Case Study
Specialist in internal medicine with a cochlear implant in a clinic

Company:

This is a hospital that belongs to a healthcare group. In addition to hospitals, the healthcare group also includes rehabilitation clinics, nursing homes and medical practices.

Comment from supervisor:
The head physician of the clinic praises the specialist's professional competence, talent and skill. The commitment she has shown is admirable and they want to continue to offer her development opportunities.

Disability and impairment of the employee:

The doctor is deaf from birth. Acoustic information cannot be perceived by the ear and transmitted to the intact auditory nerve and the speech center. She has therefore been fitted with cochlear implants (CI) on both sides for several years. The implant takes on the task of converting acoustic stimuli into an electrical signal for the auditory nerve. However, this has not completely restored her hearing. Communication works well in short-distance conversations with lip-reading support, while acoustic comprehension is significantly worse at a greater distance from the people. The degree of disability (GdB) is 100.

Training and job:

The woman studied medicine. She completed her studies with the help of sign language interpreters. However, the transition to the labor market was difficult due to differences in official opinions regarding workplace design and work assistance. The job as a specialist in internal medicine at the hospital worked out mainly because a colleague with a hearing impairment was already working there and there was good contact with the responsible integration and inclusion office. Above all, the quick and uncomplicated processing of applications was a great help when starting the job.

Workplace and work organization:

The specialist's tasks include outpatient, inpatient and emergency medical treatment of patients. The spectrum ranges from routine medical care to intensive medical care. The working hours vary greatly and include night, late and weekend shifts.
During night and weekend shifts, the specialist has a work assistant who takes care of all telephone calls. The work assistant is provided by medical students in the clinical semester.
When examining patients, she uses a special electronic stethoscope, which can be connected to headphones and enables additional audio amplification and filter settings (see image).
While direct communication with patients is possible without any problems, the specialist understands very little during meetings with clinic staff due to the increased distance between them. After lengthy application proceedings, she was approved for written language interpreting support from an online service. The meeting is transmitted acoustically from a microphone using a computer or mobile device online via the Internet to the service's platform or to an interpreter employed there, who transcribes what is heard. The typed text is then transferred in real time to a laptop or other mobile device, where the doctor can read it.
Thanks to the support of written language interpreters, she can also understand everything in meetings.

Comment from the employee:

The doctor has been able to gain experience in many specialist areas. The support provided by the work assistance service for dealing with telephone calls is very helpful and the responsible integration and inclusion office provides excellent support. She doesn't feel that her disability has ever stood in the way of her doing her job - unfortunately, it has been difficult to gain a foothold in the job market. Although the hospital was interested in employing her, the doctor was initially declared unfit for clinical work by the employment agency's medical service. This meant that the legal basis for funding a disability-friendly workplace adaptation no longer applied and the workplace was lost. Only through social court proceedings was it possible to reverse the supposed assessment of occupational disability.
Another problem was that the authorities acted inconsistently, application proceedings took a very long time and economic interests were in the foreground.

Assistive products used:

Headphones, earphones and headsets
Hearing aids in conjunction with implants
Stethoscopes

Promotion and participation:

The provision of cochlear implants was financed by the health insurance company. The Office for Integration and Inclusion funded the special stethoscope and supports the use of written language interpreters. The doctor was also helped by the involvement of the VdK social association and personal training in the subject matter.

ICF Items

Reference Number:

Pb/111041


Last Update: 26 Aug 2025