What to do when you believe program is discriminating because of an underlying medical illness

[deleted480308]

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You do more harm in posting about crap you don't understand than you would if you just didn't say anything at all. Most people learned this in elementary school. Please catch up.

I understand it just fine, thank you for sharing your opinion

 

[Mass Effect]

I understand it just fine, thank you for sharing your opinion

Clearly, you don't. Are you even in residency? I'm going to guess no.

 

[notdeadyet]

In fairness, accommodations are a tricky subject in the best circumstances. In the unusual setting of a residency program, a colleague's accommodations are often made by increasing the workload directly to non-accommodated residents.

I personally don't view this as a problem and shouldered extra load to assist a colleague in need. Whether it's due to a disability or maternity leave, any accommodations will likely increase the call burden of co-residents. I was in a great program with a tight knit class and was proud to pitch in the extra time to help a friend. But in other environments, it will understandably increase stress on already burned out residents.

Again, I fully support accommodations. But let's acknowledge this is too challenging a situation to try to shut down folks who simply don't share your view of it...


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[deleted480308]

In fairness, accommodations are a tricky subject in the best circumstances. In the unusual setting of a residency program, a colleague's accommodations are often made by increasing the workload directly to non-accommodated residents.

I personally don't view this as a problem and shouldered extra load to assist a colleague in need. Whether it's due to a disability or maternity leave, any accommodations will likely increase the call burden of co-residents. I was in a great program with a tight knit class and was proud to pitch in the extra time to help a friend. But in other environments, it will understandably increase stress on already burned out residents.

Again, I fully support accommodations. But let's acknowledge this is too challenging a situation to try to shut down folks who simply don't share your view of it...


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and I'd be on board for a team mate short term....get injured or pregnant and need to lighten your load for a few weeks/months. Cool. I'm in.

You come in month 5 of a 4 year residency and tell me you don't pull call anymore so now I'm pulling extra for years? I'm significantly less cool.

 

[Mass Effect]

In fairness, accommodations are a tricky subject in the best circumstances. In the unusual setting of a residency program, a colleague's accommodations are often made by increasing the workload directly to non-accommodated residents.

I personally don't view this as a problem and shouldered extra load to assist a colleague in need. Whether it's due to a disability or maternity leave, any accommodations will likely increase the call burden of co-residents. I was in a great program with a tight knit class and was proud to pitch in the extra time to help a friend. But in other environments, it will understandably increase stress on already burned out residents.

Again, I fully support accommodations. But let's acknowledge this is too challenging a situation to try to shut down folks who simply don't share your view of it...

Your logic and conclusion is flawed. No one said this poster can't take any call. The poster said he/she can't take 24-hour call. So what you do is split the call into 12-hour shifts. If everyone else works 10 shifts 24 hours in length, then this poster works 20 shifts that are 12 hours in length. Or if everyone works q6 days on 24-hour call, this poster works q3 days 12-hour calls. It's not ideal, but for a medical accommodation, it needs to be done. And I will continue to shut down folks like the poster I was replying to who is a medical student and knows nothing about residency and how things actually work. He shouldn't be mouthing off about the original poster not being able to do the job because he/she can't work a 24-hour day.

 

[5words]

Your logic and conclusion is flawed. No one said this poster can't take any call. The poster said he/she can't take 24-hour call. So what you do is split the call into 12-hour shifts. If everyone else works 10 shifts 24 hours in length, then this poster works 20 shifts that are 12 hours in length. Or if everyone works q6 days on 24-hour call, this poster works q3 days 12-hour calls. It's not ideal, but for a medical accommodation, it needs to be done. And I will continue to shut down folks like the poster I was replying to who is a medical student and knows nothing about residency and how things actually work. He shouldn't be mouthing off about the original poster not being able to do the job because he/she can't work a 24-hour day.

but they dont have to dude. This is the real world! Someone else is gunning hard for her spot.

 

[Mass Effect]

but they dont have to dude. This is the real world! Someone else is gunning hard for her spot.

Uh, that someone else needs to gun even harder to match into his own program because this poster already matched and getting rid of her for this reason (or any other "convenient" reason made up to cover up for this one) is illegal. Let's talk again about the real world...

 

[5words]

Uh, that someone else needs to gun even harder to match into his own program because this poster already matched and getting rid of her for this reason (or any other "convenient" reason made up to cover up for this one) is illegal. Let's talk again about the real world...

You are being very very one sided! Try to be more objective...

Edit: But then again, you are the resident here, so eh...

 

[deleted480308]

Uh, that someone else needs to gun even harder to match into his own program because this poster already matched and getting rid of her for this reason (or any other "convenient" reason made up to cover up for this one) is illegal. Let's talk again about the real world...

I think I see the confusion. It seems you believe I've been trying to explain current employment law. I've been describing how things should be (in my opinion).

I 100% agree with you that a program can't legally look for a nonsense reason to fire someone with a legally defined "reasonable " accommodation. I also agree with you that there is a chance they try to find a defendable reason so OP would need to be rock solid on everything. No tardies, no arguments with staff, notes are solod etc...

We actually agree on current legal reality

 

[Mass Effect]

You are being very very one sided! Try to be more objective...

Edit: But then again, you are the resident here, so eh...

I am being objective. I know how residency works. In my program, anyone who can't or doesn't want to work 24 hour shifts will work double the amount of 12-hour shifts. It's not the end of the world.

I think I see the confusion. It seems you believe I've been trying to explain current employment law. I've been describing how things should be (in my opinion).

How things should be from the perspective of a medical student who likely has never had to confront these types of issues. It's not all black and white in the real world. There are tons of shades of gray and people cope with them just fine.

 

[675015]

out of curiousity, what are examples of medical illnesses where a 24 hour shift would be contraindicated? I know my program made accommodations for someone with bipolar who had a history of mania following long periods of no sleep (they pulled their weight though).

I can think of plenty of situations where it would be inconvenient or not ideal, but not a ton where you absolutely couldn't work long shifts.

 

[deleted480308]

How things should be from the perspective of a medical student who likely has never had to confront these types of issues. It's not all black and white in the real world. There are tons of shades of gray and people cope with them just fine.

I've run multiple businesses and am quite familiar with needing to make arrangements for light duty hours and things of that nature.

We can simply disagree on the "should", we agree on what currently is

 

[michaelrack]

out of curiousity, what are examples of medical illnesses where a 24 hour shift would be contraindicated? I know my program made accommodations for someone with bipolar who had a history of mania following long periods of no sleep (they pulled their weight though).
.

24 hour shifts MAY be contraindicated in certain cases of narcolepsy, other sleep disorders, some seizure disorders

 

[Mass Effect]

out of curiousity, what are examples of medical illnesses where a 24 hour shift would be contraindicated? I know my program made accommodations for someone with bipolar who had a history of mania following long periods of no sleep (they pulled their weight though).

I can think of plenty of situations where it would be inconvenient or not ideal, but not a ton where you absolutely couldn't work long shifts.

Epilepsy and seizure disorders are the most serious. Lack of sleep puts you at increased risk of seizure. Not exactly safe to have your on-call doc seizing in the call room at 2 a.m. But this also doesn't mean he/she isn't every bit as qualified to be a resident.

Non-life-threatening illnesses would be something like debilitating migraines.

There are also a number of illnesses, like MS, that are exacerbated by sleep deprivation.

@sb247 you are totally out of your depth talking about residency and how it works, not to mention the fact that you seem extremely ignorant and inflexible about the real world.