Navigating medical school with autism: a systematic review exploring student experiences & support provision in the United Kingdom

<strong>Background:</strong> Medical education is inherently demanding, requiring students to navigate academically challenging courses, high-stake assessments, clinical training and interpersonal interactions within high stress environments. Autistic medical students can experience profound differences academically and professionally if their support needs are not identified and addressed by specific pedagogic adaptations. This systematic review aims to explore the experiences and support provision for autistic undergraduate medical students in the United Kingdom, through a critical interpretive review of the literature.<br><br><strong>Method:</strong> The search strategy involved the use of 6 electronic databases, supplemented by citation tracking, consultation with academic experts and library searches. Of 400 papers, 6 satisfied the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Critical interpretive synthesis (CIS) was used to analyse these papers. The study design assimilated methods adopted in conventional systematic reviews within the format of CIS, to combine the entire body of literature and generate theoretical categories.<br><br><strong>Results:</strong> Three synthetic constructs (overarching themes) were produced from the analysis; ‘reassessing prevailing narratives on autism’, ‘navigation differences’ and the ‘absence of meaningful support provision’. Together these constructs generated a theoretical framework (‘synthesising argument’) defined as ‘reframing support for success’ for autistic and neurodiverse medical students, which collectively explained the findings of the review. ‘Reframing support for success’ provided an explanation for the inconsistencies in understanding the lived experiences of autistic medical students and the required adjustments and support provision. It illustrated the distinct challenges experienced by autistic students in navigating medical school as well the necessity to acknowledge the unique strengths autistic medical students bring.<br><br><strong>Conclusion:</strong> The review calls for enhanced awareness and training within medical schools to foster an inclusive environment that accommodates neurodiversity more broadly. It advocates for legislative compliance and change in offering reasonable adjustments and stresses the potential benefits of viewing autistic traits as strengths in medical practice.