D
deleted843483
solved
Last edited by a moderator:
- Joined
- Mar 1, 2013
- Messages
- 5,422
- Reaction score
- 12,687
I understand the desire not to be 'labeled' -- But don't you see that by declining to label yourself you are promulgating exactly the kind of discrimination you are simultaneously condemning? No one will know you have a qualifying designation unless you need them to be made aware - for instance testing accommodations. Or even allowing you to be able to stand where you can hear clearly. Small-minded people who will judge you for having a disability will judge you regardless of whether or not you ever receive a label or ADA accommodations. They're not going to ask you - they'll assume. And you'll probably never even get the chance to tell them, unless you admit to actually having a disability. (horrors!)
Get over it. Or rather, get past it. Get through it -- process, move on and continue to succeed. Show the judgers that someone whose disability is successfully accommodated at none-to-minimal inconvenience to others can contribute significantly and make the world a better place for everyone. Be an inspiration to others with a hearing loss. Or a limp. Or a vision problem. Or a speech impediment. Embrace your own differences the way you would (will?) encourage your patients to embrace and accept their own human frailties.
As to audible tests -- Why not ask if you can try out the testing center's headphones to see if they will work adequately for you? It's a reasonable request. But get the accommodations on record. You may actually need those accommodations someday, and if you only cry "ADA!" after you're in trouble, you'll have already put yourself at a significant disadvantage and cast doubt on the validity of your claim. Your insistence that you don't need any accommodations will certainly work against you in the event that someday you do. You don't have to use them if you don't want to.
Get over it. Or rather, get past it. Get through it -- process, move on and continue to succeed. Show the judgers that someone whose disability is successfully accommodated at none-to-minimal inconvenience to others can contribute significantly and make the world a better place for everyone. Be an inspiration to others with a hearing loss. Or a limp. Or a vision problem. Or a speech impediment. Embrace your own differences the way you would (will?) encourage your patients to embrace and accept their own human frailties.
As to audible tests -- Why not ask if you can try out the testing center's headphones to see if they will work adequately for you? It's a reasonable request. But get the accommodations on record. You may actually need those accommodations someday, and if you only cry "ADA!" after you're in trouble, you'll have already put yourself at a significant disadvantage and cast doubt on the validity of your claim. Your insistence that you don't need any accommodations will certainly work against you in the event that someday you do. You don't have to use them if you don't want to.
- Joined
- Jan 6, 2011
- Messages
- 59
- Reaction score
- 85
I'm sorry that you deleted the original post; I think getting accommodations for the NBME exams is an important issue for people to be aware of. I will give you my advice anyway. I am a hard of hearing otolaryngologist. I wear bilateral hearing aids and use an electronic stethoscope. At a minimum, someone with hearing loss needs to get the personal item exemption (PIE) for the stethoscope you use for step 2 CS. I'm not sure if the ThinkLabs One is eligible since it has bluetooth. But the Cardionics E-Scope is eligible. I'd also recommend personal item exemption for your preferred headphones for the other Step exams. However, in my opinion, the answers to those questions that also had sounds associated with them (like heart or lung sounds) were usually not completely dependent on the sounds themselves. That is, I could at least get close even before hearing the sounds. There is no asterisk next to your score for the personal item exemption, or for any other accommodation. For the PIE you will need a letter from your audiologist and also possibly a copy of your audiogram. For me, getting the PIE was fast and efficient, except that on Step 2 CS test day the examiners made more of a big deal about it than I think they should have. I disagree with the DokterMom in that this is a case when you don't need to get your accommodations "on record"- you will always be able to prove that there is a need for reasonable accommodation for your hearing. It is not like the case that sometimes needs to be made for extra testing time.
