Problematizing medical students with disabilities: A critical policy analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Disability Studies
• Health Equity

Background:

• Ensuring diversity in the medical profession is a global equity concern, yet students with disabilities remain under-represented.
• Widening participation initiatives aim to increase university access, but medical education policies may unintentionally create barriers for disabled learners.
• Policies governing medical schools influence the inclusion of students with disabilities, framing them as future doctors while potentially having unintended consequences.

Purpose of the Study:

• To critically analyze key policies in undergraduate medical education regarding the representation and problematization of disability in medical students.
• To examine the educational implications of how disability is constructed within these policies.
• To identify how policy norms and assumptions may impede the inclusion of students with disabilities.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of key policies from the General Medical Council (UK) and Australian Medical Council (Australia) concerning medical school accreditation and educational standards.
• Application of Carol Bacchi's 'What's the Problem Represented to Be?' six critical questions approach for interpretive analysis.
• Focus on how disability is problematized within these regulatory documents.

Main Results:

• A distinctive construction of disability in medicine emerged, characterized by themes of containment, competence, and risk.
• Disability is framed as an individual risk and potential educational burden, necessitating adaptation by institutions to meet legal requirements.
• Risk is conceptualized as an individual attribute rather than an interactional outcome, leading to presuppositions that restrict access for learners with disabilities.

Conclusions:

• Medical education policies can unintentionally limit the inclusion of students with disabilities by overlooking the value of a diverse medical workforce.
• Carol Bacchi's six critical questions provide a practical method for uncovering assumptions that hinder educational policy and practice change.
• Increased awareness of these hidden suppositions and their impact on learners can help ameliorate negative consequences and promote progress in medical education.