[jh479352]

I certainly can. Having ADHD and dyslexia and going thru menopause is not working for me so unless I can do nursing that does not involve giving medications; I will try doing doggie day care. If anyone knows the official name of the nursing consulting job over the phone please let me know!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[romiia]

hello all,

does any one have any info concerning the ADD ACT??

I THINK i might have been discriminated against in nursing school!!


thanks for you help in advance!!


linda
you can pm me.

Originally Posted by nurse_clown

No. but it's commong knowledge amongst my coworkers that i'll either be very early or pretty close to being late. i leave at the same time. i live about 3 km from my hospital job and i give myself 45 minutes to get there and i drive. i don't take any ADD meds. i never reacted well to them. both of my jobs make accomodations for me and understand me pretty well. not that i make excuses for myself and blame add. but sometimes we all have to face the facts. i have to work hard at making sure i don't screw myself and the my jobs shouldn't expect me to go above and beyond. i probably wont ever get a student. been there done that and what a disaster!!! if we are short staffed, dont' ask me to do more than i'm barely capable of doing. sure i'll try my best but i'll forget about that. both my jobs know not to schedule me for day shifts and i am able to handle the odd evening shift. they know that i'm not on any meds. and i take responsibility. if something doesn't make sense, then i make sure i check with someone else. if that means calling another unit or calling the manager on call (because unfortunately, i'm usually "charge nurse") for procedural advice then so be it.
also, remind yourself of your talents. we're completly different people from the "norm" but we do have skills that the "norm" do not have. so, be proud of them. take this time to reflect and find ways to take responsibility for your ADD. tell them what you need and accept nothing less. we don't need too much extra. just "accomodations" to make our life a little easier. i was given four calendars from each of my jobs and unions. great. i chose the best one that was easy for me to recognize and not misplace. i use a lot of post it notes. i have an unlimited supply of pens. my coworkers know to give me a chance to sit down and get my paperwork done because i would rather "goof around" then do paperwork. my coworkers also know how to talk to me because apparently i think i'm always right. and they don't hassel me too much when i'm late. i don't make a big stink when others are late. but they also know that i can handle emergency situations very very well. and my "always right" attitude makes me a good advocate to the docs.
it's hard having ADD. it's harder knowing that things wont go my way. but that's my life and it's worked so far.
try not to let it get you down. you are a special person. you just got to find a way to make it work for you. i know that if they see you trying your best to perfect your skills, they'll understand you more and be more willing to help.

[funsizedliv]

Thats too bad that you decided to leave school, but you can always go back if you feel confident. Maybe if you do something related for a while you can get better with certain skills. I know that when I was held back a semester, although I was very mad and felt stupid, it helped a whole lot because I knew what to expect when I went back and how to be prepared.

Originally Posted by jh479352

I've decided to give up nursing because it seems like no matter what I do I make medication errors. Even though I went back and took the RN refresher course and passed the MEDICAL/SURGICAL certification (with special accommadation is why) I just don't want to hurt anyone.

[funsizedliv]

Thats good to hear. I was just offered a job in long term care, and they seem to really accommodate people like us, even their orientation is extra long!

Originally Posted by Morgan314

jh479352
Please do not give up!!!! There is another area of nursing that needs you, your talents, gifts, and skills. Find it. I felt the same way after losing jobs (prior to becoming a nurse, and then can you imagine how devestating it was to lose my first job as a nurse!!!)because of inability to focus and organize. I was ready to give up too, but I found I was better suited to long term care. Working in a nursing home provided opportunity to use skills, but at a slower pace, especially when working night shift. Before you give up, search out other areas of nursing.

[funsizedliv]

Ha! whats funny is that before I was diagnosed, I used to say "sorry, ADD moment" all the time! at least now I'm telling the truth. It also doesnt help that I'm a hypochondriac so I've always thought that I've had everything known to man. Just the other day I was convinced that I had diabetes when I was just dehydrated. (dont even get me started on trying to explain that one because it did and still made complete sense to me lol)

Originally Posted by smilealot

I was reading some of the post and wanted to make a comment on a few posts. I recently purchased an audio book Driven to Distraction it covers a lot of information on ADD but it also talks about our society and obsession with time, fast paced, and right now mind set. Based upon our societies expectations ADD can be misdiagnosed the author rights about it as Pseudo ADD. Here is a link to an excerpt I found. PBS - frontline: medicating kids: readings: pseudo-add

Please dont misunderstand what I am trying to say. ADD can also take different forms I myself am ADD I am not outgoing, or very talkative. Most of the time I am lost with what is going on around me and often spend my time just trying to catch up (when I am not day dreaming).

