Considering how many doctors there are living with chronic illness and disability, there are actually relatively few resources available.
Dr Kate Granger's blog discusses some of her experiences living with cancer and facing a terminal illness. I would thoroughly recommend the books she has written (profits going to the Yorkshire Cancer Centre).
This report from the Higher Education Academy is very interesting. It is based on qualitative research conducted in Leeds looking the opinions of various groups about disabled medical students and doctors - including admissions staff, students, doctors and members of the public, both disabled and non-disabled.
This GMC document (GMC Gateways Guidance) is a must-read. It is a long document, and is a bit short on detail, but it's a good idea to be well-versed in its recommendations if you are having problems with your medical school.
The BMA disability pages are a bit less intense, although they're a bit old. I liked the section entitled 'a celebration of disabled doctors' which is a series of case studies about doctors with various conditions and impairments. It feels less like 'if this is not what you are experiencing then you are just not accessing the right support for yourself' propaganda that I keep getting fed.
The BMA used to have a matching scheme to pair disabled students up with disabled doctors. It seems to have died a bit of a death. I am hoping to get something similar going so if you are interested, drop me a line.
Hope for Disabled Doctors : (Help in Obtaining Professional Equality) is a Cardiff-based website, which provides a good overview of available assistance - including benefits, adaptations and support organisations. It's well worth a read.
The European Association for Physician Health is a group who work for better health and healthcare for doctors. Here is a really interesting selections of reports and research from their website. Have a poke around, this website is a treasure trove.
This is a great article written by a foundation doctor about sick leave as an F1/F2. It's a good overview of things to consider and available support.
Some other sites I've come across, which seem as though they may be useful are :
Mental Health :
The Doctor's Support Network
Doctors for Doctors and BMA Counselling
Addictions :
Sick Doctor's Trust
Hearing Loss :
UK Health Professionals with Hearing Loss
Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss
Dyslexia :
"Studying Medicine with Dyslexia" from the BMA
If you've found any other sites useful, I would love to hear about them.
