What is it like being a disabled doctor?
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What is it like being a disabled doctor?
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I would really like to hear from colleagues on doc2doc with a disability. I think that the stories of individuals who train and practice in medicine with a disability are worth hearing, since I
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Re: What is it like being a disabled doctor?
posted at 2/7/2012 10:05 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 317
First: 27/10/2011 Last: 8/5/2013 |
Hi DianaMD - I completely agree. But perhaps some people may put out the argument that there are specific roles and situations that a doctor has to fulfil that certain disabilities may impede, potentially at the cost of a life, limb or organ? Draconian attitudes at medical school (perhaps for the right reason) are that you must show competency or experience in a set portfolio with virtually no concessions. Perhaps this is where the heart of the problem lies? |
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Re: What is it like being a disabled doctor?
posted at 3/7/2012 8:53 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2
First: 3/7/2012 Last: 3/7/2012 |
Hi there im currently an FY2 doc, with an undiagnosed connective tissue disorder thought to come from the spectrum of Ethlors Danlos. I was born with congenital heart disease and as I have grown up, now 27 yrs old, I developed scoliosis, retinal detatchment and a thoracic aortic anerysm. I completed my FY1 year in Aug 2009 and had 4mths of FY2 before going off on sick leave for an elective procedure to repair my aortic valve, root and arch. This surgery did not go to plan and I ended up in ICU for 2mths having developed compartment syndrome of my right leg, and a paralysed vocal cord. Not to mention then suffering from 5 brachial emboli in my left arm despite being on both warfarin and aspirin. As a result I now have to contend with a partial right sided foot drop, scoliosis and the chronic back pain associated with it, excessive tiredness due to elements of heart failure, a soft but husky voice that is difficult to be heard with on a busy ward or down a phoneline, chronic neurological pain in both my left arm and my right foot and a list of medication longer than most of my patients whom I treat with the associated side effects thereof. I was off work for a total of 20months and returned to less than full time training last August. Unfortunately for me I look well, barr the occasional cyanosis and my numerous scars, so colleagues, patients and other healthcare professionals look at me and have no clue of what I have been through. Work is tough, its tiring and taxing not only physically but mentally and emotionally also. I find I have to adapt my clinical practice to suit my needs aswell as the patients and that I have to take care of my own health, for if I am unable to take care of me than how can I take care of my patients. I find my current employers are very considerate and empathetic to my situation and have been helping me to rephase back into the work place. However I find that managment can sometimes not be so, only seeing me as a number and not the reasons why i only work partime. Being a doc with a disability is no mean feat and definately not for the faint hearted, but I am sure that my disabled colleagues out there will be able to confirm this and deal with it as they have had to do the same for their lives outside of work as well as at work. The experience of a disabled doc very much depends on the disability itself, and having lived with a disability one tends to develop a keen sense of resilience and determination to not let anything or anyone hold them back from their goals in life , including those goals within the workplace. This in effect concludes that there are benifits and disadvantages of being a doc with a disability, the level of empathy developed as a result of having a disability is a good thing, yet acheiving a professional level of detachment from patient situations similar to that of your own experience, in order that you maintain the patient as the centre of care needs to be evolved. For example you may have been through a similar or worse clinical experience than that of your patient but you must never utter those words of 'I KNOW HOW YOU FEEL, I WAS THERE MYSELF', as this takes attention off your patient and no longer makes your care patient centred. I myself have worked around this by saying that I have known patients with similar issues and they have described the same problems as you do. This gives the patient confidence in you and still makes them feel that you are thinking of them and how they feel throughout their experiences. I would love to hear from anyone out there who has an experience of disability in the work place. Doc Squance In Response to Re: What is it like being a disabled doctor?: I'm still a medical student but I have Ehlers Danlos and the biggest problem I've had is the medical schools thoughts on the matter. I've had a lot of "oh well, you'll have to be a GP," despite being perfectly capable of working in a hospital (with a little sneaky perching/sitting). I suspect a lot of it is ignorance rather than prejudice but given the profession I didn't really expect it... Its lucky the doctors I've been on placement with have a bit more common sense! Posted by Lottie |
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Re: What is it like being a disabled doctor?
