Accommodations in Clinical Years for Disabled Students?

[sunny66]

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[Anasazi23]

Most every prelin/internship/PGY-1 year requires lots of time on medicine. Depending on the attending and the type of hospital setting, the rounds can be brutal....often lasting hours standing in hallways or at patient beds. You might be hard pressed to find a place that was sympathetic to your situation and let you carry a stool around. Even if they did "sitting rounds" first, you'd still be standing a lot.

The overnight calls are another issue. I suppose an institution with night float might be better....but it's difficult to say.

The fact that you will only do 1 year of residency (after internship?) helps, but if you're stamina is truly that little...you'll have problems not only in residency, but even in the first two years of medical school. Again, I'm not sure how much luck you're going to have with this sort of disability. Stamina and endurance are essential components of medical education, unfortunately. If your disability was something more physical (wheelchair bound, etc), I actually think you would have much better luck.

I know my med school would not bend over backward to help you...perhaps others might know of students who have been accomodated in their schools.

I wish you success.

 

[Blade28]

Damn, that will be tough. What's going to happen during your Surg and OB/GYN rotations?

Either way, all the best to you. Good luck.

 

[Nightengale]

I'm still a first year, so I can't speak for accomodations in clincical years. I would be happy to share my experiences w/ a disability in medical school thus far and some of the research I've done about the topic (that I wish I'd done before I ended up where I ended up.) I've been spending large portions of this year educating my faculty and administration. Right now, helping improve the situation for the next generation of medical students with disabilities is high on my priority list - there's a lot of good news and encouragement for us out there, but still a long road to travel.

I have a neurological condition that affects my hands and a couple of other chronic illnesses. Fatigue/stamina aren't my main issues although they do enter into it too.

We can either go into it here or it might be easier if you want to Private Message me. It starts getting into "technical standards" and "otherwise qualified" and "reasonable accomodation" and has really nothing to do with "bending over backward."

Let me know if I can be of use to you.

Nightengale

 

[Smurfette]

I know my med school has made accommodations for students who have standing restrictions (mainly for surgery rotations), visual impairment, and paraplegia, amongst other conditions. I think schools must accommodate you according to ADA as long as you have a documented medical need for whatever accommodation you are looking for, and are willing to notify any and all persons involved about said medical condition (i.e. you will have to explain it yourself as your dean's office cannot tell clerkship directors what your medical condition is due to HIPAA laws, but the dean's office can help actually enforce the accommodation).

Hope this helps.

 

[Winged Scapula]

There have been many others before you who have made it through medical school with various disabilities. Schools are required to make accomodations - if that means you only scrub into cases where you can sit, so be it.

But, off the topic...I always thought Prev Med was at least 3+ years (ie, programs are either 2 years, not including an internship year [usually Prelim Med or FP], 3 years, some are combined IM/Prev Med in 4 years, and others require that you complete a full PC residency [ie, 3 years in FP, IM, etc.) before applying to their 2 year program in Prev Med.

While it does sound like those programs that are 2 years in length only consist of 1 clinical year (the first year is dedicated to research, getting your MPh), you will still have general medical training and all its physical requirements before getting into a Prev Med program.

 

[fuzzyerin]

Well, as far as the standing thing goes, I can comment about an intern and good friend of mine, who, while she doesn't have a neurological condition, she's 8 months pregnant and on her MICU rotation, which is long hours and lots of rounding. They've allowed her to round in a chair that's wheeled around (not a wheelchair - a normal chair with wheels) and most of her colleagues are very understanding. I think people are willing to make accomadations when necessary...

 

[beep]

as disabilities go, being able to stand for limited periods of time is actually not too bad. you won't have any problem meeting the technical standards for admission anyplace if that is your main disability. and under the law, schools have to accommodate you if you have a documented disability that qualifies under the law--and you are not obligated to disclose it while applying. that said, i'm sure there is a lot of grey area in terms of actual attitudes towards med students with disabilities.

i use a wheelchair and am applying next year. i hope and expect i'll get in somewhere, although i also expect that i'll have to deal with some predjudice along the way--as well as some people who are excited about my background and perspective.

by the way, you might consider getting yourself a wheelchair once you get to the clinical rotations. using one some of the time doesn't obligate you to not stand when you want or need to... and they can be great tools for conserving energy and getting around quickly.

beep