The admission requirements of medical schools may vary somewhat in terms of “technical requirements” for admission.
However, in general, the M.D. is a broad, undifferentiated degree and medical schools tend to require that students have adequate motor, sensory, and intellectual skills to participate meaningfully in all laboratory and clinical exercises. The implications of this are that, fairly or not, a potential student who might be able to function in some aspect of medicine (i.e. psychiatry) might be excluded because of functional inability to perform the duties of a physician in other roles.
Someone who is blind or has a cervical cord injury resulting in significant impairment in arm/hand function likely could not be admitted. Paralysis of the legs alone or lack of sense of smell would not be sufficient justification for rejection of an application. Lack of ability to hear may be more of a grey area, but exclusion on grounds of inability to auscultate with a stethoscope is probably justifiable.
As regards mental/intellectual disorders, medical schools are required to make reasonable accomodations (i.e. more time to take tests) for learning disabilities. Clearly, some disorders of intellectual function (i.e., mental retardation) cannot be “reasonably accomodated”. Medical schools cannot legally refuse to admit someone on tbe sole basis of a prior diagnosis of uncomplicated mood disorder, personality disorder, or treated substance abuse/dependence. Active abuse of or dependece on alcohol or other drugs or disorders producing impaired perception of reality (i.e. paranoid schizophrenia with residual symptoms) would likely be barriers to admission.
Once a physician is in practice, the ability to perform the functions required of his or her particular specialty becomes paramount. For instance, loss of dexterity in the hands due to Parkinson’s disease would clearly end a cardiothoracic surgeon’s career but have little impact on the work of a diagnostic radiologist or psychiatrist.
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