Consider this, the norm is what I and many people with disabilities deal with it. I remember talking to my primary care doctor who had been treating me for years. I asked, "What do you know about _____ (My condition is Post Polio Syndrome), I don't know what to expect." "Hmm I don't know anything about that." "Well are you going to read up on it?" "Uh, No you're the only patient I have with it." After that I was thrown out of the practice for complaining to my insurance company about his not reading the reports the specialist were sending to him. Shortly afterwards my wife got a letter from the same practice announcing they were going concierge and to please send them $XX.XX if you want to continue to be our patient.
Contrast that with the fact the two leading experts on Post Polio Syndrome, Dr. Lauro Halstead & Dr. Richard Bruno are both disabled and dealing with the same issues as their patients. After I was kicked out of practice A, I tried a couple of other Primary Care doctors but asked up front, "I have PPS, what do know about it, and are you going to learn about it?" The answer was uniformly, Nothing and no"
Contrast that with the fact the two leading experts on Post Polio Syndrome, Dr. Lauro Halstead & Dr. Richard Bruno are both disabled and dealing with the same issues as their patients. After I was kicked out of practice A, I tried a couple of other Primary Care doctors but asked up front, "I have PPS, what do know about it, and are you going to learn about it?" The answer was uniformly, Nothing and no"
i am a physician ( pediatrician ) and recently ( yesterday) had a cosmetic procedure performed by one of the most considerate, kind hearted plastic surgeon Dr. Alphonsus Doerr. He is an amazing physician with great bedside manners and a Para Olympian...Having a plastic surgeon with a disability was amazing. Plus i have had the pleasure of seeing him at work with families....empathy on my part and then respect...
1
I started two years before Dr. Snyder, in the same medical school. I, too, became disabled during school. I am not blond or blue eyed. I studied hard and paid the registrar responsibly for two years. I ended up in the university hospital. I paid the billing department and hoped impotently for a year.
When I came back worse off, I could not secure ADA accommodations. I failed. Now I careen about the world with this country's tired and hungry. We the forgotten, the shoulders on which your children stand.
When I came back worse off, I could not secure ADA accommodations. I failed. Now I careen about the world with this country's tired and hungry. We the forgotten, the shoulders on which your children stand.
6
The reality is that even with the ADA, in daily life most of us do not anyone with a visible disability in the course of our day - work, errands, recreation, etc.
The elderly often fiercely refuse to use a walker as it means they are 'crippled/old" and thus have no value in the eyes of the world.
There's a line in a song that says we are all just temporarily able bodied...our fears keep us in denial and those with disability in a sort of ghetto where much of what they experience is invisible to those of us who don't have a visible disability.
These disabled docs have turned challenges into opportunities for themselves and for the medical care system....we need more of them...and also nurses and social workers and all the 'office' jobs in health care setting....because they will be change agents inside the health care system to repeatedly demonstrate that disabled does not mean demented, deaf/blind/mute or in need of a caregiver at all times.
The elderly often fiercely refuse to use a walker as it means they are 'crippled/old" and thus have no value in the eyes of the world.
There's a line in a song that says we are all just temporarily able bodied...our fears keep us in denial and those with disability in a sort of ghetto where much of what they experience is invisible to those of us who don't have a visible disability.
These disabled docs have turned challenges into opportunities for themselves and for the medical care system....we need more of them...and also nurses and social workers and all the 'office' jobs in health care setting....because they will be change agents inside the health care system to repeatedly demonstrate that disabled does not mean demented, deaf/blind/mute or in need of a caregiver at all times.
1
30 years ago I sustained a traumatic spinal cord injury. I had just completed my second year of medical school. While I was in the ICU the dean told my parents that he and the medical school administration would commit to helping me resume my training even if I have permanent disability.
Months of hospitalizations and many surgeries gave me insight to fears and uncertainty of patients that other medical students and professors could not fully understand. I entered medical school before the ADA and I've been told I would not have been admitted as a paraplegic student. I was told that there were no other paraplegic medical students so we had to problem at step. With the help of my family, friends and medical school I completed medical school.
I did my residency in pediatrics and was a Chief Resident. Like the striking photo of Dr. Snyder in the article, I conducted ward rounds sitting in my wheelchair.
I have worked as a general pediatrician in a large city and now in a small farming community. Through my career I hope I have helped my physician colleagues understand that people with disabilities can contribute equally in many professions.
Pediatricians have the privilege to watch many children grow up. My patients know that a doctor with a disability is ordinary in their experience. That is the best gift I can give them.
Months of hospitalizations and many surgeries gave me insight to fears and uncertainty of patients that other medical students and professors could not fully understand. I entered medical school before the ADA and I've been told I would not have been admitted as a paraplegic student. I was told that there were no other paraplegic medical students so we had to problem at step. With the help of my family, friends and medical school I completed medical school.
I did my residency in pediatrics and was a Chief Resident. Like the striking photo of Dr. Snyder in the article, I conducted ward rounds sitting in my wheelchair.
I have worked as a general pediatrician in a large city and now in a small farming community. Through my career I hope I have helped my physician colleagues understand that people with disabilities can contribute equally in many professions.
Pediatricians have the privilege to watch many children grow up. My patients know that a doctor with a disability is ordinary in their experience. That is the best gift I can give them.
15
Point 1: Oh I absolutely believe that medical offices tell PWDs they cannot accommodate them or will not be able to give a full exam. I've been paralyzed for years, and I've learned to turn it right back around on them. "You can't get me on to the table to do my PAP smear? Then how am I supposed to be checked for cervical cancer, with both my mom and grandma had?" YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT YOU DON'T HAVE THE ABILITY TO EXAMINE PEOPLE WITH HEALTH ISSUES. You are a doctor's office! Figure it out!
Point 2: When I received a spinal cord injury 17 years ago and landed in physical rehab, one of the doctors rolled into the room in a wheelchair. I can't tell you how much just seeing that affected me at the time. At that point I was terrified that my life was over, relegated to the inspirational poor. But seeing that SCI doc let me know that even the most prestigious jobs may not be off-limits to me. Thank you, Dr. I forget, for showing me that.
Point 2: When I received a spinal cord injury 17 years ago and landed in physical rehab, one of the doctors rolled into the room in a wheelchair. I can't tell you how much just seeing that affected me at the time. At that point I was terrified that my life was over, relegated to the inspirational poor. But seeing that SCI doc let me know that even the most prestigious jobs may not be off-limits to me. Thank you, Dr. I forget, for showing me that.
16
I've known several doctors with disabilities. They were more in the realm of attention deficit disorders. They stare at the computer screen and not you. They look at the clock.
I'm old enough to remember when doctors made house calls and walked up flights of stairs in the tenement to treat you for a $10.00 fee. In all kinds of weather.
I think my doctors missed the class called bedside manners. I went to an urgent care center last month for treatment of an accidental ear injury. The female doctor entered the room and said: "what's wrong with you?" I nearly went ballistic. That's health care today.
I'm old enough to remember when doctors made house calls and walked up flights of stairs in the tenement to treat you for a $10.00 fee. In all kinds of weather.
I think my doctors missed the class called bedside manners. I went to an urgent care center last month for treatment of an accidental ear injury. The female doctor entered the room and said: "what's wrong with you?" I nearly went ballistic. That's health care today.