Any way, I also wanted to vent about somthing. If you dont mind. In addition to ADD I am also Dyslexic over the years I have learned different technics to surrvive accademically. One thing that bothers me at work and school is when people make comments like " sorry, I had an add moment" or "a dyslexic moment" for me its not just a moment its a lifetime. Sorry about the venting. I was jsut kind of wondering if any one else felt the same way.

[funsizedliv]

I agree, I read that a PDA (or even a planner) can work well for people like us. I shelled out the money and finally broke down and bought Davis drug guide for it and it is a lifesaver in clinical. plus i think my teacher likes that I have one so she has someone to talk tech stuff about. good think im a gadget nerd

Originally Posted by wannabemw

Have you thought about investing in a PDA of some sort? I LOVE epocrates (Epocrates, home of the world's most widely used mobile medical references)! It's free (or around for around $100.00 I believe you can get the enhanced program), & I can look up my meds & check to see if their are any meds that don't mix + side effects!
Just a thought. I know I have more confidence when I ck meds this way!
~MJ

[funsizedliv]

I agree that ADD is overdiagnosed, but i feel that its overdiagnosed in children. probably because kids have a tendency to be hyperactive and inatentive anyway. I was different as a kid, I was quiet, lethargic, overly sensitive and all I wanted to do is sleep. Im still like that when Im not on my medication. These are actually signs of ADD but I guess most dont know it.

I wish it was as easy to get my Adderall prescription legally as it is to get it illegally, its a pain to have to go to the doctors and have her write a new prescription each month.

Originally Posted by aph401

i didn't make blanket statements... i said in my experience, most people i knew used it for recreational purposes or for better grades, and it wasn't difficult for them, or ANYONE, to get prescriptions for these terribly abused drugs.. because ADD is so overdiagnosed. if everyone in the world went and got tested, probably half would be ADD.. that's just what i've seen, that all my friends who pursued it ended up with ADD that they never knew about. go figure. yes, adderall will get anyone better grades.. but sometimes you just have to quit making excuses for yourself.

[funsizedliv]

I acutally just took a drug test for a new job, I told them that I take adderall for ADD and have a prescription. Of course it showed up on the test and the drug testing company listed me as a no hire (when the people at the facility I interviewed at said that they usually say "status pending" when they are waiting to see proof of prescription). luckily, the hiring nurse is going to advocate for me.

Originally Posted by cjohn99

If an employee has a prescription for Adderall, can an employer legally refuse to hire?

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

The medication for ADD is what makes you safe, just like insulin makes a diabetic safe. If a diabetic tries to be a nurse, do they say no, because of the diabetes? Of course not.

The way drug screens are done is, the lab has a physician to whom they send results that are not totally "clean." That physician calls the candidate (you), tells you the result and asks for an explanation. You explain. He asks for you to contact your prescribing physician to give the prescribing physician a release, so he can verify that you take the medication for the right reason, and that it is prescribed.

No advocacy needed. No "no hire" if you are getting the med from a licensed physician.

Been there, done that, no problem.

[chris_at_lucas_RN]

Originally Posted by romiia

hello all,

does any one have any info concerning the ADD ACT??

I THINK i might have been discriminated against in nursing school!!


thanks for you help in advance!!


linda
you can email me

I removed your email address from my quote--anyone can pick that up, even people who aren't members of this board, and you will get loads of spam and lord knows what.... You might go back and edit out your email address from your original post, although I took the liberty of asking the moderators to do it, for your safety. I get worked up sometimes myself, and have been grateful when one of them lovingly removed identifying information that I had included--

Now. I don't know what you are asking about. The ACT is an exam people take before college--is that what you are asking? Or "act" like an act of congress or a law?

Either way, maybe you can clarify what you're asking about. I couldn't find anything on google that seemed to relate....