Disabled doctors and disabled medical students
Updated July 2007
Careers and employment advice
It is important that medical students and doctors obtain careers advice at all stages of their careers. Those with impairments or conditions may need more specialised advice. There are many sources of advice relating to disability equality and employment in general. Advice targeted specifically to medical careers can be obtained from the BMA, postgraduate deaneries and medical school deans.
Flexible working can be particularly important to disabled doctors and disabled medical students and advice on this, skills assessment and support for medical students is given below.
This section contains the following topics:
- Medical students
- Careers advice
- Disability equality and employment
- Flexible working
- Skills assessment
There are mixed personal reports by disabled doctors of good and bad experiences on entry to medical school and during training.
The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (which applies to the whole of the UK) and the Equality Order 2000 (which applies to Northern Ireland only) requires universities and their medical schools to provide disability statements containing details such as access for disabled students, availability of specialist equipment, counselling, admission arrangements and complaints and appeals procedures for disabled students.
There are several ways in which disability may have an impact on medical work. It may limit, reduce or prevent the doctor from performing the job effectively; the condition may be made worse by the job or make it unsafe for the doctor to actually do the job; or the condition might make the tasks unsafe both for the doctor and fellow workers, or patients and the community. It may, therefore, be appropriate for students to have a skills assessment to identify their capabilities (see below). The medical school’s occupational health service will be able to offer practical advice and university’s support services can offer confidential help. In addition, the General medical council (GMC) has the ability to modify the undergraduate course and the first year post graduate year for a disabled student.
In 2002 GMC published revised guidance on Student Health and Conduct (see links below) which should be read in conjunction with Tomorrow's Doctors, published February 2003. GMC also published guidance on PHRO’s Health and Conduct in The New Doctor - Recommendations on General Clinical Training January 2005, which has been revised in July 2007 . The GMC has no direct statutory role in matters of student health and conduct. However, the award of a medical degree automatically entitles the graduate to be provisionally registered by the GMC and the GMC therefore has a strong interest. Subject to meeting a University's regulations, anyone can graduate provided that they meet all the outcomes and curriculum requirements in Tomorrow's Doctors. The view of the GMC is that students with a wide range of impairments or health conditions can achieve the prescribed standards of knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviour. Each case is different and has to be viewed on its merits. The safety of the public must always take priority.
Deans of medical schools will provide further information and help. (See Becoming a doctor for medical school contacts or the Medical Schools Council. Students may also be eligible for financial help, such as the disabled students’ allowance. For further information contact the Department for Education and Skills and your local education authority (see links below).
Department for children, schools and families
site has information about the financial support available to disabled students in higher education.
Local education authority
index of contact details for local education authorities.
General medical council
produce guidance for medical schools about student health and conduct. This explains how to manage problems which may affect students' future fitness to practice. The Resource Guides provide a brief outline on legislation and good practice with reference to disability discrimination.
LEAD Scotland
(linking education and disability) enables physically disabled and/or sensory impaired adults to access education, training and lifelong learning opportunities.
SKILL
promotes opportunities for young people and adults with any kind of impairment or condition in post-16 education, training and employment across the UK.
TechDis
includes reports and papers, including the findings of a recent questionnaire survey of further and higher education institutions, which gives a snapshot of recent and current practice for disabled students.
Workstep
Workstep provides job support to over 26,000 disabled people who face more complex barriers to getting and keeping a job, but who can work effectively with the right support. It enables eligible disabled people to realise their full potential to work within a commercial environment, giving them, whenever possible, an opportunity to progress into open employment. The programme also offers practical assistance to employers.
Careers advice
BMJ Careers
is the largest online resource for UK medical jobs, courses and career advice.
Jobcentre Plus
is a government agency supporting people of working age from welfare into work, and helping employers fill their vacancies.
Medical specialties: the way forward
The guide highlights the more common specialties and career paths. Under each entry there is:
a quick guide to the specialty, which provides essential information at a glance. This gives a character profile of those most likely to be suited to the specialty, and the rewards and challenges of working in the specialty. For easy navigation, quick guide boxes are highlighted with:
- the training route, which highlights the necessary qualifications and experience for entering the specialty
- a find out more box, providing sources of further information.
Medical forum
a learning resource relating to career development and evolving new concepts in what constitutes a career; providing an infrastructure of self directed learning materials for those wanting to examine their career situation or potential; linking this with options for personalised feedback by post, phone, email or in person where appropriate.
Postgraduate Deans
Doctors may obtain careers information and advice from postgraduate deans, associate deans and directors of postgraduate general practice education .
Disability equality and employment
Access to work
provides practical advice and support to disabled people and their employers to help overcome work related obstacles resulting from their impairment or condition.
Advisory conciliation and arbitration service (ACAS)
provides advice and information on employment legislation, good practice and procedures in employee relations. The ACAS website has information from its own range of publications plus contact details for regional offices and enquiry lines. You can also browse their latest press releases.
Disability employment advisory committee
The Disability Employment Advisory Committee (DEAC) is an advisory Committee that gives independent, informed advice to government Ministers and officials about helping disabled people find and keep work. It is a Non Departmental Public Body (NDPB), sponsored by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). DEAC is not able to offer advice to individual members of the general public.
Department for work and pensions
Promotes opportunity and independence for all and helps individuals achieve their potential through employment.
Directgov
Government information portal for disability, including information on employment, financial support, housing, health, education and training, rights and access.
Employers’ forum on disability
employers' organisation focused on the issue of disability in the workplace including training and employment of disabled people. Has contact information on consultants and trainers active in this field.
Shaw trust
enables a wide range of disabled people to achieve their work potential by supporting them in jobs, training and work related activities. The Trust works closely with employers to develop opportunities through supported employment, work experience and training.
Flexible working
It is not known how many disabled doctors have flexible work contracts or would take them up if more were available. However, flexibility is being demanded in all areas of medical education, training and career paths. Although all doctors are eligible for flexible training, eligibility for funding flexible training has given doctors with disabilities high priority.
It is the role of the postgraduate dean to organise tailored training appropriate to the needs of doctors with disabilities from the flexible training budget. Various possibilities exist which include supernumerary posts, job sharing, reduced sessions in existing established posts or job splitting.
Associate deans
Doctors who want to work less than full-time should seek advice from associate deans on funding and arrangements. Associate deans are based in regional postgraduate deaneries.
Flexible training for GP registrars
Guidance on flexible training for GP registrars.
Flexible training
Guidance of flexible training for junior doctors
Consultant contract: part-time and flexible working
Guidance for consultants.
Skills assessment
Skills assessment occupational health consultants can provide a skills assessment of disabled doctors. The assessment should be tailored towards individual impairments or conditions. The occupation health services for medical schools can offer specialist advice to students. Doctors, including general practitioners, should obtain advice from occupational health consultants in their local trusts.
Faculty of occupational medicine
develops and maintains for the public benefit the good practice of occupational medicine, providing for the protection of people at work by ensuring the highest professional standards of competence and ethical integrity.
Guidelines for good practice in the recruitment and selection of doctors
A BMA publication which takes into account the current legislation and codes of practice for recruiting and selecting doctors.
Society of occupational medicine
is concerned with the protection of health of people at work, and the prevention of occupational injuries and disease. Has an information leaflet on the Disability Discrimination Act.