3
I think being on the Autism Spectrum is a requirement for med school now.
A fine article and many useful comments, some clearly reflect deep empathy and some reflect great wisdom. There are; however, a range of disabilities that I did not see in either the article and/or in most comments. Some of those disabilities are psychological and/or psychiatric in terms of diagnoses.
For example, when I received my MS in Educational Psychology in 1973, acknowledging any psychological and/or psychiatric diagnosis would most likely have led to an exclusion from training. While there has been progress, it is still tough for many individuals, especially those diagnosed with almost any persistent mental illness, no matter how well managed. I don't have any easy answers, but having a major depression diagnosis for many years has been a regular reminder of the continuing stigma. At age 70, I don't expect immediate improvements, especially given the current political climate.
For example, when I received my MS in Educational Psychology in 1973, acknowledging any psychological and/or psychiatric diagnosis would most likely have led to an exclusion from training. While there has been progress, it is still tough for many individuals, especially those diagnosed with almost any persistent mental illness, no matter how well managed. I don't have any easy answers, but having a major depression diagnosis for many years has been a regular reminder of the continuing stigma. At age 70, I don't expect immediate improvements, especially given the current political climate.
7
I am a disabled doctor. I was 14 years into my career as a Family Medicine physician, with a busy thriving practice, when I was diagnosed with Systemic Lupus, Sjögren's Syndrome, and Hashimoto's thyroiditis. My body collapsed soon afterwards and I was hospitalized for the first time. Over the course of nearly three years I made 4 attempts to return to work, despite my battered and suppressed immune system, overwhelming fatigue, constant pain and cognitive difficulties. After my last hospital visit for lupus cerebritis (inflammation of my brain) I finally realized that my career was over. There was absolutely no place for me in medicine anymore. I am completely disabled now. I can't work at all. I've lost a huge part of my identity and it's devastating. I would love nothing more than to bring my years of experience as a primary care physician and my deep personal knowledge of autoimmune disease. But, sadly, I am too sick to reliably hold down a job, so all my years of experience are locked away, never to be shared.
14
So sorry for your misfortune.
I'm a physician who did Family Practice for over 25 years until my chronic back pain, which I've now had for 29 years, became too severe and I had to leave because of disability in 2003. I developed a Medical Counseling Practice which I could do from a reclining chair and over 6 years ago learned a way to work with neuroplasticity to drastically decrease the pain and have gotten much better. I now teach that neuroplastic method in person and online in groups and individually. I know what it's like to lose work that I love, and find work that I could only do as a disabled physician. I would be happy to talk with you for support and brainstorming, if you like. You can contact me through my website www.medicalcounseling.net.
The statistics on the healthcare patients with disabilities receive is disturbing, but I guess not surprising. Other minorities also get less adequate care, which is indicative of the unequal value we place on people's lives. This comes through loud and clear in the current healthcare debate, when Medicaid -- the source of healthcare funding for most seniors, people with disabilities, and the poor, as well as veterans -- is deemed expendable. Not unlike the people themselves.
10
I have a spinal cord injury and am in a wheelchair. Great article. Have found it difficulty to find doctors who treat me and examine me like other patients. I have been told on many occasions I could not receive certain tests and unable to get help to get on exam tables. I have to continually advocate for myself in the healthcare system
8
So indicative of America.
I went to see "The Glass Menagerie" on Broadway this spring. Guess what? The disabled character in the play was really disabled! It was inspiring.
Maybe if we didn't have Bradley Cooper playing a disabled man, or Tom Hanks playing a disabled kid, or other well bodied people playing "characters" this country would not be under the impression disabled people are "others" somwhere out there in the crowd.
At least it could be a tiny start. Being disabled is real. Let's get real then and start recognizing ways to empathize in the everyday. This should not be a surprise. Our relationship with disabilities and the needs of the disabled should be a norm, not the unusual.
I went to see "The Glass Menagerie" on Broadway this spring. Guess what? The disabled character in the play was really disabled! It was inspiring.
Maybe if we didn't have Bradley Cooper playing a disabled man, or Tom Hanks playing a disabled kid, or other well bodied people playing "characters" this country would not be under the impression disabled people are "others" somwhere out there in the crowd.
At least it could be a tiny start. Being disabled is real. Let's get real then and start recognizing ways to empathize in the everyday. This should not be a surprise. Our relationship with disabilities and the needs of the disabled should be a norm, not the unusual.
12
In Denver, CO, there is a theater group called PHAMALY, which is peopled with actors having various disabilities. The first time I saw "Glass Menagerie" abut 3 years ago, it was done by this troupe, with the most obviously disabled person being the young woman in the play. Since then, I have seen many of the productions of this theater group and I'm always impressed with their shows. You easily forget that they are not all totally able-bodied.
Some of the actors have also been in shows at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver's big theater complex downtown.
We applaud their abilities!!
Some of the actors have also been in shows at the Denver Center for the Performing Arts, Denver's big theater complex downtown.
We applaud their abilities!!
4
It's certainly true that people with disabilities are regarded differently by the medical community. As a kid with cancer in the '60s I was treated with astonishing kindness and even deference. But back then, kids with cancer were only good at one thing: dying.
Fast forward to the late '70s and I was an adult hemipelvectomy amputee - the price I paid to survive earlier - with a new cancer arising from the radiation used to treat the original one. No doctor, not even at Massachusetts General Hospital where I was originally treated, paid much attention to my symptoms.
A kid in his 20s from Revere - a working class town in Massachusetts - in the bed next to me regarded me with disdain. "You don't get it, do you?" he said. "They see you and they see a two-time loser. Only way you'll get them to pay attention is if you make them!"
My girlfriend was with me. Tall, strong, gorgeous Italian woman from West Newton whom I'd later marry. Doctor comes in, says something about a holiday weekend coming up and attempts to leave. My girlfriend grabs him by both lapels and shoves up against a wall. "You will treat him right now," she snarled barely an inch from his face. Turned out to be one very hot tumor. And she saved my life that day....as did the fellow from Revere.
Doctors with disabilities. Yeah, we could use a few.
Fast forward to the late '70s and I was an adult hemipelvectomy amputee - the price I paid to survive earlier - with a new cancer arising from the radiation used to treat the original one. No doctor, not even at Massachusetts General Hospital where I was originally treated, paid much attention to my symptoms.
A kid in his 20s from Revere - a working class town in Massachusetts - in the bed next to me regarded me with disdain. "You don't get it, do you?" he said. "They see you and they see a two-time loser. Only way you'll get them to pay attention is if you make them!"
My girlfriend was with me. Tall, strong, gorgeous Italian woman from West Newton whom I'd later marry. Doctor comes in, says something about a holiday weekend coming up and attempts to leave. My girlfriend grabs him by both lapels and shoves up against a wall. "You will treat him right now," she snarled barely an inch from his face. Turned out to be one very hot tumor. And she saved my life that day....as did the fellow from Revere.
Doctors with disabilities. Yeah, we could use a few.
38
Jonathon
This country needs more tall, strong, gorgeous Italian women from West Newton!
I absolutely love your story. All these five decades working in healthcare shows me some things never change. As I've said still exists jerks making healthcare decisions for others that are unwilling to give chances, to treat people equally with passion and skill, to get out of their snooty groove.
