How an autism diagnosis helped this resident doctor find her place in medicine

Dr. JJ Mráček knew since she was a kid that she would one day go to medical school. But once she got there, the journey was rockier than expected. 

Despite previous success in school — including a master's degree in social work — Mráček struggled to find her footing in medicine.

Exams proved harder than expected. She felt ostracized by peers who, she says, saw her as "too loud" for a hospital. A strong sense of justice, and a need for structure, led to conflict with her supervisors who perceived her as too direct.

Then, just before she finished med school, Mráček got a diagnosis at age 32 that felt like a puzzle being finished: she is autistic.

"It felt like every uncertainty I've ever had about myself was answered in that moment — a lifetime of feeling just slightly out of place," the Edmonton-based student told White Coat, Black Art host Dr. Brian Goldman.

"It really tied together every difficulty I'd ever experienced from a social perspective and gave me a singular answer, which we love in medicine. We love the unifying diagnosis."

Mráček wants med schools and health-care institutions to work toward a culture that's more accepting of doctors and trainees who are neurodiverse — a term describing differences in how people experience and interact with the world.

That could include, she says, better "flexibility" in accommodations for standard practices like the length of hospital shifts, some of which can be as long as 26 hours.

"In order to get into medical school, not only do you have to be intelligent, capable, empathetic, hard-working, but there's this invisible presumption that you don't have a disability," Mráček said.

"This assumption we have — that we are all the same — I think that's where that is rooted."

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a developmental condition that can impact a person's communication and social skills, with varying severity from one person to the next. 

There's no consensus on the number of doctors formally diagnosed with ASD — in part because doctors may feel uncomfortable revealing a diagnosis for fear of discrimination, says Laura Carravallah, student and membership lead for Autistic Doctors International.

Autistic Doctors International, a research and advocacy organization for autistic medical doctors, has over 600 members.

There are common misconceptions among patients and colleagues about doctors with autism. For example, some people may respond to a common scenario differently from one day to the next, depending on environmental factors like noise or lights.