Being a hearing-impaired medical student

[Guest Genuine]

Hello everyone,

 

I have been on this forum before and decided registering because I'm addicted.

 

Well, other than that I just had a question that was probably never asked. Well here it goes:

 

If I am hearing impaired, does that give me a disability status at medical schools and do they see that as a downside?

 

I am already not doing so well this semester, but I'll improve in the next. (I'm a first year student by the way.) So, I'll try my best in the pre-med path but I'm not even sure if I am eligible for medical school? I mean, if I were in medical school, there is no way I can use the stethoscope and may or may not be able to hear some things... I guess.

 

Anyways, that's my question and I hope I can get an answer.

 

 

Genuine

[kate]

Hi Genuine,

 

Two things you might be interested in.

 

1. My school is VERY accomodating; I imagine others are as well. Once the administrators responsible for Student Affairs are made aware of your needs, they will do their very best to help you in all ways possible.

 

2. Special stethoscopes exist for people who are hearing impaired! Of course, success depends on the type and severity of one's hearing impairment... but do some googling and you'll see what's available. These instruments tend to be pricey, but it is a one-time investment.

 

Best to you,

 

Kate

[tooty]

I don't think they can reject you based on a disability. I read about this blind dude in the states who is doing very well in his residency. He found ways to adapt to his blindness; he even found a way to "see" radiographs.

 

However, I do believe that you may be limited in your choice of specialty based on your physical limitation. There was this med student at Queens with muscular dystrophy who wasn't able to do emerg (or something or other) because she couldn't perform a basic pulse check. She had to do something in research. I only know because I worked with a PhD who's father was the attending who failed her.

 

Edit: I just read Kate's post. I guess you have nothing to worry about!

[Guest begaster]

They may not reject the disabled outright, but I imagine it's quite a disadvantage. As in, you'd probably need to prove yourself much more thoroughly than someone who was fully able. Let's face it, they don't want to train people who are unable to perform properly as doctors. Will they let you into medical school isn't the question, the question is whether or not you can be an adequate doctor.

 

A hearing impairment may not be a big deal, though, I don't know. Look into it. Maybe call admissions and see if you can talk to whoever is in charge.

[Julie]

There is a student at Ottawa U who is hearing impaired. An interpret translates everything into sign language for her. I don't think it should be a problem for you.

[uwphysmed]

http://www.ouac.on.ca/omsas/pdf/COFM_Abilities_Sept03.pdf

[The Law]

I don't see it as being a total problem, someone who is hearing impaired could always hire someone to be an intermediary translator for communication with patients (once they are practicing). Also, as Julie indicated, the school should also be able to provide them with one for educational purposes.

[Guest begaster]

What are the deaf going to do when doing rotations? Hire a translator to walk around with them all night?

[Madz25]

I don't see it as being a total problem, someone who is hearing impaired could always hire someone to be an intermediary translator for communication with patients (once they are practicing). Also, as Julie indicated, the school should also be able to provide them with one for educational purposes.

 

what about issues of patient confidentiality? will patients feel comfortable in discussing such personal matters with a non-healthcare professional?

[The Law]

What are the deaf going to do when doing rotations? Hire a translator to walk around with them all night?

 

They may have limited choices in specialty, but there's no reason to think that someone who's deaf would not make an exceptional physician. That's not to say that it will be easy, of course it is going to be extremely challenging, but it is not impossible - and the person can adapt to ensure patient care is not compromised.

 

what about issues of patient confidentiality? will patients feel comfortable in discussing such personal matters with a non-healthcare professional?

 

Non-health care professionals have access to health records at hospitals all the time, but are sworn to uphold the patients' confidentiality, so I don't see why an interpreter could not do the same.

 

 

 

Very good points though.

[Jochi1543]

I don't think they can reject you based on a disability. I read about this blind dude in the states who is doing very well in his residency. He found ways to adapt to his blindness; he even found a way to "see" radiographs.

 

I have a hard time believing it, because nobody would insure him. I'm sure you could even learn to do basic surgery being blind, but good luck finding an insurance company who'll be like "HEY! Let's take this guy on board!"

 

 

OP, I think you need to review the "technical standards" on medical schools' websites, and if it isn't clear, contact the schools directly. I know US schools all require you to sign off on sometimes fairly lengthy (2 full pages) lists of what you must be capable of doing as a medical student. They can accomodate some disabilities, but not others. While there may be some specialties where your being hard of hearing is not going to affect you at all (pathology, radiology), you need to consider how you will handle mandatory rotations, where it might - which is why medical schools have these technical standards listed. So I would explore the schools' websites and contact them instead of looking for speculations on message boards.

