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Medical Conditions Preventing You Being a Train Driver

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gray1404

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Do any of the following medical conditions exclude by default someone from being a train driver?

ADHD
Aspergers Syndrome
Dyslexia
Dyspraxia
Depression

Thanks ??????
 
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JohnFM

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It depends upon who diagnosed in some cases. Someone may well believe that they have ADHD when the reality could be completely different if a doctor instead of a parent does the diagnosis.

If it is genuine ADHD that an individual is still suffering from then the fact that inattentiveness and impulsiveness coupled with sleep problems that are common with ADHD would preclude someone from being a train driver.

Aspergers is similarly restrictive but, again, it depends upon who diagnosed and what the issues are.

Dyslexia - it depends upon the severity of the issue.

Dyspraxia - most likely to stop you as that is co-ordination issues and motor skills which ar eimportant.

Depression - depending entirely upon severity, history and whether they are currently undergoing treatment or discharged from review.

Is this a general question or someone in mind?
 

RPM

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It makes a difference depending on whether you are applying for a trainee driver's job with one of those conditions, or whether you develop one of them after you have qualified. Because of the vast number of applicants for each new driving position, any sort of medical condition is likely to count against you. As an established driver it will come down to medical opinion on severity, manageability etc.
 

Knowledgeboy

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Im 34 and suffer with rheumatoid arthritis however it is under c control with medication.
Physically you would look at me and assume there is nothing wrong with me. I lead a fairly active lifestyle and already work as a professional driver in another industry. Will this hinder my pursuit as a trainee driver. Anyone with experience of this able to answer my question. Thanks
 

Bletchleyite

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Aspergers at a mild level tends to produce a very logical thinker who is somewhat obsessed with following the rules (though may lack social skills). An ideal candidate for being a driver in many ways - not dissimilarly it also gives people an aptitude for IT, which is about machines that will do precisely what they are told, nothing less.
 
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Shareboy

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Im 34 and suffer with rheumatoid arthritis however it is under c control with medication.
Physically you would look at me and assume there is nothing wrong with me. I lead a fairly active lifestyle and already work as a professional driver in another industry. Will this hinder my pursuit as a trainee driver. Anyone with experience of this able to answer my question. Thanks

I'd be interested to know anyone's thoughts on this also. Thanks
 

Bayum

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Im 34 and suffer with rheumatoid arthritis however it is under c control with medication.
Physically you would look at me and assume there is nothing wrong with me. I lead a fairly active lifestyle and already work as a professional driver in another industry. Will this hinder my pursuit as a trainee driver. Anyone with experience of this able to answer my question. Thanks

Depends on a number of issues really.

Namely how the disease is controlled and mobility issues. I've had sJIA since 4 and I've been pushed out of any job such as this due to my severely restricted mobility and reliance on Oramorph/Tramadol/Amitriptyline to control pain and break through pain. That's strike one.

Strike two for me would be physical incapability - I'd be unable to get off a train to trackside and back safely.

You've said that your lifestyle is fairly active, but how are you at remaining still for long periods? My class have cottoned on that I cat sit in a place for more than five minutes before I start to seize, so at the controls of a train for hours wouldn't be great for me.
 

Economist

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I have Asperger's and I'm due to start as a trainee driver in the near future. Declared it at the medical stage and the doc didn't see any problem with it. Mind you, it is very mild and doesn't prevent me from doing other safety-critical things.

The other conditions listed I wouldn't know specifically about but anything requiring medication which has side effects could be problematic.
 

JohnFM

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With someone in mind. Diagnosis made by doctor.

If this is one single individual with Aspergers, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia then they've, sadly, got not much hope of getting through training.

If you think about it how safe would it be for someone with a short attention span, probable difficulty in reading / studying and poor motor skills and co-ordination be?

Depression can be successfully treated but not much can be done for the rest really to improve the effects. The risks are just too great especially if you consider that they will have the pick of the crop from many hundreds of applicants.
 

Bayum

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If this is one single individual with Aspergers, ADHD, dyslexia and dyspraxia then they've, sadly, got not much hope of getting through training.

If you think about it how safe would it be for someone with a short attention span, probable difficulty in reading / studying and poor motor skills and co-ordination be?

Depression can be successfully treated but not much can be done for the rest really to improve the effects. The risks are just too great especially if you consider that they will have the pick of the crop from many hundreds of applicants.

And comments like this show just how far we need to advance in order to ensure everyone is treated equally and fairly.

Have you any idea of the severity of the symptoms you've mentioned? Or that ADHD doesn't necessarily have the attention deficit, but the hypersensitivity? Again, dyspraxia can affect individuals in more ways than just mobility or coordination and actually, through careful liaison with occupational therapy and physiology in schools many of these motor issues can be worked out before adulthood.
 

JohnFM

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And comments like this show just how far we need to advance in order to ensure everyone is treated equally and fairly.

Have you any idea of the severity of the symptoms you've mentioned? Or that ADHD doesn't necessarily have the attention deficit, but the hypersensitivity? Again, dyspraxia can affect individuals in more ways than just mobility or coordination and actually, through careful liaison with occupational therapy and physiology in schools many of these motor issues can be worked out before adulthood.

And I've over ten years of experience in assessing fitness standards and fitness reporting! There is no room for equality and fairness when you risk the lives of hundreds of people. Medicine reports upon and balances facts and risks.

I was not going to go down precise and exact routes, undercutting every single example with the minutiae of every single condition. I'd be here all day. Yes, to every condition there are exceptions, yes, with every single individual the symptoms are variable but you forget something quite important:

A Doctor has to put his career and possible risk of prosecution should they put through individuals with known issues and extremely well documented symptoms, prognosis and limitations.

Just because someone wants to be lovely dovey and hug everybody and give them a chance to flourish does not mean that they will get a chance at risking the lives of several hundred people.

Proof is paramount. Clinical evidence is based on fact, not hope.
 

Monty

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And comments like this show just how far we need to advance in order to ensure everyone is treated equally and fairly.

Have you any idea of the severity of the symptoms you've mentioned? Or that ADHD doesn't necessarily have the attention deficit, but the hypersensitivity? Again, dyspraxia can affect individuals in more ways than just mobility or coordination and actually, through careful liaison with occupational therapy and physiology in schools many of these motor issues can be worked out before adulthood.

The crux of the matter is if the person in question can be passed as fit to work as a train driver (or any other safety critical role such as a guard or dispatcher etc) or not. While some of the mentioned conditions can be managed and others depend on the scale of severity I do find it hard to believe that a doctor would declare such a person as fit to drive trains if they had all of the mentioned conditions.
 

Islineclear3_1

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Aspergers isn't a separate diagnosis any more (under the DSM-V, 2013); it is part of the ASD spectrum (which means the diagnosis is "ASD" or Autistic Spectrum Disorder).

ADHD, ADD, dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia and depression also fall somewhere on their respective spectrums, however expression amongst individuals varies considerably so two prospective applicants could both have Aspergers but have a completely different mix of difficulties.

Also, all of these overlap with each other to some degree so sometimes, it is difficult to make a specific diagnosis. Only a psychiatrist can make a proper, accurate diagnosis

And remember, Richard Branson had dyslexia...
 

Kev.

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Hi Folks I thought I would jump on this thread and ask if anyone has or knows if the following would stop some one becoming a train driver. Iga Nephropathy (Bergers disease)?
 
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