Okay I am new to the forum so here’s my introduction. I am unemployed and have been looking for work for a long time. I am planning to takE bio and chem at a local two-year college. When I began my undergraduate education in the mid-eighties I was premed but I got sidetracked and pursued a doctorate in philosophy. I an disabled and wheelchair bound. I have often wondered the usual what-if questions and now here I am. Please give me some sober advice. I am 46
hello. Welcome to OPM. What type of advise are you looking for?? We will do our best to give you the best advice we can based on our experiences.
Am I simply too old? Will my disability diaqualify me at the outset?
Hi! If you are seriously considering med school, from what I been told here and at some schools, you need to take your pre-requisites at a 4 year institution. Regarding being wheelchair bound, I know at least one MD in Atlanta who’s wheelchair bound… I would advise you to make an appointment with the admissions office of any local med school and they will let you know about the issues with the wheelchair.
Don’t ever think too old! Look at some of the stories in this site and you will feel better 
Aren’t chem and bio pretty much taught the same at any accredited school? What difference does it make where the transcript comes from?
If you get into medical school, which is based on your grades, MCAT score, and interview then the school must accommodate you as per the Americans with Disability Act.
Regarding where you take your classes, it is always best to get them at a 4 year college or university as they tend to be more competitive schools. What the adcoms want to see is that you are able to handle the work that is associated with medical school.
I called a local nationally recognized research med school after you posted your reply and the guy in admissions told me they don’t mind applicants who’ve completed their basic sciences at 2 year schools because they appreciates the exhorbitant costs of traditional 4 year school fyi
Here’s my sober advice: Go for it!!
Your disability should ot be a factor, unless pain keeps you awake or pain meds keep you from studying effectively. Or unless you suffered a brain injury that makes learning and retention difficult.
If you have appropriate in home health aides for getting your Activities of Daily Living taken care of, and you can be as efficient as your health allows you, then you can just go forward.
How do you feel about pursuing your goal of medical school? Is it a very strong and long-held desire, that you have the dedication to see it through? I think it is worth it.
Being in a wheelchair in and of itself is not an impediment. I met a wonderful physician who is in a wheelchair and has a wife and little children, who is head of a rehabilitation department at a VA medical center - a very heartfelt and compassionate man who now helps to heal others.
I have read of other persons with quite serious disabilities who have studied and succeeded despite their challenges.
Best wishes,
- Dr. Quinn in LA
Thank you for your encouraging words Dr Quinn.
Tim
I am a resident in the rehabilitation field. Where 20% of my patients are in a wheelchair? I interviewed at 12 residency programs 75% of those programs had a disabled physician. We need physicians who understand the challenges of the health care system and anyone who has suffered through can become an incredible physician.
Becky
I also wanted to chime in that one of my best friends is a family physician and he is disabled due to polio. Good luck with everything!!
- Wheelchairbound Said:
I called a local nationally recognized research med school after you posted your reply and the guy in admissions told me they don't mind applicants who've completed their basic sciences at 2 year schools because they appreciates the exhorbitant costs of traditional 4 year school fyi
Yes, but not minding applicants who've completed their basic sciences at 2 year schools and evaluating those applicants in the same favorable light as applicants who took those courses at a 4-year are not entirely the same thing. Many medical schools will tell you they will accept coursework from a 2-year, but that doesn't mean they prefer it. You still may not be considered on equal footing as those who did the same coursework at a 4-year so the advice others have given above should be taken seriously.
Regarding your disability, the technical standards requirements for motor skills set by US medical schools are as follows:
A medical student must possess the motor skills necessary to:
1. Directly perform palpation, percussion, auscultation, and other diagnostic maneuvers.
2. Perform basic laboratory tests and diagnostic procedures.
3. Execute motor movements reasonably required to provide general and emergency medical care, such as airway management, placement of intravenous catheters, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, application of pressure to control bleeding, suturing of wounds, and the performance of simple obstetrical maneuvers.
Such actions require coordination of both gross and fine muscular movements, equilibrium, and functional use of the senses of touch and vision.
If you can do all of the above, then your disability should not preclude you from medical school.
ADA requires all federally funded institutions accomodate all disabled individuals!
- Wheelchairbound Said:
ADA requires all federally funded institutions accomodate all disabled individuals!
Note that it requires "reasonable" accommodations. The definition of that word is left entirely up to the courts, but the general average guideline runs about $500 plus modifications to scheduling to accommodate different needs.No one expects Ford to re-tool an assembly line to allow someone with only a functional left foot to operate it, for instance, no matter how many federal contracts they have.
Of course, I'm sure the OP is aware of this, just throwing some info out there for those who might not be.
So while you may not find a quadraplegic on a Ford assembly line that quad will be at a computer autocadding future car designs in their back office.
And that engineering job will be one which Ford will be legally required to make accomodation for assuming the candidate satisfies all other intellectual prerequisites.
It’s not just federally funded institutions that are required to be ADA compliant. My local neighborhood Walmart is ADA compliant and they are not a federally funded institution!
Yes Walmart would be ADA compliant since they are open to the public like publically funded med schools.
I believe a business only has to go by ADA if they have more than 30 employees but often others do it anyway. As to your chances at medical school I think the honest answer depends on how disabled you are. As others have pointed out there are certain skills that one must be able to physically accomplish as a physician and medical student. Its not just about the accessibility of the building and classes etc. A school does not want to fill a seat with someone who will not be able to be a practicing physician. That being said there have been some notable exceptions including a blind medical student who graduated a while back from Wisconsin I believe. I have personally known several physicians with paraplegia and one resident with low quadriplegia (at the C7 level). The resident with quadriplegia actually was unable to complete the residency due to her inability to manage her own health needs and fulfill the residency requirements. I have seen several posts on SDN about wheelchair users applying to medical school if you are interested you could do a search there. All in all you need to be honest with yourself as to your abilities. If you really understand what is required of you and want to do it then come up with an articulate plan as to how you will manage your disability in school and as a physician and show the admissions folks what a wonderful doc you will be. Good luck and please keep us posted!