The Student with a Chronic Health Condition: Hillary Hampton, a Second-Year Medical Student with Crohn’s Disease

Abstract

A second-year medical student develops abdominal pain and diarrhea, which she attributes to a busy schedule and poor nutrition. She loses weight and experiences joint pain and stiffness. After several months, she visits her physician and is diagnosed with Crohn’s disease. She manages well until beginning her internal medicine clerkship. Long days in clinic leave little time for self-care, and bouts of diarrhea begin to occur frequently. The student makes frequent exits to the restroom and carries a change of clothes at all times. She tells her counselor about her condition but rejects his advice to register with the Office of Disability Services (ODS), for fear that the label of “disability” will negatively impact future opportunities. Soon thereafter, in a clinical competency meeting, a faculty member mentions concern with this student’s frequent absences from the clinical setting, late arrivals, and disengaged appearance. The committee discusses this as a possible professionalism concern but decides to delay the filing. The student’s counselor, present during this discussion, privately contacts the student to explain the perception of her behavior. After realizing the potential negative consequences of not disclosing the disability, she decides to contact ODS.