Implicit Ableist Messaging in Medical School Guidebooks

• In Event: 50625 - The Future of Work for Disabled Workers

Abstract

Despite medicine's role in defining and treating disability, structural ableism within medical professional culture remains understudied. While approximately 3% of U.S. physicians self-identify as disabled (compared to 27% of the general population), these statistics likely underestimates reality amid healthcare's mental health crisis. This study examines implicit messaging about ability in medical training guidebooks to reveal embedded ableism in medical professional culture. Through qualitative content analysis of 38 unofficial medical education texts (1,565 pages), I identify three recurring competency expectations: 1) physical/mental stamina to endure "grueling" training; 2) individualistic responsibility for success despite structural challenges; and 3) professional identity formed in opposition to patient status. These messages frame medicine as an unyielding institution requiring individual adaptation rather than systemic change, and the texts position exclusionary practices as necessary for patient welfare, suggesting accommodations might compromise care standards. My analysis reveals how ableism functions as a structural foundation of medical profession, creating barriers for all health professionals. Dismantling these ableist structures would create a more inclusive healthcare system that benefits all practitioners and patients.

Author

• Grace Franklyn, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill