Disabled Doctor?!

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

Okay, I have a disability and I think that is why I held back on going to medical school. Is it possible that I can do it. I really could use some kid gloves comments because I am scared.

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[DoctorSynthesis]

Okay, I have a disability and I think that is why I held back on going to medical school. Is it possible that I can do it. I really could use some kid gloves comments because I am scared.

Depends on the disability. Blind? Probably not. Add? Yes

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

I have ADHD and a physical disability with a touch of a LD.

 

[DoctorSynthesis]

I have ADHD and a physical disability with a touch of a LD.

You're fine

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

Thanks! I have some anxiety when it comes to disabilities.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Thanks! I have some anxiety when it comes to disabilities.

I suggest talking with a learning specialist or counselor in school about it. If you struggled in the past, they can help you with study strategies and if you may need accommodations. However, most with ADHD are able to do school work and course work without accommodations (your case maybe different though since you have a physical disability and LD). Make sure to research potential resources in order to make your transition to medical school a smooth one.

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

Ty I am with the office of disabilities and I did get evaluated and I needed minimal amount of help so that is good.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Ty I am with the office of disabilities and I did get evaluated and I needed minimal amount of help so that is good.

Excellent to hear. I wish you well!

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

Thanks!!! You too!!

 

[coolingglasses]

I have ADHD and a physical disability with a touch of a LD.

Probably more common in med school than you might expect.

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

Awesome Sauce

 

[costales]

Be aware that, unlike in undergrad school, it's practically impossible for ADHD students to get special accommodations on med school exams and boards. But med school is doable, and many have done it.

 

[Mad Jack]

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/r...-to-be-doctor-comes-true/stories/201305190253

All I've got to say about that.

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

I can't say anything is impossible because then people would think negatively about everything that seems to be difficult to the eye.

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

http://www.post-gazette.com/local/r...-to-be-doctor-comes-true/stories/201305190253

All I've got to say about that.

So inspirational!! I started to tear up. Thank you so much! I bookmarked that story.

 

[EvolutionaryRevolutionary]

Thanks for sharing.

 

[IslandStyle808]

Be aware that, unlike in undergrad school, it's practically impossible for ADHD students to get special accommodations on med school exams and boards. But med school is doable, and many have done it.

The difficult part is not getting accommodations for medical school exams, but getting them for the boards. I have a friend with ADHD at an MD school and he gets extra time for his medical school exams, but found it impossible to get it for his boards.

 

[AlbinoHawk DO]

Most reputable schools have resources for disabled students. As long as you can achieve a good GPA/MCAT, I think most schools will take your candidacy seriously. Doctors that relate to patients are essential.

 

[trev5150]

The partner of a doc I worked for many years ago was in a wheelchair. He was IM/FP and the chair never slowed him down even a little bit.

 

[IslandStyle808]

The ADA & Department of Justice have issued a revised statement. Quotes seen below are from ADA.gov September 8, 2015.
If you are denied test accommodations by MCAT for any disability (i.e. ADHD, dyslexia, blind, diabetic, etc.), make a complaint to:

The Department of Justice: http://www.ada.gov/filing_complaint.htm



Know the laws per ADA. Reposted 9/8/2015 by ADA as a notice to all testing entities must comply: http://www.ada.gov/regs2014/testing_accommodations.html


"Standardized examinations and other high-stakes tests are gateways to educational and employment opportunities. Whether seeking admission to a high school, college, or graduate program, or attempting to obtain a professional license or certification for a trade, it is difficult to achieve such goals without sitting for some kind of standardized exam or high-stakes test. While many testing entities have made efforts to ensure equal opportunity for individuals with disabilities, the Department continues to receive questions and complaints relating to excessive and burdensome documentation demands, failures to provide needed testing accommodations, and failures to respond to requests for testing accommodations in a timely manner."


"Exams administered by any private, state, or local government entity related to applications, licensing, certification, or credentialing for secondary or postsecondary education, professional, or trade purposes are covered by the ADA and testing accommodations, pursuant to the ADA, must be provided.1
Examples of covered exams include:

• High school equivalency exams (such as the GED);
• High school entrance exams (such as the SSAT or ISEE);
• College entrance exams (such as the SAT or ACT);
• Exams for admission to professional schools (such as the LSAT or MCAT);
• Admissions exams for graduate schools (such as the GRE or GMAT); and
• Licensing exams for trade purposes (such as cosmetology) or professional purposes (such as bar exams or medical licensing exams, including clinical assessments)."