So, for the ones that treat human patients all the same, utilizing the oath they take, always, those sometimes few and far between and hard to find, will hopefully be appreciated, thanked, and given the courage to never change.
Thank yo so much for this comment. Best to you.
MIMA
This country needs more tall, strong, gorgeous Italian women from West Newton!
I absolutely love your story. All these five decades working in healthcare shows me some things never change. As I've said still exists jerks making healthcare decisions for others that are unwilling to give chances, to treat people equally with passion and skill, to get out of their snooty groove.
So, for the ones that treat human patients all the same, utilizing the oath they take, always, those sometimes few and far between and hard to find, will hopefully be appreciated, thanked, and given the courage to never change.
Thank yo so much for this comment. Best to you.
MIMA
9
What about alcoholics & opioid addicted physicians? The ADA states that addiction is NOT a disability & people with disabilities that the ADA covers lose benefits if the are addicts ! We have no cure for addiction. Swept into church basements for "god" to sort out.
4
I was a college dean. My administrative assistant had cerebral palsy. It affected her speech and mildly affected her movement. She was also brilliant. She had been saved from a life as a cripple by a nun at a Catholic school in a small Idaho town. It took me a bit, but I learned her dialect and truly appreciated her wit, intelligence, and willingness to do what needed to be done.
She wanted to be a doctor - not in private practice - but as a researcher. It took a lot of fighting, threatening, swearing, and simple refusing to give up to get in. When she graduated, I was extraordinarily proud of her accomplishments.
She told me "Doctors don't believe in pain. They also think a physical handicap means a person is stupid. I proved them wrong."
The medical profession's arrogance has produced a generation that doesn't know how to heal. They are mechanics. Having taught bio-statistics at a med school, I've learned that it is a trade school. The overwhelming majority just want to make big bucks. Yes, there are many who feel it is an almost sacred calling. They will be true doctors. The others? Hope they have a clear conscience as they drive their Mercedes.
She wanted to be a doctor - not in private practice - but as a researcher. It took a lot of fighting, threatening, swearing, and simple refusing to give up to get in. When she graduated, I was extraordinarily proud of her accomplishments.
She told me "Doctors don't believe in pain. They also think a physical handicap means a person is stupid. I proved them wrong."
The medical profession's arrogance has produced a generation that doesn't know how to heal. They are mechanics. Having taught bio-statistics at a med school, I've learned that it is a trade school. The overwhelming majority just want to make big bucks. Yes, there are many who feel it is an almost sacred calling. They will be true doctors. The others? Hope they have a clear conscience as they drive their Mercedes.
15
I'm a PhD with CP that affects my speech and gait. Even now, when I show up to give a conference lecture or even wander around campus, I am often mistaken for a lost patient, trespasser, etc. I run a successful research lab, have an ivy league tenure track position, and otherwise am perfectly competent in my work. Many times at conferences I've been told that I happen to share a name with a well-respected researcher. "We should find her so you can meet her!" (I AM HER!)
4
i also have a sister disabled at birth with cp. At age 50, her physical condition has worsened. I am trying to find specialist who she can see , physical therapists, occupational therapists, neurologists in Philadelphia to help her. Anyone with suggestions?
She has been going to a physician assistant who has been helpful in the past.
but unfortunately I'm not sure how much the medical community knows about cerebral palsy in the elderly.
She has been going to a physician assistant who has been helpful in the past.
but unfortunately I'm not sure how much the medical community knows about cerebral palsy in the elderly.
1
Try an academic medical center, there are several in Philadelphia. They tend to have more specialists (e.g. Geriatricians) and tend to see everyone.
1
Have you tried the Einstein Center for Adults with Developmental Disabilities (CADD)?
Contact info is:
1200 Tabor Road
Room 141
Philadelphia, PA 19141
Phone: 215-456-9142
The medical community definitely has a lot of catching up to do in how to treat those with "pediatric conditions" that are aging, but they might be able to help. There are some providers in the Penn network who treat both pediatrics and adults with CP, and might be good additions to her care, or resources to point you in the direction of the specialists you're looking for.
Contact info is:
1200 Tabor Road
Room 141
Philadelphia, PA 19141
Phone: 215-456-9142
The medical community definitely has a lot of catching up to do in how to treat those with "pediatric conditions" that are aging, but they might be able to help. There are some providers in the Penn network who treat both pediatrics and adults with CP, and might be good additions to her care, or resources to point you in the direction of the specialists you're looking for.
3
Karen, I'm an adult in my mid-30s with cerebral palsy. I suggest contacting the Weinberg Family Cerebral Palsy Center at Columbia: http://www.columbiaortho.org/specialties/cpcenter (Though in NYC, they could be a good resource & help direct you to people who know about CP in your sister's area.)
I see an awesome PT who works at SPEAR Physical Therapy, a big sports/ortho-based practice, but I reached out to the CEO, who then reached out to all the PTs. Mine stepped up — he was already treating two people with CP at the time. He's been a life-changer. The key is that he was eager to help, and just as eager to listen and learn. When I asked for a recommendation in the NJ area for someone else, the CEO recommended Strive PT and it looks like they have a Philly location: http://www.strivephysicaltherapy.com/
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation is also an excellent informational resource: http://yourcpf.org/
For nearly 30 years, Dr. Leon Root took care of me. Since his death, I've discovered that care for adults with CP is sorely lacking, especially given how many millions of us there are. I see a physiatrist for spasticity, so that might be something worth investigating.
I hope this helps!
I see an awesome PT who works at SPEAR Physical Therapy, a big sports/ortho-based practice, but I reached out to the CEO, who then reached out to all the PTs. Mine stepped up — he was already treating two people with CP at the time. He's been a life-changer. The key is that he was eager to help, and just as eager to listen and learn. When I asked for a recommendation in the NJ area for someone else, the CEO recommended Strive PT and it looks like they have a Philly location: http://www.strivephysicaltherapy.com/
The Cerebral Palsy Foundation is also an excellent informational resource: http://yourcpf.org/
For nearly 30 years, Dr. Leon Root took care of me. Since his death, I've discovered that care for adults with CP is sorely lacking, especially given how many millions of us there are. I see a physiatrist for spasticity, so that might be something worth investigating.
I hope this helps!
Thank you for this informative article! The experience of patients in this article mirrors my own as a Type I diabetic under the care of an endocrinologist with the same disease. I receive excellent care from my physician because she has been well-trained at a renowned medical school AND because she understands the nuances of our condition. I trust her advice knowing her information comes from exemplary professional knowledge and personal experience with this disease over decades. I feel blessed to benefit from her care.
4
I am a physically-disabled medical student. I am at the beginning of my training, but I am pleased that I will eventually be joining ranks of physicians with disabilities! My future patients will certainly benefit from my experiences, but I also hope to challenge the prejudices of my colleagues and other physicians surrounding disability. I have had some truly unpleasant interactions with doctors over the past several years and have certainly noticed a difference in my treatment when I entered the realm of visible disability. The questions of "any chance you could be pregnant?" and "are you sexually active?" have all but ceased. One of my own doctors told me, "you can't go to medical school because you use crutches." Thankfully, the remainder have been incredibly supportive and encouraging. Such comments continued while applying to medical school. At one interview, I entered the room and introduced myself to the interviewer. My introduction was met with "Oh, you're crippled." Pre-meds and fellow applicants not much better, though perhaps they still have potential to change.
