Healthcare Careers for Workers with Disabilities

Don't miss this article on Monster.com titled, "Healthcare Careers for Workers with Disabilities."  Major healthcare employers are finding ways to integrate workers with disabilities into their workforces. So, whether you are an aspiring healthcare worker or an established one, make sure to learn about your options and your ability to stay employed in healthcare.

Campaign for Disability Employment

The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort between several disability and business organizations that seek to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace as well as the dividend to be realized by fully including people with disabilities at work. People with disabilities can and do make important contributions to America’s businesses every day. By implementing good workplace practices, like maintaining a flexible and inclusive work environment, businesses can capitalize on the talents of qualified people with disabilities, benefitting everyone.

The Campaign is a collaborative effort between several organizations that are working to raise awareness and change attitudes about disability and employment, including:

• American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD);
• National Business and Disability Council (NBDC);
• Job Accommodation Network (JAN)
• National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC);
• Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM);
• Special Olympics (SO); and
• U.S. Business Leadership Network (USBLN).

The Campaign is funded by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP).

Learn more here: http://www.whatcanyoudocampaign.org

When is a tremor a physical disability for a surgeon?

When is a tremor a physical disability for a surgeon? This is the topic of discussion this week in our members-only forum.

There are many types of non-surgical jobs for surgeons who develop a physical disability and lose their ability to perform surgery safely. You can find some of those jobs here.

Physician Jobs in Medical Affairs

Physicians who have disabilities can often still work on computers. There are a variety of Medical Affairs jobs that may be suitable for physicians who are disabled from working in a clinical setting. Have you considered working in medical affairs?

Take a look at some of these Medical Affairs job descriptions.

Jobs by SimplyHired

Disability Equality Index (DEI) for physicians with disabilities

The AAPD (American Association of People with Disabilities) and USBLN (US Business Leadership Network) are working together to produce a corporate benchmarking tool on workplace policies and practices regarding the employment of people with disabilities.

The Disability Equality Index (DEI) will provide an objective way for companies to benchmark their progress and identify avenues for continued improvement. It will keep practitioners informed of best and emerging practices and point them toward peers in the employer community that are already demonstrating exemplary efforts.

The DEI will become a unique tool that will focus on building relationships and consensus with executives in the private sector to advance employment opportunities for people with disabilities throughout the workforce.

You can learn more about the DEI here.

Physicians and the Americans with Disabilities Act

What does the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) have to say about Health Care Workers and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)?

You can read the EEOC’s Questions and Answers about Health Care Workers and the Americans with Disabilities Act here. You'll find answers to common questions like:

• When is a health care worker an individual with a disability under the ADA?
• Are health care applicants or employees who are alcoholics or who engage in illegal drug use considered to have a disability under the ADA?
• What determines if a health care worker is “qualified” to perform a job within the meaning of the ADA?
• What is a request for accommodation, and what should an employer and an individual with a disability do after a request for accommodation has been made?
• Will an employer’s “light duty” program satisfy its obligation to make reasonable accommodations under the ADA?
• and more

Health care is the largest industry in the American economy, and has a high incidence of occupational injury and illness. The ADA protects a qualified individual with a disability from disparate treatment or harassment based on disability, and also provides that, absent undue hardship, a qualified individual with a disability is entitled to reasonable accommodation to perform, or apply for, a job or to enjoy the benefits and privileges of employment. The ADA also includes rules regarding when, and to what extent, employers may seek medical information from applicants or employees. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) enforces the employment provisions of the ADA. Most states also have their own laws prohibiting employment discrimination on the basis of disability. Some of these laws may apply to smaller employers and provide protections in addition to those available under the ADA.

JAN's Accommodating Employees in Health Care Settings

The Job Accommodation Network (JAN) is the leading source of free, expert, and confidential guidance on workplace accommodations and disability employment issues. Working toward practical solutions that benefit both employer and employee, JAN helps people with disabilities enhance their employability, and shows employers how to capitalize on the value and talent that people with disabilities add to the workplace.

In the JAN publication titled, "JAN's Accommodating Employees in Health Care Settings," the following example is given about a physician with a physical disability:

A physician with muscular dystrophy was having problems getting up from a seated position after consulting with patients. The individual was accommodated with a lift cushion for his chair.


JAN is one of several services provided by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP). Its development has been achieved through the collaborative efforts of ODEP, West Virginia University, and private industry throughout North America.

Improving the Employment of People with Disabilities Through Technology

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy will hold a live webcast called Accessibility and Emerging Technology – Keys to Improving the Employment of People with Disabilities on August 16, 2012 from 2 - 3 p.m. Eastern Time. During this free event, panelists will discuss their views on the challenges and opportunities of emerging technologies, cloud computing and mobile applications in the workplace. This event will be live audio-captioned and will feature a real-time Twitter feed with the hashtag #ATworks.

Learn more about this event here.

VA “Badges for Vets” Contest

Goal: Help Vets Get Jobs

WASHINGTON – The Department of Veterans Affairs today announced the Badges for Vets contest for creating digital “badge” systems to help Veterans translate their military skills into civilian jobs.

