Medical education experiences among medical students with chronic health conditions: A qualitative study

Medical students with chronic health conditions are an underrepresented and often overlooked population in medical education. Previous research describes the dual roles they hold as both healthcare recipients and providers and details challenges they face related to accommodations and accessibility. However, less is known about how having a chronic health condition shapes the day-to-day aspects of medical education. To address this gap in knowledge, I conducted semi-structured interviews with eighteen medical students with chronic conditions and examined data using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings revealed the competing demands students face between medical school expectations and the need to manage their health. They work to reconcile these demands using tools like accommodations and strategic communication and by reconstructing narratives to reassess self-imposed expectations. These participants understand having a chronic health condition as just one piece of their larger sense of self. Participants approach this understanding in individualized and nuanced ways, yet all share a cohesive view that their experiences having chronic health conditions inform their medical practice for the better through the development of genuine empathy for patients. This paper concludes with recommendations drawn from participant interviews of how medical schools can better support students with chronic health conditions.

Automated summary

This article explores the challenges faced by medical students with chronic health conditions in their day-to-day medical education and how they cope with these challenges. The study found that they need to balance the expectations of medical school with the needs of managing their health, and they do so by using accommodations and strategic communication to reconcile these demands and reevaluate their self-imposed expectations. The experiences of having chronic health conditions have a positive impact on their medical practice.