"...a testing entity should generally limit its request for documentation to those one or two items and should generally evaluate the testing accommodation request based on those limited documents without requiring further documentation.

• Past Testing Accommodations. Proof of past testing accommodations in similar test settings is generally sufficient to support a request for the same testing accommodations for a current standardized exam or other high-stakes test.
  • Past Testing Accommodations on Similar Standardized Exams or High-Stakes Tests. If a candidate requests the same testing accommodations he or she previously received on a similar standardized exam or high-stakes test, provides proof of having received the previous testing accommodations, and certifies his or her current need for the testing accommodations due to disability, then a testing entity should generally grant the same testing accommodations for the current standardized exam or high-stakes test without requesting further documentation from the candidate. So, for example, a person with a disability who receives a testing accommodation to sit for the SAT should generally get the same testing accommodation to take the GRE, LSAC, or MCAT. "

Further information:
Model Testing Accommodation Practices Resulting From Recent Litigation: http://www.ada.gov/lsac_best_practices_report.docx


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From U.S. Dept. of Justice, Civil Rights Division. Following currently applies to Law School Admissions Test, but likely has application to other admission tests (MCAT, GRE, etc.) and may have implications for other professional tests (Bar exams, Step exams, etc.)

Law School Admission Council to Implement Sweeping Changes to Testing Accommodation Procedures For Test-Takers with Disabilities

08/31/2015

On August 7, 2015, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California upheld significant changes to LSAC's testing accommodation policies and practices. The court's decision upheld almost all the changes to LSAC's testing accommodation procedures recommended in a report by a panel of experts created pursuant to a 2014 consent decree that resolved allegations under the Americans with Disabilities Act in Dept. of Fair Employment & Housing (DFEH) v. Law School Admission Council, Inc. (LSAC), Case No. 12-1830--EMC (N. D. Cal). The District Court invalidated a limited portion of the recommendations (generally regarding timing for evaluating testing accommodation requests and how recent documentation in support of a request for testing accommodations based on mental or cognitive impairment must be) but upheld the bulk of the recommendations as written, including those that: categorize the type of documentation that will be sufficient for various types of testing accommodations requests, establish criteria for evaluating requests, require an automatic review by outside professionals before any request may be denied, and create an appeals process for those candidates whose testing accommodation requests are ultimately denied. LSAC will implement the upheld recommendations starting immediately for testing accommodation requests related to the December 2015 LSAT administration and later administrations.

For more information about the Court's decision in DFEH v. LSAC or the ADA, please visit our ADA website at http://www.ada.gov/ or you may also call the Justice Department's toll-free ADA Information Line at 800-514-0301 or 800-514-0383 (TDD).

Right, but we all have to remember that this is mainly at the undergrad level (LSAT, MCAT, GRE etc.) where is there a large enough population of people with disabilities have a voice. Thus makes it easier to have accommodations, there are enough lawsuits to ensure this. Once you get to the USMLE and Bar exams, you will start seeing less people with disabilities, thus having less of a voice (in fact even being stigmatized). There have been multiple lawsuits, but they are more difficult to win at this level (I suggest reading more about these). However, as a result not much as been achieved. I hope this new statute changes things, but I would have to see the result in order to believe it.

EDIT MADE

 

[IslandStyle808]

Not true.
Go here and read: http://www.ada.gov/regs2014/testing_accommodations.html

"Licensing exams for trade purposes (such as cosmetology) or professional purposes (such as bar exams or medical licensing exams, including clinical assessments)."

In the past, definitely true. It is more difficult to get accommodations at the professional level than undergraduate.

A link to several court cases.
http://counsel.cua.edu/fedlaw/adacases.cfm
.
A few people have come onto these forums stating being denied accommodations at the medical school such as the USMLE (but had them at undergrad, ex. MCAT). Hopefully things changes (especially with this new law), but I don't think this statue will changing thing very quickly.

 

[Seth Joo]

Okay, I have a disability and I think that is why I held back on going to medical school. Is it possible that I can do it. I really could use some kid gloves comments because I am scared.

I remember one medical school rejected a student because he had dwarfism, and the adcom member flat out said to the student's face he could not be a doctor because of that condition. That was a long time ago. I believe if you got a disability you should disclose it to the school so they can give you an accommodation, otherwise they will assume you are the same as everybody else.

 

[GiveMeThatMD]

You're fine

True this. Like half the kids at my school had ADD...