“We are looking for ways to make it easy for employers to see Veterans for who they are: highly qualified individuals in any job applicant pool,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki. “We want to help good jobs find Veterans and help Veterans find good jobs.”

A “digital badge” recognizes skills obtained through non-traditional learning, such as work-related training, online courses, and experience. Learners display their badges across the Web, resulting in jobs or formal credit.

“Many recently discharged Veterans earned employable skills during their time in uniform,” said Jonah Czerwinski, director of the VA Innovations Initiative that sponsors the new contest. “They represent high-quality training and real-life experience. We’re looking for new ways for employers to easily identify Veterans who have this training and this experience to fill good jobs in the private sector.”

HHS and FDA Virtual Hiring Event for Veterans & People with Disabilities

Last week, the HHS and FDA held a virtual hiring event for veterans and people with disabilities who are interested in working at the HHS or FDA. If you missed that virtual event, you can still get information to apply for these government jobs.

Find the jobs on the FDA Job Center - Information on the numerous positions were accepting resumes for during the Virtual Hiring Event. These positions are located throughout the nation at FDA & HHS including the Centers and Operating Divisions.

The FDA's Job Center is designed to provide candidates with all the information they need to successfully apply to available positions at HHS and FDA. In the chart below we have indicated the Occupational Groups and Series that we numerous positions to fill and are actively recruiting for the Virtual Hiring Event on Nov 3rd.

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recognizes the importance and difficulty for veterans and people with disabilities to find suitable employment despite their education, experience, and skill. HHS and FDA are committed to becoming a model employer, ensuring that qualified veterans and individuals with disabilities have access to employment opportunities within our department.

More information can be found here.

Hiring People With Disabilities Made Simple

The Office of Personnel Management has created a series of quick training videos on a range of subjects to help you achieve your mission and important recruitment, hiring and diversity goals.

Click here to view the presentation titled, "Hiring People With Disabilities Made Simple"

Federal Disability Job Fair - June 9

The U.S. Department of Labor in partnership with The Federal Executive Board will hold a Job Fair for people with disabilities from 10 a.m. - 12:30 p.m. on June 9, 2011 in Richardson, TX. Two sessions will each present 'How to Apply “Schedule A” Authority in the Federal Government?' and 'Employment and Training Programs and Career Websites.' For more information, contact Blas Rueda-Caraballo at (972) 850-4459 or rueda-caraballo.blas@dol.gov or click here (PDF)

Tax benefits for organizations that hire physicians with disabilities

This information is from the IRS website:

Businesses accommodating people with disabilities may qualify for some of the following tax credits and deductions. More detailed information may be found in the IRS publications referenced.

Disabled Access Credit

The Disabled Access Credit provides a non-refundable credit for small businesses that incur expenditures for the purpose of providing access to persons with disabilities. An eligible small business is one that that earned $1 million or less or had no more than 30 full time employees in the previous year; they may take the credit each and every year they incur access expenditures. Refer to Form 8826, Disabled Access Credit (PDF), for information about eligible expenditures.

Barrier Removal Tax Deduction

The Architectural Barrier Removal Tax Deduction encourages businesses of any size to remove architectural and transportation barriers to the mobility of persons with disabilities and the elderly. Businesses may claim a deduction of up to $15,000 a year for qualified expenses for items that normally must be capitalized. Businesses claim the deduction by listing it as a separate expense on their income tax return. Also, businesses may use the Disabled Tax Credit and the architectural/transportation tax deduction together in the same tax year, if the expenses meet the requirements of both sections. To use both, the deduction is equal to the difference between the total expenditures and the amount of the credit claimed.

Campaign for Disability Employment "I Can" PSA

The Campaign for Disability Employment is a collaborative effort to promote positive employment outcomes for people with disabilities by encouraging employers and others to recognize the value and talent they bring to the workplace.

Part-time jobs for disabled physicians

I recently heard from a disabled physician who found a part-time non-clinical job with a growing company. If you're looking for some part-time employment and you have a physical disability, perhaps you'll find some useful information by visiting NonClinicalJobs.com.

There are a number of jobs that may be suitable for disabled physicians who have the ability to use a computer.  It's important to brush up on basic computer skills so that you can improve your work efficiency.

Career development for doctors with a disability

Here's a link to an old BMJ article titled, "Career development for doctors with a disability."

Doctors with disability can face discrimination and hostility from their colleagues, though they are more likely to be better employees. Stuart Mercer, general practitioner and amputee, discusses

This article was written in 1998. We definitely need some modern resources to help disabled physicians find the right type of employment. Our hope is that the power of the Internet will allow disabled heatlhcare professionals to have the ability to share their stories of successes and failures so that others may learn and get inspired to pursue the right types of career opportunities.

Jobs for disabled physicians

If you're a disabled physician and you're looking for jobs, then you may want to take a look at NonClinicalJobs.com (an online resource that lists some alternative physician job opportunities for physicians who may be disabled).   I've recently had the opportunity to speak with several disabled physicians who are looking for employment opportunities in the clinical and non-clinical setting.  The opportunities are out there, but you need to know how to find them.