[alliesgrammy]

I would also like to see more information on ADD since I have just begun Nursing School and I am having a really hard time grasping the concepts

[sbgrace]

[quote=mhb23]
I am on track to graduate with a BSN in September. But anxiety has reared its ugly head and is making this final term a nightmare for me. The combination of anxiety leading to decreased concentration and sleep disturbance, and treatment for the anxiety leading to sedation has led me into a rut that I may not be able to climb out of in time to graduate this fall. I won't give up trying, but things don't look good.
[quote]

Hi Mat,
Have you told your teachers? I am afraid to tell mine, thinking that they either won't care, or that they'd render me unsafe (unfortunately, they're all knowledgeable about it; I've heard their references to it in lecture).
Hang in there and keep me/us posted. It's frustrating, I know.

[RNFaculty]

Thank you all for sharing your trials and successes. I am a Nursing Faculty member with personal and professional experience with ADD/ADHD. Many of your situations really resonate with my experiences. If you have any personal tidbits you want to make sure nursing faculty understand I'd like to hear from you.

[dgclough]

Hi, I'm also diagnosed w/ ADHD (adult onset). My brother was diagnosed at 4 and was severe (private schools from grade 4 thru 9 to keep him inline behavioral and otherwise) and mom never thought to check me cuz I was so normal compared to him. Decent student in High School, didn't have to study much. Early college career, no problems, by junior year I started having distraction problems that were always there but easily ignored due to easier classes. I would 'blow up' in stressful situations at home... Now, my question is this, Dr. put me on strattera and something else that I can't remember. These helped some but not enough, I currently am not on anything because most days I can cope, but there are days that coping isn't even a thought....Memory is really bad now though, I started college again (NURSING!!! my previous degree is BS in elem. ed) and classes are harder, plus I'm working fulltime and have 4 kids, hubby! UGH and stress is DEFINATELY there. I wondered if anyone has a good med that is PRN rather than daily... Also, are there any stress relievers that are tried and true, cuz all I've found is to get away from stressor and sometimes thats impossible! Sorry if I rambled

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

Originally Posted by RNFaculty

Thank you all for sharing your trials and successes. I am a Nursing Faculty member with personal and professional experience with ADD/ADHD. Many of your situations really resonate with my experiences. If you have any personal tidbits you want to make sure nursing faculty understand I'd like to hear from you.

I normally don't have to ask for help, but in nursing school, even though I type 100+ wpm, I could not keep up with the frenetic flipping through the power points.

I finally asked if I could either see the power points before or after class, in order to have a framework in which to deciper my rapid notes, or to have an outline. It really almost didn't bother me, but I was providing notes for the rest of the class as well, something that had been done for class after class before us.

I had a great deal of difficulty getting any support at all. I should not have had to ask--what I needed I should have gotten whether I had ADD-H or not. The Director got into it with the office for handicapped whatevers (boy did I resent that label! And the interference!), and one instructor habitually gave me a copy of her notes an hour or less before the exam.

If I were to suggest anything about nursing instructors and students with difficulties such as mine, it would be to just treat people kindly. If you remove the control issue (you will learn this from me, my way) and simply provide as many resources as possible for people to learn, including fostering mutual support in the learning process, people would not gain those notorious 20#, there would be a lower attrition rate, and less of the other bad reactions to stress so unfortunately common among nursing school students.

The fact is that if nursing school is about learning to be a nurse, then instructors should not have to sabotage the nursing students in order to get the job done.

Thank you for asking, sorry I dumped on you. (But I feel better now, so thank you for listening too!)

[smilealot]

I am so glad that I found this thread! Somtimes I think that I am the only one that is ADD/ADHD. I was diagnosed with Dyslexia and ADHD shortly after first grade right now I am 22. I am almost done with my first BA and just started an ASN program. I had taken ritalin for around 8 years growing up. When I graduated from high school I stopped taking any medication becuase I wanted to be completly "independant" At first I tumbled downward with school but I was soon able to develop "tricks" to help me. I hope these might be helpful for you too.
1. I planned for short 10min breaks while studying
2. Eventually my classes all became color coded for example my math class was blue so everything I had would be blue (Highlighters, post-its,flash cards with words written on blue, and blue binder for hand outs.
3. When learning new words definition/spelling I would repeatedly write them out in big letters with a different color for each word. (If you have not noticed I am a very color oriented person. Sorry!)
4. Buying a laptop and being able to type have also been extremly beneficial to me.
5. Lectures were always hard for me to pay attention to so I started tape recording them (with the permission of the teacher)
6. Most classes I would talk to the teacher about my situation so that way when they would notice me fidgeting all the time they knew it was not be cause I was bored.
7. Another thing is that I always try to sit in the first row. That way when my mind begins to wander the teacher would usualy come and stand in front of my chair and lecture straight to me.
Okay I will stop here but if any one else has other ideas I would love to hear them. About a year ago I started taking Strattera and so far it has been helpful. Sorry! I type alot, I talk a lot too. Have a great day!

[Badi]

Originally Posted by jh479352

I not only have ADHD but dyslexia as well. It makes life much more difficult to the point, I want to leave. Does anyone else have this combo?

I also have ADHS and Dyslexia, it made highschool hell. I barely crep throu with a 51-54% aveg. I really struggled with school, I hated everyday. Now that am in univeristy I focus on my str and get as much help as I can from the Unvi I get class notes (thou this time i had to wait untill I had already written my mid term to get them) I also get more time for test. This has allowedme do alot better then i ever did in school.

I am not currently on meds for ADHD but I am really considering it am trying to gather all the information so that I can make an informed decision.

[PACU queen]

I was wondering if I have ADD. I have always had a hard time concentrating on the material or when I took a test, etc. Alot of times at work I feel disorgainized and scattered. It's like I can't relax and slow down and think things through. I know study material but I get so "hyped up" and anxious I can't think through it. I also will speak b4 thinking too. I feel like I have the inattention part of ADD, not the hyperactivity. Could I possibly have lack of confidence due to possible ADD? Does that make sense? Please help me sort through these thoughts.

Also, I have taken my NCLEX twice and failed...could any of this be due to possible ADD? ( When I go to study ..I loose interest quickly..can't concentrate)

[RNinJune2007]

I have been diagnosed with Adult onset ADD. I am still in nursing school, and take Methylphenidate (very small 10mg dose) for classes only. I do not take anything on the floor, and do not have ANY problem other than in class. I sometimes take a dose when I am studying and can't get into it.

I nearly failed out of nursing school because I was so distracted with all of the other stuff going on in my mind, and my mind was constantly racing, while my instructors were up front taking about Cardiomyopathies... it was horrible.

I actually ended up dropping out of high school (to homeschool myself) before I finished 10th grade, and I had the EXACT same problems then... (except it was more of the thing I was not being challenged).

Although I could have been helped a lot back then, I'm thankful that we didn't DX it then, because so much would be different if I didn't leave Public School when I did.

Anyway, so yes, I am a (student) nurse, set to Graduate May 07, and I have been DX with ADD.

[RNinJune2007]

DGCLOUGH,

My MD has me a prescription for Methylphenidate (Ritalin) 10 mg (but I could use an upped dose) BID PRN. One prescription (of a month... so 60 pills) has lasted me from May through now (and I can probably last until the end of this year).

See if you can get some of that PRN and use it like that... the regular release (not SR\CR) is done working in around 4 hours, so you can have a quick study break, and then go about your daily business as normal...

Good luck! It has helped me TONS. (And, if I decide to study doubly as long, i.e. NIGHT BEFORE A TEST! then I will take another dose when I can tell it is no longer working)