Nervous about having hearing loss

Nurses Disabilities

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A few weeks ago, I started a compressed nursing program in Canada. I'm a bit nervous about having hearing loss - so far we've primarily been working on patient assessments and interviews.

I have moderate - profound hearing loss and wear ITE aids and have a note taker with me in class, but not in my smaller classrooms or labs. I rely on both sounds and lip reading, but I do often miss things & ask people to repeat themselves. I'm really worried about how patients and other nurses are going to react when I get to clinical, and how I'm going to do in stimulation labs.

I was wondering if any other HOH or deaf nurses had any advice on how to survive nursing school/any tips anyone might have? Especially those in a smaller town where resources are more limited.

Thanks so much

Specializes in GENERAL.

OP:

As a person with moderate to severe hearing loss, I get it. Sounds like you are doing all you can do from your end (no pun intended).

I don't see that you should have any problems doing the job.

On the inconvenient side is the fact that for the most part nursing is a young person's game and normal hearing is often taken for granted. So there is often an absent minded, non-malicious lack of awareness for this fairly prevalent condition among the majority of nurses without the deficit.

So for those who need to be reminded to speak a little louder or to repeat something you may have missed, why miss out. Ask them to turn up the volume.

Or else you could pin an HOH index card next to your ID badge and see how oblivious some nurses are to that too.

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