Medical Students with Disabilities and Chronic Illness (MSDCI)

Medical Students with Disability and Chronic Illness (MSDCI) unites and empowers medical students through advocacy, mentorship, education and community building while using our collective power towards advancing the improvement of health care for the disabled community. 

MDCI is committed to supporting current and future medical students with disability and chronic illness, addressing the needs of the disability community and increasing disability awareness and appreciation, cultural competency, and social consciousness amongst medical practitioners.

MSDCI Chapters represent communities based at allopathic and osteopathic medical schools across the country.

Learn more here: https://msdci.org/

Journal article: Eliminate Mental Health Questions on Applications for Medical Licensure

This 2020 American Journal of Medicine article is titled, "Eliminate Mental Health Questions on Applications for Medical Licensure." In this commentary, the author addresses the following points:

• Why State Medical Boards Should Remove Mental Health Questions on Licensure Applications
• Lack of Connection Between Mental Disorders and Clinical Competence
• Misunderstanding About Mental Disorders and Definitional Terms
• The Problem of Institutional Policies

Lawson ND. Eliminate Mental Health Questions on Applications for Medical Licensure. Am J Med. 2020 Oct;133(10):1118-1119. doi: 10.1016/j.amjmed.2020.04.011. Epub 2020 May 19. PMID: 32442509.

Register now: 2nd Annual Stanford Conference on Disability in Healthcare and Medicine

The 2nd Annual Conference on Disability in Healthcare and Medicine will be held on:

April 10, 2021

Saturday 

8:00 am - 6:00pm Pacific Time

Interactive Webinar

Learn more about this upcoming event here:

http://med.stanford.edu/smac/events/2nd-annual-disability-conference.html

The conference goals are:

•  Supporting students and healthcare providers with disabilities

•  Training healthcare providers to better care for patients with disabilities

•  Research into the intersection of providers and patients with disabilities

Target audience:

•  Medical students and medical doctors

•  Nursing students and nurses

•  PA students and PA’s

•  All other interested healthcare providers and allies

JAMA Netw Open Article: Estimated Prevalence of US Physicians With Disabilities

Don't miss this JAMA Netw Open article: Estimated Prevalence of US Physicians With Disabilities

The survey study represents the first systematic report of the prevalence and characteristics of practicing physicians with disabilities using data from the Association of American Medical Colleges 2019 National Sample Survey of Physicians.

The survey allowed physicians to self-disclose their disabilities from a list of 8 possible disability categories using the Americans With Disabilities Act definition. 

The disability category most commonly reported was chronic health conditions (54 [30.1%]; 95% CI, 23.3%-36.9%), followed by mobility (51 [28.4%]; 95% CI, 21.7%-35.1%), psychological (25 [14.2%]; 95% CI, 9.0%-19.4%), other disabilities (eg, essential tremors: 24 [13.4%]; 95% CI, 8.3%-18.4%), hearing (22 [12.1%]; 95% CI, 7.3%-17.0%), adult attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (19 [10.4%]; 95% CI, 5.9%-14.9%), visual (14 [7.8%]; 95% CI, 3.8%-11.8%), and learning (5 [2.6%]; 95% CI, 0.2%-4.9%). Multiple disabilities (eg, hearing and mobility) were reported by 28 physicians (15.7%; 95% CI, 10.3%-21.1%).

This study used a representative sample of 6000 physicians, 178 of whom (3.1%; 95% CI, 2.6%-3.5%) self-identified as having a disability. 

Nouri Z, Dill MJ, Conrad SS, Moreland CJ, Meeks LM. Estimated Prevalence of US Physicians With Disabilities. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(3):e211254. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.1254

Equal Access for Students with Disabilities: The Guide for Health Science and Professional Education

Equal Access for Students with Disabilities: The Guide for Health Science and Professional Education 

The Guide for Health Science and Professional Education

EDITORS

Lisa M. Meeks PhD

Neera R. Jain MS, CRC

Elisa Laird JD

Now in its second edition, this book on disability inclusion in the health sciences remains the most comprehensive, critically and legally informed guidance available to health science programs. Grounded in the ADA, case law, and OCR determinations, this seminal text delivers information that is translatable to daily practice. The second edition focuses on disability as a welcome form of diversity, with concomitant changes to language and approach that promote disability inclusion.

New chapters and updates on topics including technical standards; a new appendix to guide faculty communication; and revised advice throughout, provide faculty, student affairs and disability professionals with the most up-to-date practices. The text delivers updated legal guidance and case references, assistance in benchmarking office policies and practices, new case studies, and a review chapter for teaching and assessing learning. New examples impart the best decision-making practices, describe what to do when things go awry, and discuss how to avoid problems by implementing strong accessibility-focused policies. Written by noted educators and practitioners at prestigious health science schools, this text is backed by years of practice and expertise. It is written in an easy-to-read, engaging manner that makes disability inclusion and disability law accessible to all.