Exploring accommodations along the education to employment pathway for deaf and hard of hearing healthcare professionals
Abstract Background Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people are an underserved population and underrepresented among healthcare professionals. A major barrier to success for DHH healthcare professionals is obtaining effective accommodations during education and employment. Our objective: describe DHH...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMC
2022-05-01
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| Series: | BMC Medical Education |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03403-w |
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| author | C. J. Moreland L. M. Meeks M. Nahid K. Panzer T. L. Fancher |
| author_facet | C. J. Moreland L. M. Meeks M. Nahid K. Panzer T. L. Fancher |
| author_sort | C. J. Moreland |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people are an underserved population and underrepresented among healthcare professionals. A major barrier to success for DHH healthcare professionals is obtaining effective accommodations during education and employment. Our objective: describe DHH individuals’ experiences with accommodations in healthcare education. Methods We used an online survey and multipronged snowball sampling to recruit participants who identify as DHH and who had applied to a U.S. health professional school (regardless of acceptance status). One hundred forty-eight individuals representing multiple professions responded; 51 had completed their training. Over 80% had been accepted to, were currently enrolled, or had completed health professions schools or residency programs, and/or were employed. The survey included questions addressing experiences applying to health professions programs and employment; satisfaction with accommodations in school and training; having worked with a disability resource professional (DRP); and depression screening. Results Use and type of accommodation varied widely. While in school, respondents reported spending a mean of 2.1 h weekly managing their accommodations. Only 50% were highly satisfied with the accommodations provided by their programs. Use of disability resource providers (DRPs) for accommodations was highest during school (56%) and less frequent during post-graduate training (20%) and employment (14%). Respondents who transitioned directly from school to employment (versus via additional training) were more satisfied with their accommodations during school and were more likely to find employment (p = 0.02). Seventeen respondents screened positive for risk of depression; a positive screen was statistically associated with lower school accommodation satisfaction. Conclusions DHH people study and practice across many health professions. While respondents were mostly successful in entering health professions programs, accommodation experiences and satisfaction varied. Satisfaction with accommodations was related to successful employment and wellness. Low satisfaction was associated with higher likelihood of depression symptoms. To increase representation in the workforce, healthcare professional schools, training programs, and employers should enhance support for the learning and working climates for people with disabilities. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-12T16:02:22Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bfbd0ce828874f74a608fc2ff0870a66 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1472-6920 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-12T16:02:22Z |
| publishDate | 2022-05-01 |
| publisher | BMC |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMC Medical Education |
| spelling | doaj.art-bfbd0ce828874f74a608fc2ff0870a662022-12-22T00:19:23ZengBMCBMC Medical Education1472-69202022-05-012211910.1186/s12909-022-03403-wExploring accommodations along the education to employment pathway for deaf and hard of hearing healthcare professionalsC. J. Moreland0L. M. Meeks1M. Nahid2K. Panzer3T. L. Fancher4Department of Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at AustinCenter for a Diverse Healthcare Workforce, University of California, Davis, School of MedicineGeneral & Internal Medicine, Weil Cornell MedicineDepartment of Family Medicine, University of Michigan Medical SchoolCenter for a Diverse Healthcare Workforce, University of California, Davis, School of MedicineAbstract Background Deaf and hard of hearing (DHH) people are an underserved population and underrepresented among healthcare professionals. A major barrier to success for DHH healthcare professionals is obtaining effective accommodations during education and employment. Our objective: describe DHH individuals’ experiences with accommodations in healthcare education. Methods We used an online survey and multipronged snowball sampling to recruit participants who identify as DHH and who had applied to a U.S. health professional school (regardless of acceptance status). One hundred forty-eight individuals representing multiple professions responded; 51 had completed their training. Over 80% had been accepted to, were currently enrolled, or had completed health professions schools or residency programs, and/or were employed. The survey included questions addressing experiences applying to health professions programs and employment; satisfaction with accommodations in school and training; having worked with a disability resource professional (DRP); and depression screening. Results Use and type of accommodation varied widely. While in school, respondents reported spending a mean of 2.1 h weekly managing their accommodations. Only 50% were highly satisfied with the accommodations provided by their programs. Use of disability resource providers (DRPs) for accommodations was highest during school (56%) and less frequent during post-graduate training (20%) and employment (14%). Respondents who transitioned directly from school to employment (versus via additional training) were more satisfied with their accommodations during school and were more likely to find employment (p = 0.02). Seventeen respondents screened positive for risk of depression; a positive screen was statistically associated with lower school accommodation satisfaction. Conclusions DHH people study and practice across many health professions. While respondents were mostly successful in entering health professions programs, accommodation experiences and satisfaction varied. Satisfaction with accommodations was related to successful employment and wellness. Low satisfaction was associated with higher likelihood of depression symptoms. To increase representation in the workforce, healthcare professional schools, training programs, and employers should enhance support for the learning and working climates for people with disabilities.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03403-wDisabilityDiversityDeafnessMedical education |
| spellingShingle | C. J. Moreland L. M. Meeks M. Nahid K. Panzer T. L. Fancher Exploring accommodations along the education to employment pathway for deaf and hard of hearing healthcare professionals BMC Medical Education Disability Diversity Deafness Medical education |
| title | Exploring accommodations along the education to employment pathway for deaf and hard of hearing healthcare professionals |
| title_full | Exploring accommodations along the education to employment pathway for deaf and hard of hearing healthcare professionals |
| title_fullStr | Exploring accommodations along the education to employment pathway for deaf and hard of hearing healthcare professionals |
| title_full_unstemmed | Exploring accommodations along the education to employment pathway for deaf and hard of hearing healthcare professionals |
| title_short | Exploring accommodations along the education to employment pathway for deaf and hard of hearing healthcare professionals |
| title_sort | exploring accommodations along the education to employment pathway for deaf and hard of hearing healthcare professionals |
| topic | Disability Diversity Deafness Medical education |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12909-022-03403-w |
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