The Americans With Disabilities Act is designed to protect persons with disabilities from discrimination. They recommend that the “essential functions” necessary for performing the proposed job, schooling, etc., be fully described so that the candidate can determine if she/he can perform these “essential functions”. The “essential functions” for midwifery students might be described as follows:
- To read and understand technical and scientific material
- To apply knowledge obtained from books, classes, clinical experiences to real-life situations
- To memorize facts and test successfully for them
- To write coherent essays analyzing health problems
- To research topics relevant to midwifery practice and present findings
- To perform differential diagnoses based on information given by the patient and obtained by oneself clinically
- To perform clinical skills for obtaining physical information from clients
- To perform clinical skills essential to the physical tasks that may be necessary during prenatal, birth, post-partum, newborn and wellwomen care
- To lift and reposition clients
- To perform motor skills such as suturing, starting IVs, intubating, injecting, driving vehicles
- To correctly administer medications
- To work long hours at a time, sometimes without much break, even for days at a time
- To communicate successfully with clients, their families, your colleagues, doctors, hospitals, laboratories, emergency services, community resources
- To elicit essential information from clients to ascertain their state of health
- To record clients’ health and progress and fill out required official documents
- To tell the truth about your knowledge of any facts relevant to a clients’ health
- To tell the truth about your skills levels
- To refer all clients who are out of your scope of expertise/practice to appropriate practitioners
- To keep confidential all information about all clients
- To teach clients about the functioning of their bodies, during the prenatal, intrapartum, postpartum, newborn, interconceptional and menopausal phases of life
- To orient clients to resources, information, behaviors, practitioners that could help them with their health
- To inform clients of available alternatives
- To obtain informed consent before undertaking any treatment or testing
- To perform self-evaluation and preceptor evaluation
- To successfully perform midwifery skills under preceptor supervision and to gradually take increased responsibility until you can perform all midwifery tasks independently
- To seek assistance from qualified persons whenever in doubt
- To maintain self-health, mental, physical, spiritual
The ADA does allow employers, preceptors, etc., to ask a student if they can perform the essential functions. Employers/preceptors can ask the student to describe or demonstrate how they will perform an essential function. They can also test for aptitude, physical agility, intelligence and specific skills. The College Administration is available to help students and preceptors think through reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities.