Disabled are “under-represented” in medical schools

26 November 2010

DISABLED students are “under-represented” in medical schools, according to a report by the GMC.

Research carried out last year found that less than six per cent of medical students declared a disability compared to almost a fifth of working-age adults in the UK. The GMC has pledged to give schools updated guidance in a bid to remove “unnecessary barriers” that disabled medical students might face.

The regulator has worked with schools and disability experts to review its guidance Gateways to the Professions: Advising medical schools, encouraging disabled students. It aims to improve the support available to disabled students.

The new guidance reflects the requirements set out in Tomorrow’s Doctors which was released last year and sets out the future shape of medical education. It also takes into account the new Equality Act 2010 and highlights examples of adjustments made by some medical schools to accommodate disabled students.

The GMC has said many medical schools are already making adjustments, including linking stethoscopes to display screens, enhancing lighting to facilitate lip reading and making educational resources available in audio format.

The University of Aberdeen has introduced a new admissions procedure which gives all medical applicants and students access to occupational health services. This is used to identify the need for potential adjustments and to assess risk to patients.

Professor Jim McKillop, chair of the GMC Undergraduate Board, helped review the guidance. He said it was encouraging to see more disabled people apply to medical school, adding: “There is no reason why, with the help of reasonable adjustments, more disabled students should not be able to demonstrate their knowledge, skills and abilities through a medical career.”

Read the revised guidance here