Submission ID 78031
| Code | OA-3-3 |
|---|---|
| At the end of this workshop, participants will be able to: | |
| Category | Medical Education |
| Type | Oral |
| Will the presenter be a: | Early Career Faculty - (Less than 7 years of practice) |
| Title | Access and Success in Clinical Education: the Work of Being A Disabled Student |
| Background/Purpose | This ongoing study explores the experiences of disabled students in clinical education. Gaps exist in the literature regarding what educators know about the barriers disabled students face during practica (Awang & Taylor, 2005) that impede disabled students' equitable access and success. |
| Methods | This innovative, national-scope Canadian study is led by an interprofessional team of health professional scholars, including some who are disabled. Qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted with disabled students in nine health disciplines (Medicine, Nursing, Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Dentistry, Psychology, Speech Language Pathology, Audiology, and Social Work). Thematic analysis of the data presented here is informed by a Critical Disability Studies theoretical framework (Shildrick, 2012). To protect participants' identities, key themes are illustrated through a presentation of narrative composites (Willis, 2018). |
| Results | On top of the often-invisible everyday work of living with and managing disability, disabled students perform additional work to access and succeed in clinical education. This includes the work of discovering disability; pursuing medical documentation; grappling with identity; negotiating accommodations; and deliberating disclosure. |
| Discussion | Without awareness of disabled students' embodied experiences, and the 'disability work' they perform in everyday life and as students in clinical education programs, health professional and clinical educators are ill prepared to promote equitable access to disabled students pursuing health professional careers. In addition to the legal problem of inequitable access, the exclusion of disabled clinicians prevents integration of unique and valuable experiential knowledge of how client groups navigate disability within health care systems. |
| Keyword 1 | Clinical Education |
| Keyword 2 | Disability Studies |
| Keyword 3 | Accessibility |
| Abstract content most relevant to: (check all that apply) | Residency Education
Other |
| Abstract Track - First Choice | Equity, Diversity and Inclusion |
| Authors | Erika Katzman Sally Kimpson Shahbano Zaman Tal Jarus Tal Jarus Erika Katzman |
