? Misspell something on a chart and you kill a patient.

No homework? We have much in the way of homework, but we do have projects ever now and then for students, like case presentations. Students are expected to give these and there's no way getting out of it.

Not everyone can be a doctor, alas.

What kind of accommodations can a student get in med school?
What accommodations in high school would be contraindicated for a student wanting to be an anesthesiologist?

 

[hmockingbird]

A lot of those won't exist in medical school...and shouldn't. Just follow the law for your level of educational setting and don't worry about the rest

Agree with this. Some of these accommodations would not be possible in medical school, particularly a reduced workload. Everyone needs to perform to a certain standard and follow the same schedule, it's just not possible to do a "slow plan". (Spelling - IDK, most charting is computer-based now, so depending on the student's level, if they could self-correct with spellcheck that might not be as big of a problem.)

However, high school IEPs are a separate issue and while I think the idea of doing intensive college prep is great for a class of students really interested in medicine, it's not really your place to challenge an IEP. If there's no reason the student can't be in the class than I think you need to follow their IEP. (And yes, these accommodations might not be attainable in medical school, but this is still high school - you need to follow THOSE laws.) However, you could consider talking to the student's guidance counselor about whether they've discussed career and college planning with this student. I do think you have a valid concern and realism at the high school/college stage can be helpful towards getting a kid on track to a career that will be attainable for them. The guidance counselor would probably either know what their future plans are, or have ideas for how to politely approach the topic with parents. Maybe in class, to this end, you could also expand your career focus to other healthcare careers, even jobs like CNAs and techs (many of whom do need to have a basic understanding of anatomy, such as radiology techs) so that you could help provide options to this student, without singling them out - and also provide options to kids who may not have heard of any medical careers besides being a doctor?

 

[deleted480308]

^I didn't see reduced course load in there...did I miss something?

 

[deleted480308]

It would be almost impossible to list all accommodations available. Accommodations, in general, are formulated between you, the disability services office on campus, the medical professional who makes the diagnosis, etc. Reduced course load is an accommodation recognized by the U.S. department of education and financial aid. Your school's disability services office can advocate & assist you in attaining the accommodations that you need to be successful.

I was pointing out that there is a reason that reduced course load is not mentioned. It doesn't exist in medicine.

 

[Goro]

Reduced course load might be possible at a medical school with the old Flexner style curriculum, but with modern, integrated, vertically aligned curricula (like at UCSF), it's impossible.

What are people going to do, take all the basic sciences one year, and then all the clinical skills in the next, and alternate so that by year four they then take USMLE? That's a recipe for failure!

If the Admissions committee feels that the candidate can't handle medical school, the candidate doesn't get into medical school. There is no right to be a doctor.

It would be almost impossible to list all accommodations available. Accommodations, in general, are formulated between you, the disability services office on campus, the medical professional who makes the diagnosis, etc. Reduced course load is an accommodation recognized by the U.S. department of education and financial aid. Your school's disability services office can advocate & assist you in attaining the accommodations that you need to be successful.

 

[moerdoen]

Just follow the law for your level of educational setting and don't worry about the rest