Ableism in the medical profession

Abstract

This article has been peer reviewed.

Use of Invasive Brain-Computer Interfaces in Pediatric Neurosurgery: Technical and Ethical Considerations

“…96 On the other hand, the use of advanced technology to restore function in individuals with disabilities has been previously criticized as a form of ableism, that is, discrimination and social prejudice against people with disabilities; for instance, taking for granted able-bodiedness as humanity's default state, and implying the inferiority of the disabled as opposed to the non-disabled. 97,98 Many people see their disability not as a tragic event but as an important identity or experience in their lives. 99 A good example of this concept is the pushback against cochlear implants expressed by members the Deaf community, seeing cochlear implants as an attack on deafness as a personal and cultural identifier (as opposed to a disability), advocating against its use in children born deaf.…”

Professional identity formation: linking meaning to well-being

“…Health care systems issues such as staffing shortages, precarious reimbursements, time-consuming and complex electronic health records, increased clerical burden, and the relentless pressure to meet “quality” and “satisfaction” metrics abound (Shanafelt & Noseworthy, 2017 ). Similarly, cultural challenges within both the medical profession and educational programs are significant, including long-held attitudes about the tensions between altruism and self-care (Sklar, 2016 ), as well as ideas about what constitutes the ideal physician (Neilson, 2020 ; Schrewe & Martimianakis, 2022 ). This is to say nothing of the stresses inherent to training itself, with rapidly advancing levels of responsibility in the context of limited experience, and the constant pressure to optimize one’s evaluation outcomes and career prospects (LaDonna et al, 2017 ).…”

“Time is a Great Teacher, but Unfortunately It Kills All Its Pupils”: Insights from Psychiatric Service User Engagement

“… 13 Ableism is defined as “practices or policies that treat people with disabilities as if they were invisible, disposable, and less than human, while taking for granted able-bodiedness as humanity's default state”. 14 The current temporality of medical education negatively affects people with disabilities, including mental health/psychiatric disabilities, from succeeding in and completing studies as medical learners. Although medical school trainees with disabilities constitute a significant portion of the medical student population, they are historically under-reported, under-supported and their experiences under-researched.…”

“…Given the importance of being attuned to the mind-body continuum, it seems possible that conceptions of crip time and Time Kills its Pupils other critical disability studies approaches could help address the alarming rates of burnout and suicide among medical trainees, faculty, and researchers 44,45 -not by calling for further self-care and wellness, but by providing a safer liminal space to work through personal experiences of illness/disability, the growing complexity of patient care, ableist expectations, and the ever-increasing evaluation of productivity. 14 There have also been calls for assessing the quality of individual and group scientific contributions beyond the mantra of quantity, because there is growing recognition that academia's focus on quantity may destroy creativity, reflection, and human relationships. 46 It may be time to consider how to teach intersectional approaches that challenge traditional notions of academic time and productivity.…”