Any advice for a student nurse with dyslexia and other LD's?

smilealot · Oct 4, 2007

I love the list! It cracks me up cause I guess we are suppose to be geniuses in disguise maybe people are just jealous.

Oh sorry...I meant are you in a ASN, BSN, LVN? I was just curious no big deal.

Yea flash cards don't help me at all! I tape record lectures and memorize what the teacher says. If I can afford it or if the school covers it I get the books on audio which is a big help. I am very visual so when it comes to notes I rewrite them with pictures on large sheets of paper so I can see everything we covered in one day at the same time. I have to understand the big picture so I guess its like creating a map for the information we have to learn. If I don't have large enough paper I tape computer paper together.

I like the fact that we can be in the same category as Einstein.

I cant spell either. Its horrible sometimes.... I make up words.....

sweetlilwolf · Oct 4, 2007

yeah i think we are

lol

well im ASN right now but where i work they will pay for you to get your BSN so ill get that soon after graduation.

what are you in

i rewrite my notes or retype them.

its hard when we learn in such a different way and the teacher only teaches one way...

yeah cool catatory eh

my boyfriend is always like learn to spell i just go i cant. ha lol it annoys him lol

smilealot · Oct 4, 2007

I am in an ASN program. I start my clinicals in Jan. I want to go on to get my BSN after that but I dont know when. Right now I work as a CNA.

I know its hard sometimes with teachers cause they just dont understand and they are not going to change their ways for person that does not fit. Thats why I left my old school. The school I am at now has amazing teachers and they really want you to succed.

I find it frustrating to know that some people in the class spend like 30mins right before reviewing things for tests and I spend day after day, hour after hour trying to memorize and understand and then we get the same grade.

I use to manage a restuarant and my team members made a game to guess what words I spelled. Sort of like a version of hang man. It was all in fun.

So you mentiond that you had disphonic dyslexia? I've been told that I have an auditory processing disorder. It sounds like there the same I guess. Do you ever picture what you want to say but the wrong word comes out? I do that all the time and people think im nuts cause I will be holding a spoon and say knife.

sweetlilwolf · Oct 4, 2007

yeah usually i know what i want to say but i cant put it on paper.

i already did on e sems of clinicals so im pretty close to being done thank god. and thankfully in my school i believe end of my next sems of clincial i can take my LPN board and make some better money than a CNA

smilealot · Oct 4, 2007

Thats exciting and good luck! I have to work 12hrs tomorrow so I need to be getting some rest before my shift. Its been great chatting with you and I hope to met up with you again. If you find anying that you would like to post that might be helpful for other students that would be great! I was hoping to find a information and support for students with LDs but did not find to many so Ithought I should start my own posting. I hope others can find it useful. Thanks!

catzy5 · Oct 5, 2007

Any advice for a student nurse with dyslexia and other LD's?
I work as a CNA currently and in January 2008 I will be starting my clinicals for my ASN. I was hoping that anyone might have some insight or even know of resources I could use. I generally don't tell people because I think it can give the wrong impression but I am ADD and dyslexic I know that many of my strengths are because of the fact that I am dyslexic and that is just the way I am. However academically it has always proven to be somewhat of a difficulty I have different techniques that I use to get through my classes but I am scared about my clinicals (this is partly why it has taken me so long to get into a nursing program). My teachers are very helpful but, I was wondering if others that have similar difficulties that might have some suggestions or even web-sites that I could go to.
Thank you! :wink2:

this is an old post but I wanted to say, I was reading it and had to actually look up to see if I might have written it myself.

I am 39 years old and barely made it through school when I was younger, I was dx with dyslexia in 4th grade, back then there was not much to do to help someone like me, I basicly just fudged my way through school, I was in a lot of "resource" class rooms and never even fully learned or was even taught the things I should have been to graduate. I never got past the most basics in math, never took any sciences and my englsih/grammer was so bad I never moved on after freshman year. After I graduated the thought of going to college never even occured to anyone, I never took SAT's I just thought I never had a chance. I moved away from home at 18 to a different state and at 19 attempted a community college where I found of all things a Tutoring center! Boy was I surprised when I found out I could do the work. It actually took me another 20 years before I even dared tried math! Found out I could do that too. I have to do a lot of extra studying I use many tools to help me. For me I have to be very organized, I have to write things a lot and take practice tests with many different forms of questions. The thing that trips me up the most are questions asked in a backwards way.... "which one of these is not the ____ ___ ___"

I don't have any solid tips except to find out what works for you, ask for help when you need it and most importantly know that you CAN do this! I met an RN a couple years ago she works in a very large hospital ER and we were talking she told me she also has dyslexia and she wasn't dx until it was time to take the boards, she couldn't pass and one of her collegues noticed her struggles and recomended testing, sure enough, she had found ways her whole life to comepensate always struggled but got by. Dyslexics are typically really really bright you can tell this by the way they get around and find ways to cope with their struggles.

good luck to you!

smilealot · Sep 2, 2008

Just responding to my own post.... The advice everyone gave has helped tremendously. Especially the one about being prepared and stay on top of everything. I love my classes! Its funny too cause I was so afraid of not being able to be a nurse but the more time I spend in clinical and at work the more I see that I am right at home. In a way it seems that most nurses are ADHD I mean you almost have to be in order to work a medsurg floor or the ER. (-:

As for being dyslexic I was really scared too but I have taught myself to check everything over and over and over again and then again. It might seem tedious but because I do I have even caught things that my instructor didn't or the nurse I was working with didn't (Which as a student I am kinda proud of).

Any way, I just wanted to encourage anyone who has a disability or who thinks they may have one not to give up and don't listen to what people tell you as to what you can and cant accomplish. Only you can decided that.

(9 more months of school left!) :yeah:

Me, SN · Sep 4, 2008

This is really inspiring. My mom, sister and brother are dyslexic. I know my mom would love to be a nurse (she has worked in home care for years just assisting with ADLs).

I just realized how old this post is, but if anyone else who has dyslexia visits the site and is looking for ways to prepare, I know of one trick they used for my brother. He could read more words correctly when the words were written in a maroon color on a yellow page. You could always type your notes out in maroon or a purplish-red and print it off on yellow paper so when you study you get more of the words quickly. Just a thought. I always type my notes anyway because I have to read them, then type them (reading them again) and because I'm anal-retentive, I read through them again looking for errors. So I find that in itself helps.

I'd wish you "good luck" but it seems like your hard work is paying off better than luck ever could! Good job getting this far! Keep up the good work!