[Jochi1543]

Here's what OMSAS says, for example:

 

Council of Ontario Faculties of Medicine (COFM)

Policy Document

 

Essential Skills and Abilities Required for the Study of Medicine

 

The Ontario Faculties of Medicine are responsible to society to provide a program of study so that graduates have the knowledge, skills, professional behaviours and attitudes necessary to enter the supervised practice of medicine in Canada. Graduates must be able to diagnose and manage health problems and provide comprehensive, compassionate care to their patients. For this reason, students in the MD program must possess the cognitive, communication, sensory, motor, and social skills necessary to interview, examine, and counsel patients, and competently complete certain technical procedures in a reasonable time while ensuring patient safety.

 

In addition to obtaining an MD degree, and completing an accredited residency training program, an individual must pass the licensure examinations of the Medical Council of Canada (MCC) in order to practice medicine. Prospective candidates should be aware that, cognitive, physical examination, management skills, communication skills, and professional behaviours are all evaluated in timed simulations of patient encounters.

 

All students must have the required skills and abilities described in the Section on Technical Standards. All individuals are expected to review this document to assess their ability to meet these standards. This policy does not preclude individuals with disabilities. Students who anticipate requiring disability-related accommodation are responsible for notifying the medical school.

 

Because of the comprehensive, additive and integrative nature of the curriculum, students are expected to complete the MD degree within three or four years. Students with a disability may be granted an extension of time within which to complete the MD program. These requests are considered on a case-by-case basis. All other requests for a leave of absence are discussed in a separate policy.

 

Technical Standards for Students in the MD Program

 

A candidate for the MD degree must demonstrate the following abilities:

 

Observation

 

A student must be able to participate in learning situations that require skills in observation. In particular, a student must be able to accurately observe a patient and acquire visual, auditory and tactile information.

 

Communication

 

A student must be able to speak, to hear and to observe patients in order to effectively and efficiently elicit information, describe mood, activity and posture and perceive non-verbal communication. A student must be able to communicate effectively and sensitively with patients, families and any member of the health care team. A student must also be able to summarize coherently a patient’s condition and management plan verbally and in writing.

 

Motor

 

A student must demonstrate sufficient motor function to safely perform a physical examination on a patient, including palpation, auscultation and percussion. The examination must be done independently and in a timely fashion. A student must be able to use common diagnostic aids or instruments either directly or in an adaptive form (e.g. sphygmomanometer, stethoscope, otoscope and ophthalmoscope). A student must be able to execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general and emergency medical care to patients

 

Intellectual-Conceptual, Integrative and Quantitative Abilities

 

A student must demonstrate the cognitive skills and memory necessary to measure, calculate, and reason in order to analyze, integrate and synthesize information. In addition, the student must be able to comprehend dimensional and spatial relationships. All of these problem-solving activities must be done in a timely fashion.

 

Behavioural and Social Attributes

 

A student must consistently demonstrate the emotional health required for full utilization of her/his intellectual abilities. The application of good judgment, and the prompt completion of all responsibilities attendant to the diagnosis and care of patients is necessary. The development of mature, sensitive and effective relationships with patients, families and other members of the health care team are also required. The student must be able to tolerate the physical, emotional, and mental demands of the program and function effectively under stress. Adaptability to changing environments and the ability to function in the face of uncertainties that are inherent in the care of patients are both necessary.

 

Compassion, integrity, concern for others, interpersonal skills, interest and motivation are all personal qualities that physicians must demonstrate and are expected qualities of students.

 

Students with Disabilities

 

Disability is defined by Section 10 (1) of the Ontario Human Rights Code.

 

The Ontario Faculties of Medicine (COFM) are committed to facilitating the integration of students with disabilities into the University community. Each student with a disability is entitled to reasonable accommodation that will assist her/him to meet the standards. Reasonable accommodation will be made to facilitate student’s progress. However, such accommodation cannot compromise patient safety and well-being. Reasonable accommodation may require members of the University community to exercise creativity and flexibility in responding to the needs of students with disabilities while maintaining the academic and technical standards. The student with a disability must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and perform the necessary skills independently. There are a few circumstances in which an intermediary may be appropriate. However, no disability can be accommodated if the intermediary has to provide cognitive support, substitute for cognitive skills, perform a physical examination and/or in any way supplement clinical judgment. The appropriateness of an intermediary will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.

 

This policy acknowledges that central to the success of a student with a disability in completing the MD program is her/his responsibility to demonstrate self-reliance and to identify needs requiring accommodation in a timely fashion.