I'm thrilled to have joined a program where I feel welcomed by the faculty and students and where accommodating me isn't implied to be a burden.
I'm thrilled to have joined a program where I feel welcomed by the faculty and students and where accommodating me isn't implied to be a burden.
14
We'd love to hear more...contact us via #DocsWithDisabilities
As a wheelchair user I am very grateful for your article. I am extremely fortunate to have a primary care physician who is very thoughtful and empathetic. And after my accident I was in a hospital that is well known for spinal cord injuries and rehabilitation of patients suffering from a spinal cord injury. Even then, I always encounter challenges (e.g. exam tables that are too high, equipment not designed to accommodate a person with a spinal cord injury). At the end of the game I've learned that I need to ask questions, anticipate challenges, help educate others, and in some cases just stand your ground.
However, I do take issue with the opening of this article. The purpose of accessible parking is not about having a spot "next to the entrance". For myself and many others, accessible parking is critical. Having wider parking lanes close to ramps and cut curbs provide me the ability to safely retrieve my wheelchair from the car; the ability to safely transfer from my car into my chair; and the ability to safely get on the sidewalk (with a minimal distance pushing my wheelchair behind cars in a busy parking lot). For many, this might seem like a minor critique, but it's a major issue. Positioning the placard simply as a way to gain a more desirable parking spot only encourages able bodied individuals to abuse the designated spots (e.g. "I'm only going to be 10 minutes", or use someone else's placard).
Again, thank you for a great article.
However, I do take issue with the opening of this article. The purpose of accessible parking is not about having a spot "next to the entrance". For myself and many others, accessible parking is critical. Having wider parking lanes close to ramps and cut curbs provide me the ability to safely retrieve my wheelchair from the car; the ability to safely transfer from my car into my chair; and the ability to safely get on the sidewalk (with a minimal distance pushing my wheelchair behind cars in a busy parking lot). For many, this might seem like a minor critique, but it's a major issue. Positioning the placard simply as a way to gain a more desirable parking spot only encourages able bodied individuals to abuse the designated spots (e.g. "I'm only going to be 10 minutes", or use someone else's placard).
Again, thank you for a great article.
18
we go to medical school when we are young and healthy, our patients are old and ill. we're in the white coats and they are lying in bed in hospital gowns. and then we get older, develop our own health problems and grey hair, and slowly start resembling the patients more than the latest crop of young doctors. and in some of us this process is accelerated by accidents or illnesses and suddenly we are them. as I learned the hard way, as did the doctors in your article (to paraphrase Schopenhauer) suffering leads to compassion. I'm a better doctor after nearly dying as a patient so something positive can certainly result from something terrible
19
points,
As it takes an experienced doctor to learn from being an experienced patient, I wonder if an experienced legislator will gain something about guns, after an experience from being a patient who has suffered from gunshot wounds.
MIMA
As it takes an experienced doctor to learn from being an experienced patient, I wonder if an experienced legislator will gain something about guns, after an experience from being a patient who has suffered from gunshot wounds.
MIMA
2
"Researchers found that while most medical schools had such statements listed on their websites, many statements were difficult to find, and only one-third of schools explicitly said they would support accommodations for disabilities."
While I applaud the author's intentions, unfortunately, this passage speaks for itself. Medical schools and their deans are well aware of the ADA and its requirements. These are large institutions that employ dozens if not hundreds of lawyers. OF COURSE they have non-discrimination statements "listed on their websites." These are institutions that deal with disease and disability every day. It's no oversight if those statements are "hard to find" or less than informative.
Take just one example. At the Mayo Clinic they have a multi page illustrated site devoted to teaching high schoolers their dress code. Yet their anti-discrimination page - of far more importance, one might think - is pure boilerplate. You can tell from their efforts which policy they're more interested in:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/documents/equal-employment-opportunity-affirma...
https://careerawareness.mayoclinic.org/hubcap/dress-decorum/
And as for the 2/3 of schools that refuse to explicitly support students with disabilities? Until the NYT lists THOSE schools by name, and the names of their Deans of the Medical School and Deans of Graduate Medical Education, this cause, like so many other attempts to reform medical practice, will go nowhere.
While I applaud the author's intentions, unfortunately, this passage speaks for itself. Medical schools and their deans are well aware of the ADA and its requirements. These are large institutions that employ dozens if not hundreds of lawyers. OF COURSE they have non-discrimination statements "listed on their websites." These are institutions that deal with disease and disability every day. It's no oversight if those statements are "hard to find" or less than informative.
Take just one example. At the Mayo Clinic they have a multi page illustrated site devoted to teaching high schoolers their dress code. Yet their anti-discrimination page - of far more importance, one might think - is pure boilerplate. You can tell from their efforts which policy they're more interested in:
http://www.mayoclinic.org/documents/equal-employment-opportunity-affirma...
https://careerawareness.mayoclinic.org/hubcap/dress-decorum/
And as for the 2/3 of schools that refuse to explicitly support students with disabilities? Until the NYT lists THOSE schools by name, and the names of their Deans of the Medical School and Deans of Graduate Medical Education, this cause, like so many other attempts to reform medical practice, will go nowhere.
17
Having recently completed the medical school application process, even the schools that explicitly state they support accommodations for students with disabilities have varying degrees of comfort when presented with a real-life disabled applicant. I only applied to such schools and it was still implied by interviewers at several of them that I would not be welcome there.
8
Good luck getting America's teaching hospitals to abide by the ADA. You will find no profession more smugly disdainful of those with illness and disability than the medical profession, and no profession less accommodating or more overtly discriminatory. It's well known, it's intentional, and it's all about the bottom line.
12
9:40 pm here in a teaching hospital. Will miss my son's bedtime again. None of my activities over the past 2 hours have been billable or reimbursable, including sitting with a patient of mine while he cried.
Sorry you (and those who recommend this comment) had a bad experience, and I am no hero, but as far as it being all about the bottom line--especially in a teaching hospital--I have to disagree.
Sorry you (and those who recommend this comment) had a bad experience, and I am no hero, but as far as it being all about the bottom line--especially in a teaching hospital--I have to disagree.
24
My Dad was a doctor who made house calls every day despite being paralyzed by polio. He wore a brace and a corset with metal stays and got around on crutches (a wheelchair at the hospital because the floors were smooth). He said it made him a better doctor, that it gave him a clearer perception of the patient's point of view. "It made me a better listener," he said, and "half of medicine is listening."
His patients, meanwhile, said his challenge made them better patients. As one man told me once, "One time I saw your doc coming up my front stairs during a snowstorm and suddenly I didn't feel half as bad."
Thanks for this article. It's all about empathy. And in all this jabber-talking about Obamacare and Trumpcare and this and that, we've forgotten what it's all about, the essence of good medicine.
His patients, meanwhile, said his challenge made them better patients. As one man told me once, "One time I saw your doc coming up my front stairs during a snowstorm and suddenly I didn't feel half as bad."
Thanks for this article. It's all about empathy. And in all this jabber-talking about Obamacare and Trumpcare and this and that, we've forgotten what it's all about, the essence of good medicine.
