Broskowski Erin, Triano Sarah E, James Kara, Betchkal Rylee, Echols Karyn LaTurner, Hawks Suzanne, Ogah Ochanya, Nguyen Mytien, Meeks Lisa M
Disability Resource Center, University of Illinois Chicago College of Medicine, Chicago, IL, USA.
Division of Student Affairs, Geisinger Commonwealth School of Medicine, Scranton, PA, USA.
J Med Educ Curric Dev. 2025 May 30;12:23821205251344771. doi: 10.1177/23821205251344771. eCollection 2025 Jan-Dec.
Disability disclosure and accommodation requests among US medical students have increased significantly, yet gaps in support persist. Disability resource professionals (DRPs) are one essential support in bridging these gaps, but only 9% of medical schools employ a dedicated DRP, leaving institutions potentially underprepared to address the needs of students with disabilities.
This study explored the roles, qualifications, and challenges of DRPs in US medical schools to identify barriers to job performance and inform strategies for strengthening and supporting this role in medical education.
An exploratory, cross-sectional survey was conducted in July to August 2023. A 27-question online survey was distributed through convenience and snowball strategy via social media and listservs. Questions addressed institutional structures, the size of DRP student caseloads, job satisfaction, mentorship, and barriers to managing caseloads. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and χ tests, qualitative responses were thematically analyzed. The University of Michigan IRB approved this study.
Seventy-nine DRPs from 72 US MD and 7 DO programs participated. Most respondents reported excessive workloads, with 30% managing caseloads exceeding 100 students. Less than half of DRPs (45.6%) indicated that their workload was manageable. Inadequate professional development, lack of mentorship, and low salary satisfaction emerged as common challenges. Respondents also reported institutional barriers, including stigma, faculty resistance to accommodations, and the complexity of coordinating disability accommodations across didactic, clinical, and testing environments.
DRPs are critical to fostering accessible and inclusive medical education, yet systemic barriers undermine their effectiveness and place institutions at risk of increased student attrition, legal liability, and resource strain. Addressing these challenges requires investments in manageable caseloads, professional development for DRPs, faculty training, and institutional prioritization of the DRP role.
Systemic investments in staffing, training, and institutional culture are necessary to support DRPs and the growing population of US medical students with disabilities (MSWDs).
美国医学生中残疾情况披露和住宿需求申请显著增加，但支持方面的差距依然存在。残疾资源专业人员（DRP）是弥合这些差距的一项重要支持，但只有9%的医学院校聘用了专职DRP，这使得各院校在满足残疾学生需求方面可能准备不足。
本研究探讨了美国医学院校中DRP的角色、资质和挑战，以确定影响工作表现的障碍，并为加强和支持其在医学教育中的作用提供策略依据。
于2023年7月至8月进行了一项探索性横断面调查。通过社交媒体和邮件列表采用便利抽样和滚雪球策略分发了一份包含27个问题的在线调查问卷。问题涉及机构结构、DRP负责的学生数量、工作满意度、指导以及管理工作量的障碍。定量数据采用描述性统计和χ检验进行分析，定性回答采用主题分析。密歇根大学机构审查委员会批准了本研究。
来自72所美国医学博士（MD）项目和7所医学博士（DO）项目的79名DRP参与了调查。大多数受访者表示工作量过大，30%的人管理的学生数量超过100名。不到一半的DRP（45.6%）表示他们的工作量是可控的。专业发展不足、缺乏指导以及薪资满意度低成为常见挑战。受访者还报告了机构方面的障碍，包括耻辱感、教师对住宿安排的抵触，以及在理论教学、临床和考试环境中协调残疾学生住宿安排的复杂性。
DRP对于促进无障碍和包容性医学教育至关重要，但系统性障碍削弱了他们的有效性，并使院校面临学生流失增加、法律责任和资源紧张的风险。应对这些挑战需要在可控工作量、DRP的专业发展、教师培训以及对DRP角色的机构重视方面进行投入。
在人员配备、培训和机构文化方面进行系统性投入对于支持DRP以及美国残疾医学生（MSWD）不断增长的群体是必要的。
