Hep B Blog

Dreams on Hold – A personal story of an aspiring medical student

The summer before starting medical school, most of my friends traveled and had fun. But I could not.

The months of June and July marked 60 days of complete horror—the lowest point in my life. First, my sister suffered 
a near-death medical complication. Then, for the first time in my life, I experienced discrimination due to an unexpected medical diagnosis.

My discrimination story started on June 20, 2011. The director of admissions at (X) Medical School notified me that
I had been accepted into their program and offered a generous scholarship to attend. Because of this scholarship and the potential to obtain in-state residence, I dropped the other medical school I had been considering, including a $2,500 enrollment deposit.

I began the grueling paperwork to matriculate to (X) Medical School. It took nearly a week to schedule doctor appointments, fill out health forms, get required blood work done, look for apartments, and apply for financial aid. The following week, I traveled across the country to finalize an apartment lease. I returned home less than 24 hours later, exhausted but having successfully signed a lease.

Then my doctor called and said, “You have hepatitis B.” The nightmare began after that call.

The next day, (X) Medical School’s Student Health Services demanded that I have further blood tests within three days; otherwise, their committee would not be able to review my file before the start of classes.

I completed all of the tests, and the results were sent to the committee within a week. I pleaded with the committee 
to keep me enrolled, and I even agreed
 to drop out of medical school if the antivirals did not work.

The response from (X) Medical School came one week before orientation started: I was deferred until next year.
 In addition, my scholarship was revoked. They demanded that I sign a contract accepting deferment with conditions, including no guarantee of readmission and I had to sign within a week of receiving this devastating news.

At that moment I had to juggle not only my new medical diagnosis, but also the fact that I had a lease that could not be cancelled or sublet, a full year without any plans, and uncertainties about my future.

The nightmare still lingers. However, 
I am slowly getting back on my feet. The antivirals are lowering my viral load. I am working in public health and reapplying to medical schools. My future is still uncertain.

Note: This story is one of the four cases that galvanized the Hepatitis B Foundation into action. At a June 2011 meeting convened by the CDC, the HBF and other national thought leaders worked with the CDC to update their 1991 hepatitis B recommendations for health care workers and students, which were just updated, July 2012. It is hoped that the newly Updated CDC Recommendations for the Management of Hepatitis B virus- Infected Health Care Providers and Students  guidelines and advocacy efforts of HBF and others will make a dent in hepatitis B based discrimination.  Please note that these newly revised guidelines strongly state that hepatitis B is not a condition that should prevent anyone from entering or practicing in health care.

Comments on this blog are closed. These blogs are not regularly reviewed or updated, and information, data, or practice recommendations/guidelines may have changed. If you have questions about hepatitis B or this blog post, please email info@hepb.org or call 215-489-4900.