Medical school and disability

Definitions & Key takeaways

Medical school is extremely challenging, and it's common for students to feel overwhelmed and stressed out. For students with disabilities, it can be even more difficult to manage the workload and keep up with the other students. However, there are several things you can do to make medical school more manageable:

Talk to your professors and disability services office about your accommodations. Make sure you know what services are available to you and how to access them. Get organized and develop a study plan that works for you. Find out what times of day work best for you and create a schedule that allows you enough time to review all the material. Get involved with extracurricular activities, but don't overcommit yourself. Joining a student organization or participating in research can be a great way to meet people and learn more about your field, but don't take on too much. Make time for yourself. It's important to relax and recharge, so make sure you schedule some time for yourself every week. Seek out support from your peers, family, and friends. It can be helpful to talk to others who understand what you're going through.

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All right, how are you feeling today? Hi, everyone.
My name is Chris Connolly and I'm a medical student at the University of Michigan. One thing that most people notice about me when they first meet me is that I use a wheelchair.
When I was 15 years old, I sustained ac five C six spinal cord injury that left me a quadriplegic. Like many of you watching this video, I knew from an early age that I wanted to pursue a career in medicine, even though having a disability has made some things more challenging, it is not altered my professional and personal life goals.
However, when I applied to medical school, I discovered that some medical programs believed that my physical disability would interfere with my ability to become an effective physician.
Many institutions have strict policies called the technical standards that require some medical students perform certain physical tasks.
These requirements can at times be antiquated and unfairly prevent individuals with disabilities from matriculating into medical school.
I was very fortunate to find a welcoming and accommodating community at the University of Michigan. And I can honestly say that it seems as though many medical communities across the country are becoming more accepting of individuals with disabilities, pursuing careers in medicine.
However, I would like to share a few points, working with diverse colleagues, including colleagues with disabilities can give you more exposure to people that you may have less interactions with this.
As a result can make you more effective at interacting with diverse patient populations. People with disabilities are also an underserved group in medicine, including more individuals with disabilities and medical professions may help to reduce these disparities in health care.
And finally, everybody is something. Sometimes it's something that's just a little bit more obvious.
Thank you for sharing your time with me. Start your free trial today at osmosis.org.