Gateways guidance: 1.2 How to use this advisory guidance
This guidance is organised to take medical schools along the disabled person's journey through medical education and training. It starts with the legal duties and responsibilities of universities, medical schools and the GMC. The GMC sets requirements of medical schools and medical students in Tomorrow’s Doctors, including a clear list of skills that students must be able to perform in order to graduate.
It then covers the steps in that journey and the actions a disabled person can expect at each stage: from their initial enquiry about studying medicine through to their progress at medical school and postgraduate training. Much of the guidance is relevant to students who develop a new impairment while at medical school, in addition to those students who already have impairments before admission.
Throughout, there are links to other resources that provide further information and the legal background. Often situations are more complex than the illustrative examples, so decisions always need to be made on an individual basis with the full involvement of the disabled person concerned. If the situation proves particularly complex, advice can be sought from the organisations listed below.
WEB LINKS: Helpful organisations
Helpful organisations can be found in the supplementary document: Useful organisations and sources (doc) / Useful organisations and sources (pdf)
Those who are looking for a clear guide designed particularly for disabled students should consult the booklet Into Medicine: Positive experiences of disabled people (2007) produced by Skill: National Bureau for Students. The Skill website has links to disability organisations.
The Voluntary Organisations Disability Group (VODG) provides useful links to the websites of member organisations.
For Northern Ireland, Queen’s University Belfast provides links to useful organisations.
The British Medical Association lists support organisations.
The Equality Challenge Unit promotes equality and diversity in higher education and has web pages and publications supporting the needs of disabled students and staff.
More information for disabled students is available from the Equality and Human Rights Commission.
HOPE for Disabled Doctors is an organisation working to achieve professional equality.
The Doctors’ Support Network is a support group for doctors with mental health concerns.