37
I have a typo: The man's quote should be:
"One time I saw Doc coming up my front stairs during a snowstorm and suddenly I didn't feel half as bad."
tnx.
g
"One time I saw Doc coming up my front stairs during a snowstorm and suddenly I didn't feel half as bad."
tnx.
g
2
The medical profession could use help in terms of training and hiring people who are more empathetic to the patients they serve. Almost all of us will experience some form of disability before we take our last breath. Having more doctors that understand the experience of being disabled and feeling helpless about it when you need assistance the most, would be helpful to so many patients.
This is a great article, its recommendations are sensible, and it's spot-on. Great writing too!
This is a great article, its recommendations are sensible, and it's spot-on. Great writing too!
12
Firsthand knowledge of the injustice society continues to impinge on folks with disabilities is a wonderful way to even the odds; and finally becoming a physician/nurse/physical therapist who advocates for the necessary healthcare support the rest of us take for granted.
4
From a lot of recent experience, they don't even want to see you for anything--they just want the money. a large part of the problem is that most doctors who are youngish have not had the kinds of illnesses thatr many of their patients have had and they have NO IDEA what it feels like to have lung cancer, gall bladder surgery, urinary problems, colon problems and so many other things. They might have experienced a sprained ankle when they were playing tennis. I've been waiting 2 months for "my doctor" to respond to the ultrasound evaluation that they ordered.
You go into the office, they don't even touch you anymore, they do blood pressure through the shirt, read their computer for the problem that you ahve stated a dozens times, and medical history---forget it. When I was young, I actually had Dr Welby-like physicians who were interested in their patients welbeing--now it is JUST MONEY. BIGLY SAD as the Don would say.
Need medical care--go to Cuba.
You go into the office, they don't even touch you anymore, they do blood pressure through the shirt, read their computer for the problem that you ahve stated a dozens times, and medical history---forget it. When I was young, I actually had Dr Welby-like physicians who were interested in their patients welbeing--now it is JUST MONEY. BIGLY SAD as the Don would say.
Need medical care--go to Cuba.
6
When I was first diagnosed with a form of kidney disease, my HMO referred me to a private group of Nephrologists and Endocrinologists they had on contract as ther specialists. The physician who saw me was profoundly deaf from childhood. His languageskills, however, were as normal as mine, but his disability was evident.
When I was hospitalized for another health problem which
was complicated by the kidney disease, I was seen in that setting by other members of his medical group. Seeing him after my release, he apologized for not seeing me in hospital explaining that he didn't "round" because of his hearing loss which was off-putting for some patients.
To balance his non-rounding, he read all of the current journal articles, studies, etc. and then transfered the knowledge to his colleagues. In short, he was the best informed and up-to-date physician in his group. I really liked the guy and felt fortunate to have been under his care until I moved to San Francisco.
If you're out there and see this, Hi, Dr. Stephen Cooksey!
When I was hospitalized for another health problem which
was complicated by the kidney disease, I was seen in that setting by other members of his medical group. Seeing him after my release, he apologized for not seeing me in hospital explaining that he didn't "round" because of his hearing loss which was off-putting for some patients.
To balance his non-rounding, he read all of the current journal articles, studies, etc. and then transfered the knowledge to his colleagues. In short, he was the best informed and up-to-date physician in his group. I really liked the guy and felt fortunate to have been under his care until I moved to San Francisco.
If you're out there and see this, Hi, Dr. Stephen Cooksey!
31
Stephen Cooksey was at one time a colleague of mine. Your description of his skills and caring capture the essence of a truly fine physician. Thanks for passing on your recognition of Dr. Cooksey.
9
The best doctor I ever had was Dr. Gustave Hoehn. He was in a wheelchair due to polio, but he was an extremely skilled dermatologist. I first was taken to Dr. Hoehn before I was 2 years old, with painful rashes,crying, and wheezing. He determined I had eczema,food allergies and asthma. In small town California in the 1960's there were not the resources now accessible today. I was treated with steroids internally and externally, with the very careful use of sunlamps, and he put me on a restricted food diet. In 1964, i was eating no white flour, lean meat,all of the veggies I was not allergic to,(which were a lot) His compassion, his listening to me over the years as I grew, and the scarring rashes came and went,made life bearable. He worked until his nineties, and he even published some books on how food could help heal acne. The world should be gifted with more doctors with "disabiities."
20
It's not just medicine. I'm a neuropsychologist. During my doctoral psychology training, I took one cozy, small class in which the other participants already knew one another and the professor, who was a psychotherapist. Everyone sat on the floor.
Except me. I explained that I have severe arthritis and would have to sit on a chair.
No problem! I sat on my chair and the circle (including the professor) formed, with one classmate and the professor sitting directly in front of me. I was entirely excluded. My attempts at contributing to the discussion were met with blank looks. Had a chair spoken?
Along came lunchtime. A wall of backs formed while classmates decided where to eat. In vain, I asked two the location.
As it was an elective, I switched courses that afternoon. I've often wondered about the quality of psychotherapy those students eventually provided to anyone with a disability.
Except me. I explained that I have severe arthritis and would have to sit on a chair.
No problem! I sat on my chair and the circle (including the professor) formed, with one classmate and the professor sitting directly in front of me. I was entirely excluded. My attempts at contributing to the discussion were met with blank looks. Had a chair spoken?
Along came lunchtime. A wall of backs formed while classmates decided where to eat. In vain, I asked two the location.
As it was an elective, I switched courses that afternoon. I've often wondered about the quality of psychotherapy those students eventually provided to anyone with a disability.
53
How awful. I'm an MD and the PTSD from my medical training lasted at least 20 years.
7
Wow. Seems like some medical schools should hire Aimee Copeland to give a talk or two. She is the woman in Georgia who contracted necrotizing fasciitis and lost one leg completely, part of the other leg, and both hands. Today she is working, dating, and her hobbies include kayaking and wakeboarding. I'm sure she could open a few minds about what a life with disabilities can be and how foolish it is to assume that because a woman has difficulty walking, she must not be sexually active. Physicians-in-training and practicing physicians need positive images that shatter the stereotypes. And I second the previous commenter's point about people with mental illnesses or developmental disabilities such as Down Syndrome or autism. They too deserve medical care from professionals who are knowledgeable and willing to accommodate any special needs they have.
10
The issue isn't stereotypes. The issue is that teaching hospitals are in the business of exploitation of trainees, plain and simple. A disabled trainee or student is one they can't eke as much free or cheap labor out of. You, as a citizen, are partially responsible for this, because your government and courts have failed, time and time again, to intervene in the abusive medical training system. Doctors themselves are also to blame, for failing to effectively challenge the system. But no, a lecture or two from a disabled person won't change anything. And medicine is such a change-averse profession that it would take a meteor landing on a place like Mass General or the Mayo Clinic for these people to even contemplate changing the color of the embroidery on their lab coats, let alone deciding to abide by landmark legislation that protects the disabled.
6
Definitely. Just look at the ridiculous and dangerous hours that are part of residency programs. They demand more than non-disabled people can safely do, so there's no way they'd accommodate actual disabled people doing the job.
