ABSTRACT

This chapter discusses issues which often concern students and highlights recent changes in the law which provide a framework for protecting students’ rights and for making this an exciting time for change in medical education. Far from blanket positive or negative discrimination, all students should be treated fairly on the basis of their individual cases and should be helped and supported as much as possible in fulfilling their potential without compromising current or future patient care. Under the act, the effect of a disability must be substantial, long-term and adverse and affect a person’s abilities to carry out normal day-to-day activities. These definitions relate to untreated state functioning and a person is still covered by the act once they have recovered. University procedures may be rigid in themselves and care should be taken to avoid invoking disciplinary procedures too arbitrarily or inappropriately against a student with mental health problems at the institution.