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Shared experiences
A list of shared experiences from doctors, trainee doctors and students
Adapting practice, individualised support and sharing information
A doctor discusses how a road traffic accident during medical school meant they needed to adapt their studies and practice. They talk about how individualised support and less than full time training allowed them to pursue a career they love, but that information about their disability didn’t always travel with them as they moved through training.
Being disabled goes against the doctor stereotype
An intercalating medical student with a visual disability talks about how their medical school has provided adjustments based on their disability, but that perceived stigmas and negative reactions initially prevented them from disclosing their disability.
Being proactive and planning for reasonable adjustments
An FY1 doctor with a physical disability talks about the prejudices and assumptions they’ve faced during medical school and the challenges they’ve had to overcome to secure reasonable adjustments.
Different support is needed in different training settings
A locum GP writes about how supernumerary flexible training benefited them, but how negative attitudes from colleagues affected their health and confidence.
Dyslexia support in medical training
A GP trainee who was diagnosed with dyslexia while at medical school reflects on how perceptions about the condition have affected their training, and how the reasonable adjustments which helped them complete their degree stopped once they graduated from medical school.
Lack of continuity in support after graduation
A trainee doctor with dyslexia talks about how access to support has changed as they’ve moved through medical education and training and their fight for reasonable adjustments in postgraduate exams.
Making the case for support in a complex system
A GP locum with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, shares their experience of moving through education in a complex system that offered little support or flexibility.
Misunderstandings around disability and reasonable adjustments
A deafblind medical student shares how their disability has been viewed, the challenges they’ve faced in securing reasonable adjustments, and the benefits they see in connecting with other disabled medics.
Moving through training with a long term health condition
A trainee doctor who is taking a year out to work as a Clinical Research Fellow writes about the advice they’ve received as they’ve moved through medical education and training.
Moving through training with a mental health condition
A Foundation Year 2 doctor shares their experiences of being steered away from medicine because of their mental health condition, and having to take the lead to get support throughout their training.
Recognising the benefits that disabled doctors bring to a team
A trainee doctor with a serious congenital bone deformity highlights the valuable contribution every individual doctor brings to medicine, and how a flexible working pattern helped them finish the Foundation Programme.
Securing reasonable adjustments when always moving on
A post-Foundation year 2 doctor who is taking a year out to work as a Clinical Fellow, talks about their experiences of moving through education, dealing with how disability is viewed, and securing reasonable adjustments.
Supporting doctors with fluctuating chronic conditions
A palliative care consultant with systemic lupus erythematosus , shares their experience of accessing reasonable adjustments over 20 years of medical practice, and what they think could be done to improve the culture off support for disabled doctors.
The benefits of an open and respectful team
A doctor with a mental health condition talks about the respectful way their colleagues have treated them during their training, and what could further improve the culture of support.
The importance of flexible and anticipated adjustments
A student explains how inflexible reasonable adjustments led them to leave medicine and shares their tips for medical schools on building a culture of support.
The importance of good occupational health support
A doctor embarking on their core medical training reflects on the reasonable adjustments that give them a good work-life balance, the ones they had to fight for, and how they deal with questions from curious colleagues.
Using my experience as a vulnerable patient to become a better doctor
A medical student shares how they are using their experience as a patient to become a better doctor. They talk about the stigma surrounding mental health and why tailored support is so important.
Welcomed and valued appendix
Supplements to our Welcomed and valued guidance documents
Appendix: How can medical schools apply their duties?
Appendix: What do we expect of medical education organisations and employers?
Gateways to the professions resources
Useful resources from our previous Gateways to the professions guidance
Examples of reasonable adjustments
Examples of reasonable adjustments
Medical schools could keep a record of reasonable adjustments they have made and the costs involved, so that they can share their experiences and perhaps achieve future economies of scale.