 

[IslandStyle808]

I remember one medical school rejected a student because he had dwarfism, and the adcom member flat out said to the student's face he could not be a doctor because of that condition. That was a long time ago. I believe if you got a disability you should disclose it to the school so they can give you an accommodation, otherwise they will assume you are the same as everybody else.

Usually better to disclose after the acceptance than before, if possible.

 

[IslandStyle808]

True this. Like half the kids at my school had ADD...

I know one MD professor at my state school. She had a strong form of ADD, but didn't stop her from getting AOA. ADD doesn't affect test comprehension as much as other disabilities, so one is definitely fine if taking medication.

 

[Seth Joo]

Usually better to disclose after the acceptance than before, if possible.

You cannot hide dwarfism and physical disabilities, things like mental disabilities are harder to detect assuming the person is getting treatment and the treatment is working, people can suspect a person has something though after observing them for an extended period of time.

 

[IslandStyle808]

You cannot hide dwarfism and physical disabilities, things like mental disabilities are harder to detect assuming the person is getting treatment and the treatment is working, people can suspect a person has something though after observing them for an extended period of time.

Correct, hence "if possible." From the student's point of view, you can't tell how an interviewer is going to react to a physical or learning disability. This is why you should downplay it as much as you can. Once your in medical school, you are an investment. They will do what they can to help you succeed. So disclosure is not that much of an issue at this point.

 

[Seth Joo]

Correct, hence "if possible." From the student's point of view, you can't tell how an interviewer is going to react to a physical or learning disability. This is why you should downplay it as much as you can. Once your in medical school, you are an investment. They will do what they can to help you succeed. So disclosure is not that much of an issue at this point.

More like once you are a student, if the school uses a disability or even a perceived disability(you do not have a disability but the school believes you have one) as a basis to take any kind of action against you that could get them in a lot of trouble.

 

[IslandStyle808]

More like once you are a student, if the school uses a disability or even a perceived disability(you do not have a disability but the school believes you have one) as a basis to take any kind of action against you that could get them in a lot of trouble.

Also true. However, they get money from students tuition and in the case of public schools they get money for every seat they fill by the government. If the student can't continue, they loss any future revenue. This is a large motivator to keep any student from failing.

 

[Seth Joo]

Also true. However, they get money from students tuition and in the case of public schools they get money for every seat they fill by the government. If the student can't continue, they loss any future revenue. This is a large motivator to keep any student from failing.

It all depends on a number of factors, sometimes a student is not meeting academic standards, failing grades, and they point to their disability as a cause. It is a thorny issue.

 

[IslandStyle808]

It all depends on a number of factors, sometimes a student is not meeting academic standards, failing grades, and they point to their disability as a cause. It is a thorny issue.

Every time I see one of those stories on SDN of a person failing out with a discovered disability. More than 80% of the time it was some last ditch effort to keep themselves in school. It doesn't mean the disability's fake, but they are using it as an excuse for not taking action when the problems first started. They should have been more proactive about finding out when they were not doing so well on their first few exams.

Even if one had a know disability from the get go, the school has a standard to meet. If the student cannot measure up to that standard even with accommodations and various other resources, then the school will need to let the student go just like any other student. They are all investments of the future disability or not. You are correct though, it is still a thorny issue none the less.

 

[Seth Joo]

Every time I see one of those stories on SDN of a person failing out with a discovered disability. More than 80% of the time it was some last ditch effort to keep themselves in school. It doesn't mean the disability's fake, but they are using it as an excuse for not taking action when the problems first started. They should have been more proactive about finding out when they were not doing so well on their first few exams.

Even if one had a know disability from the get go, the school has a standard to meet. If the student cannot measure up to that standard even with accommodations and various other resources, then the school will need to let the student go just like any other student. They are all investments of the future disability or not. You are correct though, it is still a thorny issue none the less.

ADHD is a treatable condition, if these students are failing, maybe they should get help immediately rather than waiting to fail, and then complain to their school that they have a learning problem.

People with actual physical disabilities are in a much bigger bind because nothing can be done to turn their lives around in most cases, if you are paralyzed, have dwarfism, those conditions are permanent. If you have ADHD or another mental issue that is blocking your success as a student, those things can be rectified with proper medical treatment in most cases.

 

[IslandStyle808]

ADHD is a treatable condition, if these students are failing, maybe they should get help immediately rather than waiting to fail, and then complain to their school that they have a learning problem.

