The experiences of medical students with dyslexia: An interpretive phenomenological study

Shaw, Sebastian C K; Anderson, John L.

doi:10.1002/dys.1587

Cited by 36 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Although dyslexia is considered to be a disorder that primarily affects skills involved in accurate and fluent word reading and spelling, it is well known that the condition has a range of other effects which could influence performance. Performance in an OSCE for candidates with dyslexia may also be impaired by difficulties with attention and concentration, sequencing, organisation, time management and prioritisation of tasks, reading under pressure, memory and recall, or lack of supportive measures …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Performance in an OSCE for candidates with dyslexia may also be impaired by difficulties with attention and concentration, 20 sequencing, organisation, time management and prioritisation of tasks, 26 reading under pressure, 20 memory and recall, 27,28 or lack of supportive measures. 29 It is also possible that candidates have greater familiarity with written examinations compared to OSCEs, and more opportunities to develop strategies and workarounds to address difficulties, because of increased exposure to the former throughout their educational career.…”

Section: Comparison With Other Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Performance in candidates declaring versus those not declaring dyslexia in a licensing clinical examination

et al. 2019

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Context High‐stakes medical examinations seek to be fair to all candidates, including an increasing proportion of trainee doctors with specific learning differences. We aimed to investigate the performance of doctors declaring dyslexia in the clinical skills assessment (CSA), an objective structured clinical examination for licensing UK general practitioners. Methods We employed a cross‐sectional design using performance and attribute data from candidates taking the CSA between 2010 and 2017. We compared candidates who declared dyslexia (‘early’ before their first attempt or ‘late’ after failing at least once) with those who did not, using multivariable negative binomial regression investigating the effect of declaring dyslexia on passing the CSA, accounting for relevant factors previously associated with performance, including number of attempts, initial score, sex, place of primary medical qualification and ethnicity. Results Of 20 879 CSA candidates, 598 (2.9%) declared that they had dyslexia. Candidates declaring dyslexia were more likely to be male (47.3% versus 37.8%; p < 0.001) and to have a non‐UK primary medical qualification (26.9% versus 22.4%; p < 0.01), but were no different in ethnicity compared with those who never declared dyslexia. Candidates who declared dyslexia late were significantly more likely to fail compared with those candidates who declared dyslexia early (40.6% versus 9.2%; p < 0.001) and were more likely to have a non‐UK medical qualification (79.3% versus 15.6%; p < 0.001) or come from a minority ethnic group (84.9% versus 39.2%; p < 0.001). The chance of passing was lower for candidates declaring dyslexia compared to those who never declared dyslexia and lower in those declaring late (incident rate ratio [IRR], 0.82; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.70–0.96) compared with those declaring early (IRR, 0.95; 95% CI, 0.93–0.97). Conclusions A small proportion of candidates declaring dyslexia were less likely to pass the CSA, particularly if dyslexia was declared late. Further investigation of potential causes and solutions is needed.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Comparison With Other Studiesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Performance in candidates declaring versus those not declaring dyslexia in a licensing clinical examination

et al. 2019

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“…Such individuals can also experience feelings of inadequacy, shame and stigma. Many students with dyslexia also often conceal their specific learning difficulty through fear of the negative attitudes of others …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Again, interesting parallels can be drawn with individuals who are affected by dyslexia. Such individuals often express the opinion that their specific learning difficulties influence their career pathways and decisions as medical students …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

‘What … you can't tell left from right?’ Medical students’ experiences in making laterality decisions

