[AMYLEEK]

I have always wanted to study medicine so I was wondering if my hearing difficulties will get in the way. My hearing loss isn't very bad and doesn't affect me so much in my everyday life so I haven't bothered with hearing aids and it's something I was born with. I recently did work experience and found I really struggled to understand what the patient was saying with general noise in the background and I struggled to hear what the consultants were whispering to me during procedures.

Will this get in the way of my application to medical school this September? Should I let universities know before applying? I wasn't planning to since it doesn't affect my everyday life

[charlottehattonx]

Hello

I too have hearing difficulties and I have hearing aids and choose not to wear them. I'm going to study children's nursing at Manchester and I had to tell them at occupational therapy, but they could see no problem with it. You should let them know, because if you do struggle as working in medicine a totally different environment there are things they can put in place for you.

I know you probably don't want them and want to be the same as everybody else (been there done that.)

You will adapt to the circumstances, think about investing in hearing aids for your training and career, you don't have to wear them for everyday life because that's what I'm doing. It shouldn't at all get in the way, good luck with applying.

[AMYLEEK]

I did consider getting a pair for the course and training but I don't think I'd be able to use a stethoscope whilst wearing them and I don't want to mishear the stethoscope if you get me

[charlottehattonx]

They have electronic stethoscopes, of which occupational therapy are providing me with, so letting them know will do you more good than harm

[AMYLEEK]

I have always wanted to study medicine so I was wondering if my hearing difficulties will get in the way. My hearing loss isn't very bad and doesn't affect me so much in my everyday life so I haven't bothered with hearing aids and it's something I was born with. I recently did work experience and found I really struggled to understand what the patient was saying with general noise in the background and I struggled to hear what the consultants were whispering to me during procedures.

Will this get in the way of my application to medical school this September? I was wondering if you know a student doing medicine or a doctor with a hearing difficulty?

[AMYLEEK]

Really? Thank you so much, that's amazing. Can you use them whilst wearing your hearing aid or do you have to slip them off? Can you use in ear hearing aids with them?

[PhoenixFortune]

(Original post by AMYLEEK)
I have always wanted to study medicine so I was wondering if my hearing difficulties will get in the way. My hearing loss isn't very bad and doesn't affect me so much in my everyday life so I haven't bothered with hearing aids and it's something I was born with. I recently did work experience and found I really struggled to understand what the patient was saying with general noise in the background and I struggled to hear what the consultants were whispering to me during procedures.

Will this get in the way of my application to medical school this September? I was wondering if you know a student doing medicine or a doctor with a hearing difficulty?

During your occupational health check (which can happen before or just after starting your course), you will have your hearing assessed. If they have concerns, and you will have explained your concerns on your health questionnaire prior to this check, they can advise you to get hearing aids fitted.

[AMYLEEK]

Oh ok, so having a hearing difficulty shouldn't affect my application?

[Josh93]

Plenty of older consultants must have worse hearing than yourself and they manage so I can't see that it would be that much of a problem?

I'm completely deaf in one ear and I can still manually take a blood pressure or listen to heart sounds with no difficulty at all - I can't say whether there would be an issue with your application but I would be really, really surprised if there was.

[nexttime]

Worst case: you might have to get a hearing aid. Nothing to stop you applying.

[Elles]

It shouldn't directly affect your application - medical schools have to be careful to separate the academic/aptitude parts of selection by the admissions people which happen first and then occupational health clearance (by a separate department) which is the process offers are conditional on.

There are doctors with a range of hearing impairments from mild to much more severe & various adaptations that can be made - electronic amplified stethoscopes are the most obvious - I've also heard of pagers rather than bleeps.

However, some things can still be challenging as you've noticed - like the heavy use of telephones, quiet talking from other professionals, range of accents of patients, background noisy environments, difficulty positioning for lipreading compensation (e.g. on a ward round crammed around if you are also trying to write) or surgical masks making it impossible.

(Original post by PhoenixFortune)
During your occupational health check (which can happen before or just after starting your course), you will have your hearing assessed. If they have concerns, and you will have explained your concerns on your health questionnaire prior to this check, they can advise you to get hearing aids fitted.

Not sure I would rely on doing it this way as I think it could end up being more stressful - medical school occupational health is normally a questionnaire, follow up interview with a physician if needed or more typically the whizzing through stations being signed off by occupational health nurses for having a blood test, showing proof of vaccinations etc. I don't think it's very likely that they would have 'in house' Audiology - it would be more self reported about whether the hearing impairment caused functional problems. Universities can arrange more specialised medical or educational psychologist assessments but obviously this it takes time & if often more on the assessment than management side.

Depending on your last hearing assessment I think it might be helpful to discuss this with your GP pre OccHealth to see if you might benefit from Audiology review in the interim - if hearing aids might be helpful they also take time to get used to & starting medical school has enough new things going on!

[MedMed12]

(Original post by AMYLEEK)
I have always wanted to study medicine so I was wondering if my hearing difficulties will get in the way. My hearing loss isn't very bad and doesn't affect me so much in my everyday life so I haven't bothered with hearing aids and it's something I was born with. I recently did work experience and found I really struggled to understand what the patient was saying with general noise in the background and I struggled to hear what the consultants were whispering to me during procedures.

Will this get in the way of my application to medical school this September? I was wondering if you know a student doing medicine or a doctor with a hearing difficulty?

if its unilateral hearing, i have it too and have applied to medicine x

[MedMed12]

(Original post by AMYLEEK)
I have always wanted to study medicine so I was wondering if my hearing difficulties will get in the way. My hearing loss isn't very bad and doesn't affect me so much in my everyday life so I haven't bothered with hearing aids and it's something I was born with. I recently did work experience and found I really struggled to understand what the patient was saying with general noise in the background and I struggled to hear what the consultants were whispering to me during procedures.

Will this get in the way of my application to medical school this September? Should I let universities know before applying? I wasn't planning to since it doesn't affect my everyday life

it has to go on UCAS as a hearing impairment andit shouldnt affect your application that much