TheDyslexicDoctor:EquippingDyslexicMedicalStudentswithTechniquesfor

SuccessinClinicalPrac>ce

ClaireVogan1,MargaretMeehan2,AdeleJones2andJudyMcKimm1

1CollegeofMedicine2StudentSupportServices

Dyslexiaandmedicine

‘Fatherofmodernneurosurgery’HarveyCushing(1869-1939),neurosurgeon

“….leaderandinnovatorbecausehecouldrecognizediseasepaMernsthathismedicalcolleaguescouldnoteasilysee”(West,2004)

ProfTerenceRyan,dermatologistfromtheUniversityofOxford

ProfBerylBenacerraf,radiologistatHarvardMedicalSchool“Becauseofdyslexia,mybrainworksdifferently,andIcanseethesepaMerns.Idohaveagi[thatotherpeopledon’thave,andIwillalwaysstayaheadofthecrowdandseemoreinanimagethanotherpeople.”(hMp://dyslexia.yale.edu/)

•  Medicinehasnumerousdyslexicdoctorswhowere/areatthetopoftheirprofession

Dyslexiaandmedicine

•  Dyslexicso[enhavetalentsandaMributesthatcouldmakethemoutstandingdoctors

§  Visual-spaaalawareness§  Problemsolvingskills§  Communicaaonskills

•  Medicinehasnumerousdyslexicdoctorswhowere/areatthetopoftheirprofession

•  Highlevelsofpost-enrolmentdiagnosacassessmentsamongststudentshasbeenaMributedtonaturallydevelopedcopingstrategiesbreakingdownunderthestressofstudyingmedicine(Walters&Croen,1993)

•  MedicalSchoolsfrequentlyreporthighernumbersofdyslexicstudentsthanotherundergraduatecourses(e.g.McKendree&Snowling,2011)

Dyslexiaandmedicine

•  Itisrelaavelyeasytoteach‘copingstrategies’thatensuredyslexicmedicalstudentsbecomethebest,andthesafest,doctorstheycanbe

§  Reading,wriangandspelling§  Processinginformaaon§  Organisaaonandamemanagement§  Numeracy(dyscalculia)

•  Dyslexicmedicalstudentscanstrugglewithcertainaspectsoftheirtraining

•  Needtoensurethatprofessionalcompetencestandardstopracaceareachievedbyallstudentsandthatpaaentsarenotbeingputatrisk

•  Reasonableadjustmentsinacademicstudyplacedyslexicstudentsonalevelplayingfieldwithotherstudents

Copingstrategiesandclinicalprac>ce•  UniversityStudentSupportServiceso[entutordyslexicstudentsin

techniquesusefulforacademicsuccess(Paveyetal.,2010)

•  FewMedicalSchoolsreporttheuseofspecialisttutorstohelpstudentslearncopingstrategiesforclinicalplacementsandtheirfuturecareers

Ouraimwastodesignaproceduretoenabledyslexicstudentstodevelopeffecavecopingstrategiesfordealingwithpaaentsintheclinicalseing

Student with dyslexia

Theprocedure

Pre-placement meeting with Disability Link Tutor to discuss support provisions

Student on local placement

Post-placement meeting with Disability Link Tutor

to discuss placement

Student develops coping strategies for clinical setting

Weekly one-to-one tuition from campus-based

Specialist Tutor

Copingstrategiesand>me

0 5 15 55 90

Y1 Y2 Y3 Y4

Number of weeks on clinical placement

Copingstrategies

Dyslexiasupport

Whatsortofstrategiesaretaught?

ElementsofdiagraminPaveyetal.,2010

Doestheprocedurework?

•  Accommodatesthefactthatindividualswhoexperiencedyslexiavarymarkedlyintheirclinicaldifficulaes

•  Providesasupporaveenvironmentthatencouragesstudentstoreflectontheirdyslexiainrelaaontotheirclinicalexperiences

•  Studentsfeelsupportedandencouragedtobeopenabouttheirdyslexiathroughouttheenareprocess

•  Studentsgainconfidenceintheirownabiliaesincopingwiththedemandsofclinicaltraining

•  Effecavesupportlikelytoimproveresilience(Dyrbyeetal,2010)andleadtoacademicsuccess(Tinto,2000)

Benefits

Drawbacks

Doestheprocedurework?

•  ReliantonastudentengagingwiththesystemPersonalTutorsand/orClinicalMentorscouldencourageengagement.GreaterinvolvementofourP&PsubcommiMeeinmakingrecommendaaonstostudents

•  Evenwithsmallstudentnumbers,alabourintensiveprocessfortheDisabilityLinkTutor

InvolvePersonalTutorsand/orClinicalMentorsinthesystem

•  Doesn’tworksowellforastudentthatisassessedinyear3or4

Invesagatewaysofincorporaangstandardtutoringtechniquesintoourcurriculuminearlyyears

Thefuture

•  Seingupadyslexiasupportgroup,togivestudentstheopportunitytoshareexperiencesandideaswithfellowdyslexics

•  Workwithstudentsininterviews/focusgroupstoascertainifthereareanyclinicalcomponentsdyslexicstudentsmorecommonlystrugglewith

•  Shadoworobservestudentsintheclinicalseing,togiveusabeMerideaoftheday-to-dayworkingofavarietyofclinicalseings

•  Introducestressreducingtechniquesforallstudents.Thishopefullywithallownaturalcopingstrategiestoprevailandenhancetheeffecavenessoftechniquestaughtinthespecialisttutorsessions

Whatdoourstudentssay?

“….ThesupportfromStudentSupportServices,inparaculartheDisabilityOffice,hasbeenextensive.Itincludesone-on-onetutorialstoimprovemylearningstrategies…...FrommyexperienceIdonotfeeldisadvantaged:infactIfeelasifpeoplehavegoneoutoftheirwaytohelpme.Theteachingteamhavebeenfantasacandalwaysofferedtheirfullsupportifneeded.IwouldencourageallenrollingstudentstodeclareanydisabilitysothattheSchoolcanensurethesupportisavailableforeachindividualatthestartoftheirstudies.”

Excerpt from passage written by dyslexic student for GEM prospectus

WestTG(2004)ThinkingLikeEinstein:ReturningtoOurVisualRootswiththeEmergingRevoluaoninComputerInformaaonVisualizaaon,pp.45-51,PrometheusBooks.Amherst,NY

McKendreeJandSnowlingMJ(2011)MedicalEducaaon,45:176–182.

WaltersJAandCroenLG(1993)TeachingandLearninginMedicine,5:29-35.

PaveyBetal(2010)Dyslexiafriendlyfurtherandhighereducaaon,Sage,London.

References

DyrbyeLNetal(2010)MedicalEducaaon,44:1016-26.

TintoV(2001)NACADAJournal,19:5-10.