2019

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Context Wrong‐sided procedures represent some of the most catastrophic errors in health care. Although errors in laterality are multifaceted in origin, human error is considered to be an important root cause. Evidence suggests that a significant proportion of the population, including medical students, experience difficulty in left–right discrimination (LRD). Given that not all medical students have equal LRD ability, there have been calls to raise awareness of this issue in medical education. The experiences of medical students with LRD, including those who have difficulty, remain unknown. Objectives This study was designed to gain deep insights into the lived experiences of medical students in LRD. Methods A qualitative study was conducted using hermeneutic phenomenology. Medical students with a wide range of abilities in LRD were invited to participate and to be interviewed. Interviews were transcribed and analysed using template analysis to generate research themes. Members of the research team were continually reflexive when remaining firmly rooted in the data and in the principles of the hermeneutic process. Results Analysis yielded four main themes: (i) discriminating right from left: an unconscious or a conscious task? (ii) ‘What … you can't tell right from left?’: an undesirable skill deficit; (iii) concealment, and (iv) ‘But you're going to be a doctor!’: impact on professional identity formation. Conclusions This study challenges normative expectations that LRD is an effortless task for all. Individuals who are challenged in LRD must engage in a complex conscious process to determine right from left. For the most part, this process is relatively effortless. However, the context of being a medical student can impose extra demands and heightens the risk associated with potential error. Medical education needs to respond by raising the profile of this challenge, with which many of our medical students are confronted, and by extending support to assist them in the interests of safe patient care.

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“…Such variations often contribute to delayed or missed diagnosis and inadequate support for dyslexic students.A few studies have explored the impact of dyslexia on students in Medicine and Nursing. [15][16][17][18][19] There is a need to contextualise the perceptions and experiences of the students with the design of the curriculum and assessments. It is recognised that undergraduate programmes with a problem-based learning (PBL) curricula represent unique challenges for the students, in part due to increased emphasis on active participation and self-directed learning.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

How does dyslexia impact on the educational experiences of healthcare students? A qualitative study

Ali

Kisielewska

Subhan

et al. 2019

Eur J Dental Education

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Learning disabilities (LDs) is a generic term and comprises a heterogeneous group of disorders which manifest with an impairment of intellectual or social functioning and affects the way an individual learns new things in any area of their life. 1,2 Specific LDs include conditions such as dyslexia, development coordination disorder (DCD), dyscalculia, attention deficit disorder (ADD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). 3,4 Dyslexia constitutes the most common form of LD and affects up to 10% of the population globally. 5 Dyslexia is associated with difficulties in word-level decoding, and affected individuals find it hard to recognise printed words, have great difficulties "sounding out" unfamiliar words and often also read slowly. 6 An estimated 6% of students enrolled in higher education (HE) in England have a formal diagnosis of specific LDs, and the numbers appear to be on the rise. 7 Figures from medical schoolsshow that approximately 2% medical students disclose dyslexia. 8 Importantly, a significant number of students in HE may not have a Abstract Aims: To explore the impact of dyslexia on the educational experiences of undergraduate students in medicine, dentistry, dental therapy and biomedical sciences. Methods:It was a qualitative study based on semi-structured interviews. The study was conducted at the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at a University in the South West region of the United Kingdom. Purposive sampling was used, and the participants included undergraduate students from the schools of medicine, dentistry and biomedical sciences. Results:The sample consisted of fifteen undergraduate students including five from medicine; four from dentistry; three from dental therapy; and three from biomedical sciences. All students had a formal diagnosis of Dyslexia. The students shared their views and experiences regarding disclosure, transition into the university, learning environments, assessments and challenges after graduation.Conclusions: This is the first study to explore the impact of dyslexia on the educational experiences of healthcare students from multiple programmes in a variety of educational settings. The findings show that the students were confident regarding disclosure of their dyslexia and had a formal diagnosis of dyslexia established during their school years. Although the participants experienced typical academic difficulties associated with dyslexia, problem-based learning (PBL) was perceived to be enjoyable and less stressful than traditional lectures and no specific challenges were reported in acquisition of clinical, communication and team-working skills.previous diagnosis of dyslexia, and they are often investigated when students tend to struggle in medical schools. 9Legislation in the UK protects disabled students from being treated "less favorably" and LDs should not be considered a barrier as doing so may obscure talent that may be mutually beneficial to both HE and the individuals. 11 However, the representation of students with disabilities remains low in ...

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The experiences of medical students with dyslexia: An interpretive phenomenological study

Cited by 36 publications

References 23 publications

Performance in candidates declaring versus those not declaring dyslexia in a licensing clinical examination

Performance in candidates declaring versus those not declaring dyslexia in a licensing clinical examination

‘What … you can't tell left from right?’ Medical students’ experiences in making laterality decisions

How does dyslexia impact on the educational experiences of healthcare students? A qualitative study

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