Statistics on the number of physicians with a disability

Unfortunately, there are no good statistics on the number of physicians with a disability. An American Medical News article from January 17, 2005 states:

Statistics on the number of physicians with a disability who are practicing medicine are scarce. A study published in the American Journal of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, based on data from 1996, estimated that 0.2% of medical school graduates have disabilities.

The article goes on to say:

Most physicians who are practicing with a disability acquired that disability during their career. Despite the enactment of the American with Disabilities Act in 1990, which prohibits discrimination against a qualified applicant who has disabilities, few students with disabilities enter the profession. In part, this is because medical students must be able to perform the essential functions of being a doctor, and each school determines for itself what these criteria are.

We hope that in the near future, we will have more information so that we can have accurate statistics to reflect the number of physicians who have a disability.

You may wish to read this article from The University of Medicine and Health Sciences, St. Kitts titled, "Doctors & Diversity: Disability Issues and U.S. Laws in Medicine."

The aging physician: AMA Senior Physicians Section (SPS)

The AMA Senior Physicians Section (SPS) is sponsoring a joint educational program at the 2013 Annual Meeting of the AMA House of Delegates, "The Aging Physician: Opportunities and Challenges," in conjunction with the AMA Council on Science and Public Health, Council on Medical Education, Organized Medical Staff Section, Section on Medical Schools, Women Physicians Congress and Young Physicians Section.

The program will focus on understanding impairment in older physicians as well as facilitating the planning of prevention strategies. The session will examine what role the AMA should play in determining competency measurements in an aging workforce. This program is approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.

Learn more here.

AMA/CMA/BMA International Conference on Physician Health 2010

The AMA/CMA/BMA International Conference on Physician Health 2010 is starting today.

Physician Health and Resiliency in the 21st Century
Oct. 3-5, 2010
Chicago, Ill.

Don't forget to subscribe to the Physician Health e-Letter here.

AMA/CMA/BMA International Conference on Physician Health 2010

The AMA/CMA/BMA International Conference on Physician Health 2010 is coming up October 3-5 in Chicago, IL. Will you be attending?

The theme this year is "Physician Health and Resiliency in the 21st Century"

Learn more about the conference here.

International Conference on Physician Health

International Conference on Physician Health
Physician Health and Resiliency in the 21st Century
3-5 October 2010
Swissotel, Chicago, Illinois, USA

Hosted by the American Medical Association (AMA) in conjunction with the British Medical Association (BMA) and the Canadian Medical Association (CMA).

Visit www.ama-assn.org/go/physicianhealth for more information.