Female Student Allowed To Continue Med Degree Despite Concern from Faculty Dean
04-02-2014, 01:30 AM
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/university-dis...z2xbogNtSx
Face-palm. Apparently this chick's name was suppressed because there would be concerns about her career prospects... um, yeah, because as a potential patient in the future I would like know if she is going to crack under pressure while operating on me!
"A medical student who suffers an "extreme" fear of exams has won the right to continue her degree after a tribunal ruled the university discriminated against her because of her mental health disability.
The woman, who has a borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder, had failed to sit written exams and avoided some clinical assessments, particularly in paediatrics and surgery, because of ‘‘extreme anxiety in relation to sitting exams [and] performance assessments’’.
The University of Newcastle declined to grant the woman an extension of time to complete her Bachelor of Medicine after she had only completed three-and-a-half years of course work in an eight-year period, the maximum time allowed.
The Dean of Medicine, Professor Ian Symonds, felt there was a significant risk that she would not be able to safely work as a doctor, even if she ultimately managed to graduate, because of her psychiatric illnesses.
But the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal upheld the woman’s claim that the university discriminated against her on the grounds of disability and directed the university to grant her an 18-month extension."
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/university-dis...z2xbogNtSx
Face-palm. Apparently this chick's name was suppressed because there would be concerns about her career prospects... um, yeah, because as a potential patient in the future I would like know if she is going to crack under pressure while operating on me!
"A medical student who suffers an "extreme" fear of exams has won the right to continue her degree after a tribunal ruled the university discriminated against her because of her mental health disability.
The woman, who has a borderline personality disorder and bipolar disorder, had failed to sit written exams and avoided some clinical assessments, particularly in paediatrics and surgery, because of ‘‘extreme anxiety in relation to sitting exams [and] performance assessments’’.
The University of Newcastle declined to grant the woman an extension of time to complete her Bachelor of Medicine after she had only completed three-and-a-half years of course work in an eight-year period, the maximum time allowed.
The Dean of Medicine, Professor Ian Symonds, felt there was a significant risk that she would not be able to safely work as a doctor, even if she ultimately managed to graduate, because of her psychiatric illnesses.
But the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal upheld the woman’s claim that the university discriminated against her on the grounds of disability and directed the university to grant her an 18-month extension."
http://www.smh.com.au/nsw/university-dis...z2xbogNtSx