posted at 3/7/2012 9:18 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2
First: 3/7/2012 Last: 3/7/2012 |
Surely this is where the occupational colleagues come into play. Unless you have had a disability you will not have come across them except for any neddle stick injuries sustained at work. I have had disabilities all my life and have had to jump through more hoops and over more fences than most to even get into medical school let alone getting a job at the end of it. At school I needed assisstance for mobility and heavylifting, but I had no problems academically. I then had the dilemma of declaring my disability or not on my application to study medicine at university. Only to find discrimination at this level as I had to undergo interviews with the department in order to be deemed able to study medicine. I then had to declare it on my application for a housemans job at the end of my medical school career and had to meet with trust occupational health teams to be declared fit to practice medicine. It is these people who can help or hinder those with a disability. It has to be said though that doctors with a disability are not stupid and if like me, having a disability from med school, have had to think about their career path long before anyone else. We adapt and come to terms with the limitations that our disability places on us and reason with ourselves as to what speciality best suits our abilities. Instead of focussing on what we cant do we focus on the things that we can and we branch out into approppriate specialities. It is a different ball game those who were not disabled when they trained but become disabled during their chosen career path and have to change to suit those new disabilities. This has an element of dissappointment with it, however not anymore than the disappointment of those facing the dilemma of choosing a career path despite their disability and the prospect of discrimination and a world of people with their own assumptions about you before they even meet you. In Response to Re: What is it like being a disabled doctor?: Hi DianaMD - I completely agree. But perhaps some people may put out the argument that there are specific roles and situations that a doctor has to fulfil that certain disabilities may impede, potentially at the cost of a life, limb or organ? Draconian attitudes at medical school (perhaps for the right reason) are that you must show competency or experience in a set portfolio with virtually no concessions. Perhaps this is where the heart of the problem lies? Posted by hip radiologist |
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Re: What is it like being a disabled doctor?
posted at 5/7/2012 11:34 AM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 25
First: 6/2/2011 Last: 16/5/2013 |
In one sentence "very very distressing!". As someone has already mentioned in this forum, it is better if you have the disability in the early part of your career. I developed a neurological problem when I was 3 years from my CCST. I had even passed my Royal college exit exam. I could not progress (or rather stuckat a level of training) as I could not work independently and out of hours. I was doing well without putting patient's life at risk. I always informed the nearest colleague whenever I was doing something in my specialty. I tried for 3 years to get control over my problem but struggled. All I needed was abit of support from my colleagues and the deanery. Unfortunately, the deanery replied to me saying "You are not value for tax payers money". I suppressed my ego down and accepted being supervised by a Core trainee, only for patient safety concerns. The neurologist and the Occupational Health constantly pestered me to give up my training job and do "something else". The final nail on the coffin was when I was threatened with a "Outcome 4" in last ARCP. I feel I have had enough. The specialty for which I worked for 13 years doesn't value me. It is better to walk off gracefully and being sacked. So, there I am, loooking for a specialty that can reap benefit from my knowledge and skills. Medicine is definitely not a profession for those who are disabled. This is my conclusion. Correct me if I am wrong. I welcome you criticism/suggestion open heartedly. |
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Re: What is it like being a disabled doctor?
posted at 5/7/2012 2:33 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 2
First: 5/7/2012 Last: 12/4/2013 |
I use a wheelchair part-time. I was always told (off the record of course) when applying for F1 that I had to do the job exactly as it was with out any resonable adaptions. If I asked for this or people noticed me then I would find myself without a job. Hence I did my job without asking for help, wasn't under occupational health and didn't see my GP for 2 years. Really suffered as a result physically and though about leaving teh profession. Finally went to see OH who were wonderful, said I wouldn't be fired for not being able to push a notes trolley, had tiny adjustments made and now work is no longer making me as ill.
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Re: What is it like being a disabled doctor?
posted at 6/7/2012 11:00 PM BST
on bmj.com
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Posts: 1
First: 6/7/2012 Last: 6/7/2012 |
Does my disability put my patients at higher risk? "Disability" obviously covers a wide range of conditions. In comparison with other testimonies of fellow doctors in this forum, my own disability may not seem that problematic. However, my disability calls me into question: does my disability reduce the quality of care I provide to my patients? A few months before entering med school, I got my left hand amputated in a road accident. My hand was re-implanted with an excellent result, regarding the severity of the trauma. Nevertheless, I have significant limitations in motricity and sensibility. More than 15 years after my accident, I am a hospitalist in internal medicine willing to work independently. Therefore, I need to practice various kinds of punctures (eg thoracocentesis). Because of my limited hand movements, I keep asking me if I am not putting my patients at higher risk of septic complications... Thanks for sharing if you meet similiar issues... |