[blinknoodle]

Hey there,

 

As you can see, you will encounter some resistance being a medical student or physician with a disability. In fact, the resistance will mainly come from the medical community itself. However, don't let this dissuade you if you know you are capable of being a physician (ie. you know your own limitations and know what it entails to be a physician). Certainly, there are medical students with disabilities, both visible and non-visible, and I would venture to say being a physician is a profession more likely to induce disabilities (hence why they push disability insurance on even first year medical students).

 

There is some literature re: disabilities in medicine and I encourage you to seek it out. Here is a BMJ Career issue to get you started: http://careerfocus.bmj.com/content/vol329/issue7468/

Notice they have an article from a medical student with hearing loss and the Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities (http://www.capd.ca).

 

Good luck.

 

PS. I changed the title of your post to be more descriptive so that people using the search feature can find pertinent info quicker.

[tooty]

If you can read lips, would interviwers even know you're hearing impaired?

 

I talked to these two deaf guys once. It was pretty crazy how good they were at reading lips.

[Satsuma]

Hi there,

 

I think your best bet is to contact the schools directly. I believe you would have to declare the fact that you are hearing impaired on your application anyway.

 

Yes there are stethoscopes for the hearing impaired....basically is just a stethoscope with an amplifier. So depending on the nature of your impairment it may or may not help. There are potentially frequencies you would miss no matter how amplified they are.

 

But medicine isn`t just about stethoscopes. There are so many specializations you could choose. The issues as I see them would be gaining the support to get through your general training as you must rotate through everything.

 

I knew a girl who was hearing impaired and went through audiology. She had no intentions of practicing as an audiologist though and her aim was to then do a PhD and have an academic career. For her, her impairment was just going to progressively get worse and she knew eventually she wouldn`t be able to function in a clinical setting. And even with the hearing she had at the time she experienced a many numbers of frustrations in her day to day life. I couldn`t imagine her functioning in a busy emerg department for example. (but that is her, not you)

 

So I guess whether you think you could manage in med school and in your career would depend alot on the nature of your impairment.

 

As an aside, in case it interests you, there is a psychologist who is hearing impaired (I believe completely deaf) who is (or was last I was in London about 3 years ago) working at London Health Sciences. I believe she is the first deaf psychologist in Canada and what an asset to the deaf community!

So just in case that path may interest you...I don`t remember her name, though I suspect she wouldn`t be hard to look up.

 

Anyway, good luck with your choices.

I encourage you to discuss the issue with the schools.

 

Sats

[Guest Genuine]

Hey all

 

I would like to thank everyone for responding and giving me some input/ information. Also, I didn't know that they had stethoscopes with amplifiers that's awesome! (I always thought that if I were in medical school, I would be the guy walking around without a stethoscope...)

 

I took everyone's advice that I should talk directly with the medical schools and I did for all 13 of them! (Took me awhile, I was on hold... for quite a long time.) They told me I was at an advantage at some schools and some were rude..

 

By the way tooty I can read lips really well, and I also know sign language too. And I am learning French so that I can apply for Bilingual Med Schools in Quebec.

 

All advices were great, and thanks Jochi1543 for the OMSAS description of what is required to be eligible to study medicine.

 

Well, I am definitely glad with all the good news and feedback from you guys - you're all wonderful! Thank you so much!

[Jochi1543]

They told me I was at an advantage at some schools and some were rude..

 

Did you mean disadvantage? Or did they think it was an advantage b/c you can work with the deaf?

I know at a community clinic where I volunteered for 3 years, we had a deaf/mute staffer - both to serve deaf patients and to draft educational problems and the like. But since I don't know ASL, I never really got to know her much.

[Guest Genuine]

Hey Jochi

 

Oh no, they said that I was at an advantage because I could work with patients that are deaf and that they would need me for ASL!

 

However, the school that was rude hanged up on me when I didn't hear what the lady said over the phone... so I didn't bother calling again. I guess she was tempted to leave work? Bah...

[Jochi1543]

Hey Jochi

 

Oh no, they said that I was at an advantage because I could work with patients that are deaf and that they would need me for ASL!

 

However, the school that was rude hanged up on me when I didn't hear what the lady said over the phone... so I didn't bother calling again. I guess she was tempted to leave work? Bah...

 

You could try e-mailing them.

[Guest Genuine]

Yep, I have done just that. It would've been better that way...

 

Anyways, I'd like to thank everyone again for helping me out, now all I have to do is study hard...!

[rxcal]

I wish you the best of luck. I have a brother that is hearing impaired that graduated honours...it is difficult to succeed with a hearing impairment as you will encounter many ignorant people (as you probably know). A hearing impairment may limit your ability to communicate in some environments (location with alot of background noise) but I do not see your disability as being something that cannot be overcome. In my case, having a sibling with a disability has taught me alot about life and how to treat other individuals.