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Abstracts Online Below, you will find a full abstract from the association's official journal, The Advisor. If you are a member of NAAHP, and an abstract piques your interest, please feel free to request a full copy of the article free of charge from the national office, c/o Jerolyn Attwood If you are not yet a member, please email Jerolyn Attwood to request the latest on NAAHP membership, services and publications, including a year's subscription to The Advisor. Back
to Main Abstracts Online page Americans with Disabilities Act;
Services for Students with Learning Disabilities in U.S. and Canadian Medical Schools Harris C. Faigel, M.D. Abstract — Between September 1, 1990, and March 31, 1991, 103 of the 142 medical schools in the United States and Canada responded to a questionnaire regarding their services and programs for learning-disabled medical students. Ninety-three schools accepted such students (and ten did not), but only two-thirds had support programs and half lacked the capacity to diagnose learning disability disorders. Twenty-five did not know they could administer licensing examinations in a nonstandard manner, and 19 had no senior administrator or faculty member coordinating learning disability services. The author concludes that these results suggest that medical schools are poorly informed about and unprepared to help learning-disabled students. V12-4-1
The Americans with Disabilities Act: Policy Issues and Procedural Implications for Health Professional Schools Quentin W. Smith, M.S., J. David Holcomb, Ed.D., Wendy Wilkinson, J.D., Lex Frieden, M.A. Abstract — With the signing of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) on July 26, 1990, opportunities for people with disabilities were increased. In addition to providing greater opportunities for employment and for involvement in all aspects of community life, ADA opens the doors for people with disabilities to pursue a range of career options — including careers in the health professions. ADA has implications not only for health care service providers and health care facilities, but also for health professional schools. Some of these implications are discussed in this article. V13-3-1
"Without Handicap": Issues of Medical Schools and Physically Disabled Students Michael J. Reichgott, M.D., Ph.D. Abstract — The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires that access to education not be denied simply on the basis of disability. The law requires definition of "basic qualifications" required of all applicants, "essential elements" of the curriculum, and whether accommodation would alter the "fundamental nature" of the learning experience or impose "undue burden." Medical schools have a very low proportion of physically disabled students, which the author argues is largely a result of schools’ conception of the "undifferentiated graduate" as being capable of performing the history, physical examination, and any medical procedure without an intermediary. But the author maintains that medical students need not be unblemished physically; medical educators’ obligation is to educate those students who are qualified to become physicians by virtue of intelligence, professional attitude, and ability to effectively interact and communicate. With respect to clinical training, it is important to consider whether personal, hands-on experience is required for adequate learning to occur. Because most physicians limit the scopes of their practices and do not perform all procedures, because those physicians who develop physical disabilities are not precluded from continuing in some forms of medical practice, and because technologic advances allow for the substitution of imaging and diagnostic testing for the more conventional approach to the physical examination, the requirement for hands-on capability becomes less compelling. Yet not every physically disabled applicant should be admitted to medical school, and those admitted require coaching, guidance, and career advice in order to succeed with their physical limitations. The author suggests that one of the seminal concepts of medical education, "without handicap," should be seen not as referring to the pre-existing physical status of students but instead as the obligation of educators to provide all their students with the broadest possible learning experiences so that they will be without the handicap of inadequate education when they proceed to their chosen fields. Acad. Med. 1996;71:724-729. V17-1-4 Back to Main Abstracts Online page
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