People with actual physical disabilities are in a much bigger bind because nothing can be done to turn their lives around in most cases, if you are paralyzed, have dwarfism, those conditions are permanent. If you have ADHD or another mental issue that is blocking your success as a student, those things can be rectified with proper medical treatment in most cases.

That is the big difference between ADHD and other disabilities. ADHD is one of the more manageable ones. The others will need some form of accommodations. It is tough to say whether those accommodations are enough, it depends on the person.

 

[Seth Joo]

That is the big difference between ADHD and other disabilities. ADHD is one of the more manageable ones. The others will need some form of accommodations. It is tough to say whether those accommodations are enough, it depends on the person.

ADHD is also easily diagnosed, often over diagnosed.

 

[IslandStyle808]

ADHD is also easily diagnosed, often over diagnosed.

It is because doctors only look at the symptoms and what the patient tells them. If they did the rigorous testing that psychologists do, it wouldn't be over diagnosed.

 

[Seth Joo]

It is because doctors only look at the symptoms and what the patient tells them. If they did the rigorous testing that psychologists do, it wouldn't be over diagnosed.

You would be surprised how over diagnosed ADHD is for so many young people, that is why its a poor justification for a student failing out of a school. Often its laziness or just a lack of focus on the part of the student. I have seen many of my classmates waste their time on Facebook, playing games, doing other things to waste their time rather than study.

 

[Gandyy]

You would be surprised how over diagnosed ADHD is for so many young people, that is why its a poor justification for a student failing out of a school. Often its laziness or just a lack of focus on the part of the student. I have seen many of my classmates waste their time on Facebook, playing games, doing other things to waste their time rather than study.

Exactly. ADHD is just an excuse for so many young people that are just too lazy and blame "ADHD." There are few cases where a student "actually" has ADHD. People forget that having a poor attention span not always =/ ADHD.

 

[Seth Joo]

Exactly. ADHD is just an excuse for so many young people that are just too lazy and blame "ADHD." There are few cases where a student "actually" has ADHD. People forget that having a poor attention span not always =/ ADHD.

Don't get me wrong, there are some cases where a student genuinely has the condition, but it is over diagnosed, many parents take their kids to the doctor to get them diagnosed as having ADHD to get them on medications so they can perform better in school, you would be surprised how many young people out there are on such medications.

Other issues like Psychiatric issues are also serious matters, but schools have acted punitively towards students with such problems rather than be supportive of students with these issues. Its better that students not disclose such issues with their school and just seek out treatment to avoid the school suspecting that they have such a condition.

 

[Gandyy]

Don't get me wrong, there are some cases where a student genuinely has the condition, but it is over diagnosed, many parents take their kids to the doctor to get them diagnosed as having ADHD to get them on medications so they can perform better in school, you would be surprised how many young people out there are on such medications.

Other issues like Psychiatric issues are also serious matters, but schools have acted punitively towards students with such problems rather than be supportive of students with these issues. Its better that students not disclose such issues with their school and just seek out treatment to avoid the school suspecting that they have such a condition.

This is my problem with the "ADHD epidemic". Instead of instilling values of focus and hardwork, parents just help their children fulfill a self-fulfilling prophecy of "I cant focus or am too stupid so I need ADHD medication".

There is a MD doctor that I shadowed many years ago who said "I dont believe in ADHD." He gave his patient's placebo pills when he was suspicious, and lo and behold the parent's reported that their children's academic performance skyrocketed.

lol

 

[Seth Joo]

This is my problem with the "ADHD epidemic". Instead of instilling values of focus and hardwork, parents just help their children fulfill a self-fulfilling prophecy of "I cant focus or am too stupid so I need ADHD medication".

There is a MD doctor that I shadowed many years ago who said "I dont believe in ADHD." He gave his patient's placebo pills when he was suspicious, and lo and behold the parent's reported that their children's academic performance skyrocketed.

lol

I would say there are occasions where a student genuinely as a learning disability and there are occasions where there other issues getting in the way of a student's progress.

More often schools are more likely to mistreat and discriminate against students with Psychiatric problems than anything else.

 

[Gandyy]

I would say there are occasions where a student genuinely as a learning disability and there are occasions where there other issues getting in the way of a student's progress.

More often schools are more likely to mistreat and discriminate students with Psychiatric problems than anything else.

sigh...................

 

[Seth Joo]

sigh...................

The moral of the story is that you do not want to share too much personal info with your school. They are not about working for your best interests, they are there for their best interests. Despite most schools being non profit organizations, these schools are making money, maybe their professors are not raking in cash, but their administrators definitely are making big salaries.

