Can Disabled Doctors Work?

At our January 2007 online meeting it was suggested that the CAPD was an organization for physicians who were no longer able to work. This sentiment ignores that we have a number within our ranks who continue to work or are currently in residency programs with the clear intent to work. My own thought is that the organization should support any physician-in-training or physicians facing barriers in continuing to practice. I think this is reflected in our recent attempt to modify our vision. One of the difficulties is that there are no standard criteria that medical schools, postgraduate programs or regulatory colleges use to determine an individual's fitness to practice. There are well developed criteria that consider an individual's ability to drive safely. Surely, it cannot that difficult to develop a fitness-to-practice model that could be uniformly applied across the country. For physicians previously in practice, the issue is to determine they have the ability to practice within the limitations of any disability including that they have appropriate accomodations. This group also has to be current regarding CME activities. For physicians-in-training the task is a bit more onerous in that they have to demonstrate the competencies that enable the practice of medicine including a particular speciality. Thoughts anyone?

Canadian Association of Physicians with Disabilities

Vision: A future where Canadian physicians with disabilities do not encounter barriers to realize a professional life that maximizes their skills and aspirations