I am a medical student. I have struggled a lot to get to graduate school and I had been facing many difficulties since early in life. I was diagnosed with ADHD, Depression and Anxiety on 2018. I have received Therapy, Medications and even a medical leave of absence to work on my conditions. It hasn't helped that I have faced many exacerbating factors during this time, I have lost several family members, been displaced and faced economic and transportation hardship.
I recently request reasonable accommdotions to the NBME and they denied my request on the basis of "if you have the IQ" you don't need help. My medical providers were all advocating for me to take my examinations with additional time and breaks in order to help me focus during my exam since I haven't been doing well in school and my boards. I wanted to ask, has anyone struggled with accommodations in adulthood? What have you done? Who can help in this case?
Written by
leilama
To view profiles and participate in discussions please or .
I'm not sure I can help, but you post touched my heart.First, the response of "You have a high IQ so you don't need hep," is frustrating and demoralizing. It's kind of like blaming the victim- you're smart enough figure it out. And if you don't it's your fault. (And I believed it was my fault for year as many others do). And as the NBME servers healthcare professionals, this response is all the more horrific.
I don't know if the have an appeals process, might be worth checking out.
In the end it's amazing you made it to medical school dealing with ADHD, depression and anxiety. Most will likely never understand the kind of struggles you had to go through to get there. It is amazing and I'm pulling for you to get to the other side. All of us suffering with ADHD, depression and or anxiety need more medical professionals such as you who understand it from our side. Maybe that will help to reduce the "you're smart try harder" crap we deal with all the time.
Good luck, please keep fighting. And great job of getting to where you are.
- late edit- Just thought of this- might be worth contacting CHADD to see if they have an advocacy group which might be able to help you. I think you can call them. Again good luck.
Hey! Again not a huge expert here. Some of it was from what I've been told in the past but on a different course with assessments;
Don't forget ADHD and even anxiety/depression are recognized disabilities. So your education provider and work places should provide reasonable adjustments. Extra time in exams is a reasonable adjustment. Some on practical placements may not be deemed reasonable because it is part of the job. I.e. Still having to fill in medical reports (but you could add adjustments to help you do them)
Again, I dont know if all US laws etc have been incorporated into Puerto Rico.
The IQ , a lot of research suggests a high contrast in IQ is common within ADHD and dyslexia, etc. As such this should not be a factor in their decision.
I'm in the top 10% for verbal reasoning but at the bottom for other areas. IQ should not be used in the way that they have.
I also believe, though, that some things need to be assessed based on real-life scenarios. So this may be their rationale behind the reason. So this could be worth checking?
It should be considered what evidence was provided for them to make there decision and documents such as an Ed Physc report or that from Occupational Health may support your case.
Sorry this isnt much help but I just wanted to bring up the key points.
I’m so sorry for you! What they did is technically illegal based on federal law. Please contact the below office IMMEDIATELY to report your school’s denial. Also, you can look up the ADA Section 504 as it applies to medical schools; saying you have the iq so you don’t need accommodation after being presented with your doctors recommendation is discrimination. Please contact this office ASAP
Office for Civil Rights (OCR)
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services
Eastern and Caribbean Region - (New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands)
Hi! I was so happy to see that you exist. I'm a physician. I graduated in 2009 from med school and 2013 from residency. I had to take the MCAT w/o accommodations because back then I'd only been diagnosed with auditory processing deficit. Only 4 years ago, in 2019, I was diagnosed with ADHD. So I took the SAT, MCAT, and 7 board exams (passed) without medication, extra time (150% time), or a private room. It was exhausting and demoralizing. I almost quit a lot, mainly before med school.
After getting diagnosed with ADHD, I qualified for extra time and a private room. My last board exam went great, was much lower stress, and I scored in the upper half or upper quarter in every section.
You are protected under the ADA. Congratulations, dear!
See this document, but especially the last line. You might want a lawyer to write you a letter citing the ADA: www2.ed.gov/about/offices/l...
Cheers,
Endorphinella
P.S. Maybe try to learn Psychiatry outside of your med school. Oof!
Hi! I’m very sorry to hear what you have been through! I would highly recommend that you
Check out Sasha Hamdani on Instagram(psychdoctormd) She is a psychiatrist and has ADHD and discusses the barriers that girls sms women face in receiving a diagnosis She also discusses her medical school
Experience. She’s extremely smart and relatable and knowledgeable.
I’m in my 60s and had to spend several years convincing health providers about my ADHD because I did very well academically
I wish you all the best and know that you are not alone!
I’m also a physician and only just diagnosed at 50. I don’t know if there are options for psychological testing for you (Eg to justify accommodations), but I want you to know you’re not alone. I’m sure you have TONS to offer patients and their families. Please take a deep breath, get some support, and remember you are a wonderful human with so much going for you. I hope you can get an evaluation for trauma symptoms, too, by someone with trauma training. Please be kind to yourself.
Content on HealthUnlocked does not replace the relationship between you and doctors or other healthcare professionals nor the advice you receive from them.
Never delay seeking advice or dialling emergency services because of something that you have read on HealthUnlocked.
I'm a physician. I graduated in 2009 from med school and 2013 from residency. I had to take the MCAT w/o accommodations because back then I'd only been diagnosed with auditory processing deficit. Only 4 years ago, in 2019, I was diagnosed with ADHD. So I took the SAT, MCAT, and 7 board exams (passed) without medication, extra time (150% time), or a private room. It was exhausting and demoralizing. I almost quit a lot, mainly before med school. 
Sorting Between inattentive ADHD and Anxiety
The medical community is failing those with ADHD
ADHD and Anger 
Procrastination and ADHD
ADHD and Excessive sweating? 