Don't ask, don't tell. If you have some kind of problem that is hindering your success, get it treated, don't let it get out of hand, and move on and forward.

 

[Gandyy]

The moral of the story is that you do not want to share too much personal info with your school. They are not about working for your best interests, they are their for their best interests.

Don't ask, don't tell.

This is completely irrelevant but, are you hyped about Superman Vs. Batman?

 

[Seth Joo]

This is completely irrelevant but, are you hyped about Superman Vs. Batman?

Can't wait for 2016. Also Captain America Civil War, next year got the best movies. People who saw the early cut of the movie say Affleck is better than Bale as Batman, so good he got a contract for three movies. Apparently they are re-editing the movie so Batman gets more screen time than Superman.

 

[Gandyy]

Can't wait for 2016. Also Captain America Civil War, next year got the best movies. People who saw the early cut of the movie say Affleck is better than Bale as Batman, so good he got a contract for three movies. Apparently they are re-editing the movie so Batman gets more screen time than Superman.

First off I want to say I am a huge fan of superhero movies. However, I am not so sure about Affleck as Batman. And Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor? What?

I dont know man... Christian Bale was an amazing Batman. The best one I've seen yet out of all the batman movies.

Also Captain America: Winter Soldier was extremely good as sequels are usually bad, but it was even better than the 1st movie.

 

[Seth Joo]

First off I want to say I am a huge fan of superhero movies. However, I am not so sure about Affleck as Batman. And Jesse Eisenberg as Lex Luthor? What?

I dont know man... Christian Bale was an amazing Batman. The best one I've seen yet out of all the batman movies.

Also Captain America: Winter Soldier was extremely good as sequels are usually bad, but it was even better than the 1st movie.

The executives at Warner Brothers were really impressed with Affleck as Batman, so much they asked Zach Snyder to re-edit the film to put more screen time for Batman over Superman in the movie, also Affleck is going to star in a brand new Batman film trilogy. So far there are no plans for another Man of Steel sequel, and Snyder is not planning to direct it if the studio says yes. His portrayal is not as dark as Bale's and its more like the Frank Miller comic book, so I am excited to see the new movie.

 

[Gandyy]

The executives at Warner Brothers were really impressed with Affleck as Batman, so much they asked Zach Snyder to re-edit the film to put more screen time for Batman over Superman in the movie, also Affleck is going to star in a brand new Batman film trilogy. So far there are no plans for another Man of Steel sequel, and Snyder is not planning to direct it if the studio says yes. His portrayal is not as dark as Bale's and its more like the Frank Miller comic book, so I am excited to see the new movie.

Wait.. what new Batman Trilogy?!!

 

[Seth Joo]

Wait.. what new Batman Trilogy?!!

Yes a new Batman Trilogy is coming, the first movie in 2018, with Affleck as an older Batman, this one is based on Frank Miller's Batman. Its a lot more comic book like than any other Batman movie to date. The Nolan movies were good but too realistic.

X-men Apocalypse is going to suck, I saw an image of Apocalypse, he looks nothing like the comic book, with all the special effects they should have used CGI to make him look like what did in the comics, that is why I do not like most Marvel movies.

 

[Gandyy]

Yes a new Batman Trilogy is coming, the first movie in 2018, with Affleck as an older Batman, this one is based on Frank Miller's Batman. Its a lot more comic book like than any other Batman movie to date. The Nolan movies were good but too realistic.

X-men Apocalypse is going to suck, I saw an image of Apocalypse, he looks nothing like the comic book, with all the special effects they should have used CGI to make him look like what did in the comics, that is why I do not like most Marvel movies.

Wow. Well that will be something to look forward to.

See I still like the Marvel movies too. Although I absolutely hate it when people think Avengers is better than Nolan's batman series.

The amount of thought and depth put into the batman trilogy >>>> Avengers.

Still Avengers is great.

 

[Seth Joo]

Wow. Well that will be something to look forward to.

See I still like the Marvel movies too. Although I absolutely hate it when people think Avengers is better than Nolan's batman series.

The amount of thought and depth put into the batman trilogy >>>> Avengers.

Still Avengers is great.

The problem with Marvel movies is they let the directors alter the material to their liking, the DC movies the character origins and stories and appearances are not altered much at all.

Spiderman is the only exception.

2015 has been a disappointing year as far as movies has been concerned, Age of Ultron was boring. Fantastic 4 was dead on arrival. Nothing came out that really captured my eye, next year's films look a lot more promising.