Medical Will my learning disabilities cause me to fail clinical rotations?

[Goro]

I was diagnosed with dyspraxia around a decade ago. This means that I struggle intensely with motor tasks, especially ones that are somewhat complex or consist of multiple steps. This has served as an obstacle for me when it comes to a lot of simple life tasks, such as cooking, driving, folding laundry, etc. I could never learn how to dance or how to play sports or an instrument. I type on a keyboard using two fingers (like a granny who just discovered what computers are), I hold writing utensils incorrectly, and I never figured out how to ride a bike.

I’m a second-year in osteopathic med school, and I struggle a lot with hands-on and procedural skills. I consistently botch anatomy dissections, OMM techniques, physical exams, suturing, etc. I’ve been performing poorly in a lot of these sorts of activities, but so far, I’ve somehow been scraping by. I talked to the academic advisors, and they said that there isn’t really anything they can offer me as far as accommodations go.

Is it possible for somebody like me to survive two months of surgical rotations during third year, or should I just quit while I’m ahead? I would love to achieve my dream of becoming a family medicine doctor, and I enjoy interacting with patients and formulating diagnoses and treatment plans... but I’m worried that I’m not going to meet basic technical standards and that I will endanger people’s lives through my extreme clumsiness and weak spatial skills.

Frankly, I'm amazed that you were accepted given your disabilities. Yet, you're still passing.

Have you talked to your clinical faculty about how to handle rotations?

I am worried that your school is setting you up to fail. They accepted you and now it's their job to give you the best accommodation in order to get you to graduation (Out of curiosity, are you at a new DO school? I ask because these schools are less likely to have the resources to accomodate students with needs, plus they're more desperate to take warm bodies.)

I can't play any sort of musical instrument, and can't dance to save my life either.

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[TheBoneDoctah]

You aren't going to fail out if you can't suture. There are plenty of medical students (even 4th years and residents) that can't suture well. You don't NEED to suture once you get out into practice. Just get through your rotations.

 

[Mr.Smile12]

As long as you were aware if the technical standards when you matriculated and have sought help or advice from your learning services office, you should find out what you can do in those rotations. Let them know early.