Worried about my disability

[meeshathecat]

Hi All

Was just wondering what other peoples experience of having a chronic condition while training has been. I am used to being a 'disabled' worker in a commercial and academic environment but I am a little worried as to how it will work in training. Mostly I'm worried because my conditions mean that I HAVE to attend several consultant appointments per year, luckily for me (maybe?) they are in the same trust that I am training in. My course also does not do a 'study day' which I could have used\?

[maven]

Its a legal requirement that every employer makes reasonable adjustment for disabilities. The NHS and academia are usually better at this than most other employers, and I'd be horrified if a clinical course was not able to let you have days off for appointments, as well as helping you plan how you will make any required adjustments to the rest of your required activities. I've known courses bend over backwards to be inclusive and supportive. The only thing that I could grumble about is the fact that there isn't a part-time training path established, and this is generally something that is negotiated individual by individual when they are already on training.

[meeshathecat]

Thanks for the reply that does make me feel substantially better. I already work full time so I'm not so worried about that, it's just that I've always been able to work flexibly around my appointments which was giving me a bit of anxiety.

Looking forward to starting in October - thanks for your response

[mungle]

I wish I could give a positive story but my experience was awful. I would advise you look for courses with a reputation for being supportive to trainees and I hope things have improved.

[meeshathecat]

Would you mind saying a bit more about that?

[mungle]

I'm wary of sharing too much on a public forum but basically the Uni made life as difficult as possible for me and others with chronic or recurrent conditions. They might have coped better with a consistent and permanent disability. However, I have heard other courses have been more supportive. Hopefully people who have had good experiences will post on this thread.