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Don't let disability stop you from becoming an anaesthetist. Doctors with physical or mental health conditions can make excellent health workers and often have the benefit of being able to empathise more with patients.
The Equality Act 2010 is there to help stop you being discriminated against. The act ensures that employers have a duty to make adjustments in the workplace for staff with disabilities.
Read the BMA report Disability in the medical profession for more information.
I hesitated to write this piece having never really considered myself as having a disability, but after a bit of reflection I've decided to share my experience in the hope it might help somehow.
After changing into theatre scrubs, another day of anaesthetic work ahead of me, I go to the anaesthetic room to start preparing my drugs. Not too long ago, all this looked impossible.
Had I been told that at 27 years of age I’d have life experiences that few others could imagine I would have answered with a mixture of curiosity and intrigue. My path had always seemed such a well-trodden one.
Early in my anaesthesia training I attended a seminar at the Association of Anaesthetists, where a study comparing the psychological traits of anaesthetists and physicians was discussed.