Perioperative Clerkship Design for Students with Physical Disabilities: A Model for Implementation

OBJECTIVE

Disability inclusion is an important and growing area of focus for medical education that may be stymied by stereotypes about disabilities, lack of knowledge about accommodations for students with physical disabilities, or outdated technical standards that preclude participation of people with mobility disabilities. To support the inclusion of students with physical disability in surgical clerkships, we describe a proactive, progressive approach to the accommodations process for a student with a thoracic spinal cord injury entering a surgical clerkship.

DESIGN

Working proactively, medical school leadership, disability professionals and the clerkship team collaborated on the development of reasonable accommodations for a student with a thoracic spinal cord injury entering a surgical clerkship.

SETTING

University of Colorado, Department of Surgery and Department of Medical Education, Aurora, CO.

PARTICIPANTS

A third-year medical student and faculty from the medical school and surgical clerkship leaders.

RESULTS

An M3 student with a thoracic spinal cord injury successfully completed an 8-week surgical clerkship completing all required procedural and clinical skills utilizing reasonable accommodation. The student achieved a grade of honors for the rotation.

CONCLUSIONS

Early communication and planning for disability-related adjustments are critical to ensure an accessible experience for students with physical disabilities. The addition of a student with a disability adds to a better understanding of inclusive practices for surgical education and adds to the diversity of thought and experience for the medical education community.