Supporting students with disability and health issues: lowering the social barriers

Abstract

The benefits of such a scheme are that it is flexible and addresses unique student needs. Further research needs to focus upon: how educators perceive the utility of the Student Support Card; whether it should be embedded in the wider medical school culture, and, subsequently, how a working consensus can be achieved with regard to reasonable adjustments within vocational education in which there are clear requirements for competence.

Developing competencies among health professions students related to the care of people with disabilities: a pilot study

“…Self-assurance related to the care of PwD and the need for change regarding an increased social awareness about PwD were also reported by participants as important outcomes of the educational intervention. There is evidence that students who have received instructions and experiences related to disability care feel more confident in the care process 56 and that social awareness could be a factor that acts towards decreasing barriers if working in the health care services environment 57 . The students' experience of having their senses limited put them into a similar circumstance that patients find themselves in and was cited as one of the most important aspects of this educational intervention.…”

Supporting medical students with disabilities

“…Cook and colleagues proposed a student support card system, issued by the dean of students, which details the type of support required. The student can then use the card when needed . For example, the card for a student with hearing impairment may request that he or she interviews patients in areas with little background noise.…”

“…For example, the card for a student with hearing impairment may request that he or she interviews patients in areas with little background noise. The scheme was shown to enhance students’ ability to request adjustments whilst also reducing anxiety, promoting empowerment and increasing self‐confidence . Additionally, some students preferred that medical school administrative staff notified tutors by e‐mail of their individual requirements in advance of their placement …”

“…The student can then use the card when needed. 3 For example, the card for a student with hearing impairment may request that he or she interviews patients in areas with little background noise. The scheme was shown to enhance students' ability to request adjustments whilst also reducing anxiety, promoting empowerment and increasing self-confi dence.…”

“…The scheme was shown to enhance students' ability to request adjustments whilst also reducing anxiety, promoting empowerment and increasing self-confi dence. 3 Additionally, some students preferred that medical school administrative staff notifi ed tutors by e-mail of their individual requirements in advance of their placement. 2,3 Students with disabilities represent 2.6% of all medical students.…”