dyslexic and a medical student....eeekkkk!!!

i had always known something was not right about me...

so just to see if things were OK i spoke to my uni and they arranged an exam with the dyslexia service.
the woman told me that i was dyslexic and ma have dyspraxia too!
im really upset with it all. i was not expecting this but at least it explains why my grades are not that good compared to other medical schools. ever since starting i have been struggling but now i have this diagnosis im worried.
i want to do well in medical school, like really well. but with dyslexia is that possible?
please help... feeling very down

Reply 1

redtortoise

Just because you've been diagnosed nothings changed. your not suddenly going to be any worse off. Now you know what the problem is you can look at specific solutions and tailor your work around you with this information. You can now find different ways of doing things. This diagnosis may help to explain what was going wrong before. It will also help you in the eyes of your uni and they can help you more with things such as extra time.

Reply 2

tpxvs

its definitely possible. as a medical student in a large school, iv come across all sorts of peers - some with (relatively) quite bad neurological illnesses. But to name a few, deaf, clinically severely depressed, dyslexic, cancer (yep, got diagnosed when at medical school), and a few others that i cant think of right now except for this one kid who has multiple fairly severe things wrong with him, iv just never felt comfortable to ask.

That aside, my a level chemistry teacher who had a phd who was hands down the best teacher we ever had, was dyslexic. She also had the option of med school but chose her teaching route instead.

This diagnosis doesnt define you and it doesnt take away what you have achieved to get this far. You can do it.

Reply 3

IAmABaws

Your med school must've thought you were capable to complete the course when they accepted you! This doesn't change that

Reply 4

username1236842

Knowing that you have dyslexia may change the specialty you choose to go in to. I advised my dyslexic son not to go into medicine because there is alot of writing. If you have come this far and enjoy the course I'd suggest looking at specialties with less writing and typing. I'm a GP and do alot of typing and writing and have to read numerous reports each day. I do a session a week in dermatology and there is less there as I dictate more. Most hospital consultants seem to do more dictating and less typing than GPs. You can be a GP and use something like Dragon to dictate patient notes.
I'm not sure how much writing and typing there is in emergency medicine these days, there was alot when I was a junior doctor but it may have improved as that was 20 years ago.

As a junior doc you will be writing in notes alot though, your consultants should be aware of your diagnosis and make allowances..
I'd look at specialist help to help you read and write faster.

Reply 5

polldoll

Seriously it's not that big a deal! Don't let it be an excuse for not doing anything. You can still work in all areas doing what you want to. You just need to find a method of managing your dyslexia! I found out at 19, and even though several people suggested it would stop me doing things such as nursing or medicine, I've gone on and showed them!
As for surviving med school, what are your weak spots? My writing is fine, spelling ok but short term memory sucks. I have to work hard at memorising and have tried several different methods until getting one that works for me.
When I work as a nurse, I write notes, dispense medicines etc and because I'm aware that I may misread something I was always doubly careful when it came to checking. I'd go as far as to say I made less errors than non dyslexic nurses as I was so aware!

So as someone else said, don't let dyslexia define you. Just keep working towards your goal and be aware you may have to find unique learning methods for yourself.
Good luck!

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Reply 6

gnome253

I am studying medicine and am dyslexic. I think that in some areas it can be an advantage. Most dyslexics are great problem solvers, which is really helpful as a doctor, and can really excel at the practical procedure learning. Also, I have found that when doing practical exams and communicating with patients (or rather pretend patients) the feedback I have got is that I explain things well in a way that any non medical person can understand (a very important skill for a doctor)... I put this down to being dyslexic as through the way I have to learn things, organise them in my head and with the words I am most comfortable using I can come up with a much simpler explanation.

Obviously essay writing and large amounts of reading are going to be difficult but getting a diagnosis is important as it means you will be eligible for a lot of support. I don't know what med school you are at or what their accessibility services are like but from what I know most universities are very good at helping students with dyslexia. You will most likely be able to get Disabled Students allowance from Student Finance which means you could get all sorts of programs free to help on your computer (such as dictation and read aloud software as well as mindmap creators and more) and a free laptop and printer if you don't already have them as well as study skills tutoring. I also get extra time in exams and special consideration when written work is being marked.

Please don't worry. You are obviously very clever and hard working and now you have a diagnosis the extra support should be enough to help you to do better than anyone else in your year.

Reply 7

altiger

Hay honey.... im guessing you are a girl lol.... more than possible, im 3rd year, im dyslexic as ****..... when I read with out paying attention the letters change order.... but over the years I have kinda tough my brain to not reorder letters or words when I need to study.... its hard to explain.... but when its something not important I let my brain run riot lol.... licence plates are alot of fun cos I always get stupid words that after looking properly didn't even resemble the actual plate hahahahah and I am also in the top 5 percent.... I a kickass on everything.... my doctors and professors recognise me as the best.... I dont sound arrogant do I? Just put your head down and work work work and more work.....
I am glad I am dyslexic because I see things in a way non of my fellow students can and the way I see it is better.... I remember everything because my head plays tricks on me which I laugh at and correct and ill never have to worry about forgetting it... how can I lol..... so relax have a coffee smoke a cig and make sure you dont surpass 10 packet years hahahaha.... ps I was **** at bio chem.... not dyslexia related.... I just find it outrageously boring. xxx

Reply 8

altiger

Original post by taysidefrog

I cant believe that you discouraged your own son from medicine? obviously I don't know how severe his dyslexia is but you shouldn't discourage him from attempting anything.... as his parent if you tell him he cant do something it will have a huge effect on him. im a med student with dyslexia and my dad who is a doc told me to go for medicine..... I always said that it would be impossible cos my reading problems and my difficulty writing and spelling..... I eventually believed I could do it and I AM doing it... I dont believe you are a doc but if you are actually a gp then you should know that anyone and prescribe paracetamol, limited antibiotics and condoms... also who to refer people to.... and as a dermatitis you know how to prescribe vasieline.

Reply 9

username1236842

He was never seriously interested in medicine anyway. He hated subjects with alot of writing and loved the more logical subjects like maths and tech. He's going to be an engineer and very enthusiastic about it.
When you are a doctor you will have to ensure you don't send out paragraphs like the one you have just written. The last bit doesn't make sense.
As a GP I do ALOT of typing and reading, and medical notes have to be legible and thorough.
I didn't say people with dylexia can't be doctors, just that they will need to work harder than other students and as many dyslexics dislike writing (I have 3 dyslexics in my family) they may find careers with less writing more fun.

Reply 10

Hype en Ecosse

Best thing you can do is let whoever's in charge of the programme (or your year) know now that you've got a diagnosis and they can point you in the right direction for support, and perhaps your university's disability services will be able to help. There are a few people with dyslexia in my year and there's a lot of support available for them. :smile:

Original post by altiger

This last paragraph doesn't make sense at all. Is this an attempt to belittle an entire specialty?

Reply 11

Aleynasarioglu

Original post by Honey:)

I am a med student too. And i am dyslexic. I think we are ok.what are you doing now? Did you graduated or not? Tell me . It can realy help me (Sorry for my english)

Reply 12

nexttime

Original post by Aleynasarioglu

I am a med student too. And i am dyslexic. I think we are ok.what are you doing now? Did you graduated or not? Tell me . It can realy help me (Sorry for my english)