Mission: Accessibility, Inclusion, and Action: Lived Experiences of Learners & Workers
But what does “disability” have to do with this?
Accessibility, Inclusion, and Action in Medical Education: Lived Experiences of Learners & Physicians
This project is influenced by the "A National Report by Dr. Lisa Meeks titled: Accessibility, Inclusion, and Action in Medical Education: Lived Experiences of Learners & Physicians” as well as so many healthcare professionals who have shared the all too common of an experience navigating systemic barriers.
The 2018 social media campaign #DocswithDisabilities#NurseswithDisabiliites sparked critical conversations about disability inclusion and overcoming accessibility barriers to medical institutions. We must challenge ourselves to consider how we move through clinical spaces as human beings with human emotions, human bodies. "Nothing About us Without Us" means we engage and include the leadership and perspectives of those impacted by policies, including healthcare professionals with disabilities (both visible and invisible). For those who need a reminder today, I want you to know that you are seen, you are appreciated, you matter to patients." You are not alone!
Vision
Healthcare Starts with Selfcare.
Dr. Kotchecha from Mindful Medics focuses on healthcare systems overlooking staff health and wellbeing in the process of providing optimal care to their patients. She calls for a radical shift from a solely patient-centered care approach to be inclusive of staff and patient-centered care where we truly look after the health and wellbeing of the workforce, such that in turn they are better able to provide the care that they want to provide, and that every patient deserves.
On the surface it seems easy enough to widen the net to include staff in the patient care group if staff need help. Yet we need to recognize the real and specific barriers that healthcare professionals have to recognizing their own symptoms to getting adequate care that they need. The culture of medicine can be difficult to recognize when you’re in the midst of it. It is known to be highly traditional, hierarchical, to promote competition and perfectionism-al of which are perfect conditions that foster judgement. When a healthcare professional notices they are struggling with their personal wellbeing, they often get stuck in a tyranny of negative thoughts: What will this mean for my career? How will I progress? How will other people perceive me? Will I be considered less of a doctor, nurse, or manager?
Within medicine, there is the element of being a caregiver, not necessarily a caretaker. We’re not good at receiving care and typically we don’t feel as comfortable on the other side of the consultation table. All of this promotes a deep sense of isolation. From the dozens of stories I’ve heard from healthcare professionals I have worked with—the isolation, and feelings of deep loneliness are possibly worse than the actual stress and anxiety of the work itself. It’s the sense that “I am somehow disconnected from everyone around me” and that somehow makes me feel unsafe. It’s like looking around and everyone around you are beautiful swans gliding along the surface and there you are, frantically paddling, and paddling just to stay afloat. Each of us are feeling like this, and we’re not necessarily talking about it, we’re not having that open and honest space without judgmental to call it out. There are lots of challenges for healthcare professionals seeking the help and receiving the support that they need. A lot of the time we end up self-diagnosing, self-medicating, or resorting to mere hallway conversations with our friends and we don’t necessarily get the specialized care that we deserve.