1
I went through medical school, residency, and practiced in academic medicine for almost 20yrs, all after a spinal cord injury that paralyzed my legs, fingers/arms, and trunk. With a bit of stubbornness and a great support system, it went very well. I managed the vast majority of my responsibilities without any assistance or accommodation. Patients with recent injuries or serious illness were overwhelmingly positive when they met a doc in a wheelchair, so pleased to have a caregiver who understood them. The AAMC technical standardsstandards for admission should allow for accommodation of students with disabilities, rather than completely excluding many applicants for lack of ability to suture, perform CPR and the like.
We are well-received and successful when given a chance. Please, AAMC, open your minds and acknowledge the reality of human potential.
We are well-received and successful when given a chance. Please, AAMC, open your minds and acknowledge the reality of human potential.
40
I'm glad you had a good experience.
1
My son is a third year medical student. He is fortunate enough to not be disabled, but after a recent surgery he needs to use crutches for a number of weeks and will need to do so for a few more. The training site he was assigned to refused to let him attend using crutches, and they were unwilling to let him use a wheelchair. Thankfully, his school was able to accommodate by switching him to a hospital that was happy to educate him despite his temporary disability. What if a spot wasn't available? How would this training site treat a disabled student who wasn't lucky enough to have another option? (This would be especially possible when considering that a disabled student requires more than just short-term accommodation.) It seems doctors with disabilities face challenges at many levels of their training. As Dr. Khullar shows, these challenges have a domino effect on patients down the road.
41
I am a wheelchair-using physician. I think part of the benefit of having people with disabilities in the medical profession is to patients, but it's also to fellow trainees and colleagues. I remember once when I was in medical school a professor presenting what I considered to be some harmfully outdated, prejudiced ideas about disability. Several of my classmates raised their hands to argue, citing me as a clear counter-example to his statements. While it's not always comfortable to be the object lesson, in my smallish medical school class my fellow students learned by exposure to me that I was able to do all the same work they did, that mostly I did things the standard way but not always, and that I sometimes needed reasonable accommodations. Unlike many of the physicians who've cared for me, my former fellow medical students and co-residents are all doctors who can concretely picture a person with a physical disability working in a professional job. Most also know something about some of the barriers I encountered and the value of my experiences to patients with disabilities. This continues to help them provide better care to their patients with disabilities.
Medical training is intense and forges strong bonds. In addition to the direct benefits to patients of a diverse healthcare workforce, it enriches the profession and enhances providers' ability to care for patients when diverse trainees learn from each other.
Medical training is intense and forges strong bonds. In addition to the direct benefits to patients of a diverse healthcare workforce, it enriches the profession and enhances providers' ability to care for patients when diverse trainees learn from each other.
59
Wish you were on the East Coast....
1
People with disabilities are less likely to receive routine medical care, including cancer screening, flu vaccines and vision and dental exams. ....
Yeah well its the MONEY
Average Soc Security Disability is $1,171 a month (ranges from $700+ to $2300+)
Out of that comes Medicare B (now $134+/mo) and a Part D plan ($35-50)
In all but a very few states, someone under 65 who is disabled can NOT BUY a Medigap plan to help with the unlimited 20% copays for everything other than hospitalization. (A Medicare Advantage plan has fixed dollar copays but
in this state the fixed dollar amount is 200-300% of what the 20% would be)
So someone who is disabled and receiving SSD has to pay 20% of all care (other than hospitalization which has a $1200+ deductible)
So why even bother to get cancer screening exams? There is NO WAY that someone living on Social Security disability can come up with $20000 -30000 in the 20% copays for cancer treatment. (And no hospitals don't do charity care if you have any type of insurance.)
Dental? Vision? Medicare DOES NOT cover dental or vision (unless organic illness like a cataract)
MedicaID doesn't come into it unless the person only has an income of less than $1355 per month for a household of 1 person or $1827 per/mo for a household of 2 or $1706 per/mo for 3 etc.
Someone who is disabled can have an income below poverty level for 1 person but their spouse makes enough to keep them from qualifying for MedicaID.
No Money = No Care
Yeah well its the MONEY
Average Soc Security Disability is $1,171 a month (ranges from $700+ to $2300+)
Out of that comes Medicare B (now $134+/mo) and a Part D plan ($35-50)
In all but a very few states, someone under 65 who is disabled can NOT BUY a Medigap plan to help with the unlimited 20% copays for everything other than hospitalization. (A Medicare Advantage plan has fixed dollar copays but
in this state the fixed dollar amount is 200-300% of what the 20% would be)
So someone who is disabled and receiving SSD has to pay 20% of all care (other than hospitalization which has a $1200+ deductible)
So why even bother to get cancer screening exams? There is NO WAY that someone living on Social Security disability can come up with $20000 -30000 in the 20% copays for cancer treatment. (And no hospitals don't do charity care if you have any type of insurance.)
Dental? Vision? Medicare DOES NOT cover dental or vision (unless organic illness like a cataract)
MedicaID doesn't come into it unless the person only has an income of less than $1355 per month for a household of 1 person or $1827 per/mo for a household of 2 or $1706 per/mo for 3 etc.
Someone who is disabled can have an income below poverty level for 1 person but their spouse makes enough to keep them from qualifying for MedicaID.
No Money = No Care
36
In California, you have a right to buy a medigap policy if done within the first 6 months of qualifying for medicare regardless of age, except for the instance of end stage renal failure. You may have a waiting period if no prior coverage existed of up to 6 months before benefits kick in. If you have end stage renal disease, you can apply for the major risk medical insurance plan.
It is correct that there are no federal laws that require states to provide/offer medigap options for those 9 million Americans on SSDI under age 65 who have Medicare. But many states do.
It is correct that there are no federal laws that require states to provide/offer medigap options for those 9 million Americans on SSDI under age 65 who have Medicare. But many states do.
2
Yes. Only about half of the states require underwriting of Medigap plans for those under age 65. Many of those on SS disability who qualify for Medicare earlier -- the typical DI beneficiary gets SS disability at 54 -- don't know that they can re-enroll in Medicare at age 65. At that time, the Medigap enrollment period is available to them in all states.
1
I wrote a comment earlier but I don't see it yet. But, I want to add: It looks like that with the two article series, Sara Manning Peskin MD has given us a description of just where the Ivy League is in terms of Medicine. Of course, maybe another neurology resident might say it somewhat differently, but substantially I think the description would be the same. Thank you, for taking the time to write these articles. I have been looking at Medical Programs not only for the Ivy League, but in Europe, and in general. Your descriptions have been helpful, in terms of creating improvements to the Curriculum.
3
And thank you Dhruv Khullar. There is another MD writing an article series, and I thought the comment I just wrote to Sara, is applicable to your writing about your experiences in the field of Medicine. Note: My comments sometimes seem to "not fit in" regarding articles about Medicine, and it is because I am doing a comparison with leading programs in Europe, and one in particular in France. Hoping to improve programs in the USA.
1
Not to diminish the plight of physically disabled patients, but individuals who have mental disabilities are also the victims of a lower quality of medical care. Doctors claim that there is no shame in having a mental illness, but patients that disclose such a diagnosis are often seen as less credible than those who either do not have a pre-existing mental health condition or have not shared it with their doctor.
For example, I have a long controlled mental illness that is noted in my electronic medical chart. When I went to the ER for a sports injury (torn wrist ligaments that required surgery) that had absolutely nothing to do with my mental health, I was questioned about whether I was regularly taking my psychiatric medication. This and other condescending statements made me feel as though the doctor believed my swollen and bruised wrist was exaggerated or a figment of my imagination.
As the article notes, doctors that have physical disabilities can better relate to patients that have physical disabilities. But physical disabilities can often not be hidden. If, as doctors claim, there is no stigma attached to a mental illness, then they would have no problem revealing in appropriate situations that they may have had such a condition. At the very least, they would know to treat patients with mental health disabilities with the same respect and quality of care as they do with other "normal" patients.
For example, I have a long controlled mental illness that is noted in my electronic medical chart. When I went to the ER for a sports injury (torn wrist ligaments that required surgery) that had absolutely nothing to do with my mental health, I was questioned about whether I was regularly taking my psychiatric medication. This and other condescending statements made me feel as though the doctor believed my swollen and bruised wrist was exaggerated or a figment of my imagination.
As the article notes, doctors that have physical disabilities can better relate to patients that have physical disabilities. But physical disabilities can often not be hidden. If, as doctors claim, there is no stigma attached to a mental illness, then they would have no problem revealing in appropriate situations that they may have had such a condition. At the very least, they would know to treat patients with mental health disabilities with the same respect and quality of care as they do with other "normal" patients.
32
Oh so true. No stigma? HA! Thanks for pointing this out.
Years ago, I found a lump in my breast. The mammogram equipment was inaccessible and couldn't get around my wheelchair, so thankfully was able to get an ultrasound and the lab agreed to do it from my chair so I wouldn't have to risk the unsafe transfer. Then, I was sent to another doctor for a biopsy on the lump. The office I went to was designed in the 1970s with exam equipment from the 1970s. I had to have a friend who knew how to transfer me onto the table take off work to come with me. After the biopsy took place, my friend attempted to do the transfer without a hoyer lift and because the table was so high and inaccessible, she lost her grip and started to drop me to the ground. We screamed for help and the doctor, thankfully, was nearby. He rushed into the small room, dove over my wheelchair which took up the majority of the floor space, and caught me as I was about to fall to the floor. My biggest worry - I hope I don't have cancer because these inaccessible doctor's offices will for sure kill me if I have to keep coming back for more procedures. Thankfully, the lump was benign. I cannot describe how I dread going to the doctor because so often I feel like a fish out of water. What happens to fish out of water? They die.
46
I had a disabled doctor who was in the process of dying. He was especially good in all the ways mentioned here, but he had no special insights into illness, death, or the meaning of life (yes, I asked). When a doctor is in a more desperate situation than you are, you feel bad about taking up his time (yes, I told him this), but he told me this was both silly and irrelevant: he was my doctor; I was not his. That’s why I got better, and he died. He had a quite a sense of humor.
18
Maybe a bit off the focus of this article, but think of the figure that 1 in 5 Americans have a disability, which can be considered as a pre-existing condition. Right now, the GOP is trying to find ways to isolate healthcare insurance coverage for these folks by changing Obamacare objectives. One way or another, GOP leaders want to reduce the insurance pool or to again allow expensive 'high risk' approaches that penalize those among us with pre-existing conditions. They want to reduce federal funding for those that need Medicaid assistance. The benefits of a good society should be inclusive for all among us, including the human right to healthcare.
23
I agree. A doc with a disability can have a very positive influence on patients. Also agree that we should affirm and support medical school applicants with disabilities. I am on board.
The 20% of Americans figure bothers me a little bit. is this a medical diagnosis statistic or the number of people receiving disability checks? I am good with true medical and cognitive disabilities but leery of the system that categorizes people as "disabled" when they may not be.
The 20% of Americans figure bothers me a little bit. is this a medical diagnosis statistic or the number of people receiving disability checks? I am good with true medical and cognitive disabilities but leery of the system that categorizes people as "disabled" when they may not be.
8
Most estimates of medical diagnoses alone are actually higher, up to a quarter or a third. Also, while there may be a few folks who qualify as disabled but aren't truly that impaired, it's more often the opposite. My husband works full time, for example, so by many legal and financial definitions he is "not disabled" though he is fully paralyzed from the shoulders down. We don't qualify for any disability assistance at all so the law does not see him as disabled. Same thing with another relative with Down syndrome because he works full time and supports himself living independently. So it's as likely to be a low estimate as a high one.
5
Disability designation requires a separate evaluation, and is not discernible by a medical diagnosis. An impairment rating is related but separate, and also not related or discernible by a medical diagnosis.
Qualification for a disability designation is NOT a given based on a medical diagnosis alone. Although certain diagnosis, such as "end Stage renal Failure" are pretty much a lock.
Go to a Walmart parking lot and watch folks take the disabled parking spaces with legit up to date disabled parking tags. Many are simply not physically disabled.
It is an everyday sight everywhere, is very expensive and removes resources from those truly in need, and a doctor signed a disability form somewhere along the way at some point for them, despite lack of ongoing impairment.
FYI - I have a lot of respect for quadriplegic citizens in the workplace and they tend to be very professional responsible capable and dependable. I have seen no exceptions. They simply have worked harder than everyone else because they had to. I see it. I applaud it, and I am humbled by it. And those individuals deserve every resource that they can get their hands on - the best motorized mobility devices, the best alternative control mechanisms for function, and first in line for jobs they qualify for, along with veterans, and all necessary accommodations.
Qualification for a disability designation is NOT a given based on a medical diagnosis alone. Although certain diagnosis, such as "end Stage renal Failure" are pretty much a lock.
Go to a Walmart parking lot and watch folks take the disabled parking spaces with legit up to date disabled parking tags. Many are simply not physically disabled.
It is an everyday sight everywhere, is very expensive and removes resources from those truly in need, and a doctor signed a disability form somewhere along the way at some point for them, despite lack of ongoing impairment.
FYI - I have a lot of respect for quadriplegic citizens in the workplace and they tend to be very professional responsible capable and dependable. I have seen no exceptions. They simply have worked harder than everyone else because they had to. I see it. I applaud it, and I am humbled by it. And those individuals deserve every resource that they can get their hands on - the best motorized mobility devices, the best alternative control mechanisms for function, and first in line for jobs they qualify for, along with veterans, and all necessary accommodations.
3
I'd be careful of judging anyone despite what they "look" like. There are all sorts of disabilities that result in people who appear to to be mobile needing to be closer to building entrances. Heart and lung conditions, for instance. Seizure disorders as well. And there are differences in eligibility for disability parking placards and other forms of disabilities, at least in Wisconsin. I found this essay really helpful, and it notes that your concerns are legitimate while arguing that one should never assume: https://invisibledisabilities.org/ida-books-pamphlets/accessibleparking/...
10
Here's one quick story of mine on the subject. I am an MS patient without any obvious disability. But I of course tell all doctors of my condition. I went to a dermatologist to get a lesion on my shoulder looked at and while I was there I asked about a small spot in the middle of my face. It was hard to see - she had to use a magnifying glass. ( I had noticed it while putting on make up in a magnifying mirror). She thought it was just a harmless spot of sun damage - it resembled dry skin. ". She said" I will have to biopsy to be sure". I was at a place called Cosmetique - with all that one would think that would imply. To the point- she removed the small dry skin looking spot and left an indented, discolored hole in the middle of my face. I know she thought because I have MS I would not care about my face. She was wrong.
