It's sad how strong ableism still is, even among future doctors
For context: Im Brazilian, autistic (diagnosed) and close to finishing med school, and going into psychiatry. I've done rotations in hospitals and community mental health centers, and I'm deeply passionate about this profession
I'm a class rep, and this week there's a mandatory conference at my school. The space is small and a lot of people show up, so it gets packed and loud. A few autistic classmates asked me to talk to the coordinator because they wouldn't be able to handle that environment. It bothers me a lot too, and if I went, I'd stay as little as possible
I asked another class rep for the coordinator's contact (which he was supposed to provide to me 4 months ago) and explained why. I was told that for future doctors this is something you have to "fight through," that you have to "get used to it," that people with autism have limitations and need to do the same, and that conferences are where doctors stay up to date to give the best care
In the end, the message was that an autistic person would be a worse doctor for not handling a crowded room. When I pointed out that this was ableism, I was told it was just "another perspective"
Later he """acknowledged""" that he used "unfortunate words," but kept talking about our "limitations," in an AI-written text And the request was simple: an alternative, like attending online. Staying up to date comes from studying, papers, and guidelines, not from being able to spend hours in a crowded place
Anyway, just sad to see that, even with new generation of doctors, this will continue to be a frequent occurrence