5
shelley, I think the MD just didn't know how to take a sample for testing. What was the price point for Cosmetique?
2
Your dermatologist removed it because if she hadn't and it had turned out to be melanoma, you would have sued her and won.
I'd bet your experience had nothing to do with your MS, for which you have no evidence of disability (as you mention in your comment), but instead reflects the practice of defensive medicine in this country.
I'd bet your experience had nothing to do with your MS, for which you have no evidence of disability (as you mention in your comment), but instead reflects the practice of defensive medicine in this country.
3
Wow. It's pretty disturbing that you arrived at that conclusion. You have no idea what the dermatologist thought, unless you asked her. I doubt any medical professional would take less care with your procedure because you have MS and it's a huge leap to imagine that she thought you didn't care about your face.
6
I think it ought to be obligatory that doctors' offices be wheelchair accessible. When my mother was in her late eighties and using a walker, she had a cardiologist whose office was up a short narrow flight of stairs from the street. The staircase was so narrow that it was not possible to walk at her side to support her. We joked that the doctor was hoping for customers who collapsed at the top! And when we called to ask if it was possible to see him at the (accessible) hospital with which he was affiliated, we were told that he did not see patients there. My mother's g.p., who specialized in elderly patients, did not have an exam table or a scale that she could use safely.
21
i think dr khullar has tried to cover so many issues in his article that none has been presented in any depth.
it has been said that everyone is handicapped, only some can be seen. but to assume that a handicapped doctor is more able to emphathize and possibly give more complete treatment is erroneous - i have encountered 'whole' doctors who have been able to provide great help, as well as 'impaired' ones.
we are the only ones walking in our shoes, and the next one's injuries will never be the same. so a good portion of remedy must start with the patient assessing their own situation first.
it has been said that everyone is handicapped, only some can be seen. but to assume that a handicapped doctor is more able to emphathize and possibly give more complete treatment is erroneous - i have encountered 'whole' doctors who have been able to provide great help, as well as 'impaired' ones.
we are the only ones walking in our shoes, and the next one's injuries will never be the same. so a good portion of remedy must start with the patient assessing their own situation first.
3
As the spouse of a quadriplegic I promise you that doctors with extensive experience with disabilities, whether themselves or with family members, would be a great help. Unfortunately every time he goes to the doctor or hospital, he runs the risk of being actively harmed by medical professionals who do not know about wheelchair accessibility or about certain conditions-- for example, autonomic dysreflexia, which is a life threatening problem for people with spinal cord injuries. He is a professor and assesses his own needs quite well. Most people with disabilities do. But able-bodied medical professionals are often uncomfortable admitting when they don't know about something, or assume the person with the disability can't know what's best for them. One way to remedy this problem is through extensive education about disabilities for medical professionals, but since that doesn't look like it will happen anytime soon, another way is to encourage people with disabilities to become medical professionals themselves.
35
as a hemiplegic for 30 years and 2 months and no spouse, i would congratulate you both for having married smart, caring, intuitive people.
what i said above was that just because a doctor is also disabled doesn't mean they have the scope to help effectively any more than the right 'able' doctor. just as you'd send an incorrectly cooked steak back in a restauant, you must as a person 'consuming' care services discard poor care and poorly taught personnel. caveat emptor.
what i said above was that just because a doctor is also disabled doesn't mean they have the scope to help effectively any more than the right 'able' doctor. just as you'd send an incorrectly cooked steak back in a restauant, you must as a person 'consuming' care services discard poor care and poorly taught personnel. caveat emptor.
1
Wow. The study where researchers called to make the appointment for the fictional patient just boils my blood (but I 100% believe it happens). Most doctors offices have a nurse present. That nurse, at some point in his or her career or education, learned patient transfers. So the audacity of the office to make a blanket statement like that is disgusting. Those individuals end up going without care, while also being the individuals needing the care the most. A small issue becomes a big problem really fast. At every PT practice I've ever worked at, we might not have had the latest equipment or ideal treatment conditions, but we had smart therapists with a common goal to work in the best interest of the patient. We got it done.
22
There may not have been a nurse present. Alot of doctor's offices have medical assistants who perform many nursing tasks in outpatient care.
5
As a person with a progressive neuromuscular condition called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), I agree that having more people with disabilities working in the medical profession should be the objective. Whether due to lack of experience or interest, the vast majority of doctors do not know how to respond to my unique accommodation and care needs. However, people with SMA and other neuromuscular conditions know a great deal more, even without a medical degree.
14
I am a medical marijuana practitioner in NY State. I often see patients in my home environment with my husband, a retired physician with Parkinson's Disease in view with his service animal. This makes me human, and patients find this reassuring that we all have complex issues to deal with. I was initially apprehensive about having a family member around with a disability. I was always taught the necessity of professionalism. Becoming human allows my patients to relax and understand that we all proceed together and perfection is a myth.
I always offer the choice of a traditional office setting, but very few prefer this option.I may be onto something....
I always offer the choice of a traditional office setting, but very few prefer this option.I may be onto something....
6
Patients might see the disability, but they don't see the Doctor' Resume, Student Ranking (top of the class, or bottom?), Recommendations and IQ Score. They don't see the Doctor's File. Does the Doctor who looks like they don't have a disability, have the well-educated ability to even reasonably read/interpret the MRI and other patient documentation? Extremely wealthy people hire Doctors who have Genius if not Brilliant IQs. They don't care about anything else about the Doctor. So, if the Doctor looks like they don't have a disability, they still might have the lack of ability to read/interpret the Patient's File. Consequently, the poorly educated Doctor, would not be able to make a reasonably accurate diagnosis, and certainly not improve the field of Medicine with a Brilliant Discovery or Idea.
1
and some of those extremely wealthy patients have the worst physicians....but who give them what they want, and tell them what they want to hear....and some of the best physician's come out of Mexican schools and state schools, and some of the worst come from the Ivy league golden halls....Never have I been asked if I was board certified....well, maybe once in 35 years....no one ever asked me what school I went to, but they asked me what football team I root for...Many physicians who have disabilities don't go into a specialty which has many disabilities....The best pediatric cardiologist I ever met....and years ago...was mostly deaf...He used a special stethoscope and put the rest of them to shame. then, some physicians go into politics or become new anchors....Just being a physician does not grant one God status....We are normal human beings, smart enough to get in and through...and we have the same foibles that other people have...think it is called humanity...:)
4
Dr. Snyder encountered medical professionals early in his career, due to his injury, who don't view people with disabilities as "less": occupational and physical therapists.
As an early intervention OT, I have the privilege of being part of the first rehab team for a child with a disability. We help their often shocked and grieving parents construct a positive image of their child's future. Their doctors cannot eliminate conditions that often have no cure. Therapists help them live lives of joy and purpose, while accepting that we will ALL become disabled eventually.
As an early intervention OT, I have the privilege of being part of the first rehab team for a child with a disability. We help their often shocked and grieving parents construct a positive image of their child's future. Their doctors cannot eliminate conditions that often have no cure. Therapists help them live lives of joy and purpose, while accepting that we will ALL become disabled eventually.
24
My rehab doctor ran late last week for our 15 minute appointment. I arrived at 9 AM, 2 hours early, then waited until 1 Pm for the doctor; missed my ride and finally bordered paratransit at 7 PM.