Anyone relying on lipreading? I had to quit bedside nursing.

[Streetnurse42]

Last year I got a job offer for bedside nursing and I accepted it. I was upfront with the manager that I wear hearing aids but I can hear and speak pretty well. The manager was fine with it. 

Boy was I so wrong. It turns out that I rely on lipreading more than I expected. It was my first hospital job in acute care medicine and I could not function at all. There was a lot of background noise and many voices going on at the same time. The masks make it extremely difficult for me to hear my preceptor because her voice sounded muffled.  I asked my team for support and the nurses ended up getting more exasperated with me. One nurse was making fun of my hearing loss behind my back. I did not feel safe at all and had to quit 1 month later. I am too terrified of killing a patient because I can’t lip-read. I work in public health but I still have a pang of desire to work in a clinical setting. Unfortunately I kept receiving more job offers but I turned them down out of fear. 

I don’t mind waiting a few more years before masks are no longer required and I could try again for a hospital job where I can work on the floor. I realize that after all I do miss working in hospitals. Should I keep applying now before it gets too late or wait until the pandemic is settled? It’s been 3 years since I graduated. 

[speedynurse, ADN, BSN, RN, EMT-P]

I think you should pursue what you want to pursue about nursing. Have you thought about ICU? I know a nurse that wears hearing aids and has done very well since moving there. I believe she is upfront about her hearing loss as well. There are many teams that are patient with hearing loss....some not so much. 

[Surfin USA]

It does cause other nurses to have to remove their masks briefly to say something to you, but its not an accomodation that cant be accomplished. It could also help, to ask for a mirror next to your charting computer, so that you can look to see people behind you. 

Employers are required to make reasonable accommodations. Your coworkers can easily take turns talking with you. 

And, you can practice lip reading medical  terminology with a friend, so that you will be more easily able to understand what they are saying. 

Also, its not like it is overreaching to ask a few coworkers to learn a little basic sign language LOL. It's so easy to learn. 

From across the room, it is easier to read a sign that says "I need you,"  "Code Blue," "Bed 3," "head injury," etc, and you can respond quicker. It isn't that hard to ask people to try to learn those signs, but they do need to know that they will have to visually get your attention as well.

I think you should get more actively  involved in your local deaf and hard of hearing community. You may find lots of tips and tricks to help you feel more functional, and could help other people to be more accepting of you being a normal person, just hard of hearing. 

Im really sorry your hospital didn't do more to try to accomodate you. 

[SmilingBluEyes]

I hope you find work where you can be accomodated. Where I work, we can't take down our masks at all. So that would make it hard for you. I am sure there is somewhere you can. This pandemic sure has made it hard for many. And there is NO excuse for making fun of you whatsoever.

[iheartnursing91, BSN]

Hello I have hearing loss as well. What kind of hearing aids are you using? I've been a bedside nurse for 4 years (ED, Step-Down, and now moving to ICU soon). I completely understand what you are going through. Hearing is really important and a vital part of life. I do know different types of hearing aids have different functionality. I used to wear Resound hearing aids & they worked really well for 6 years. I recently got Signia hearing aids and they're amazing. Everything is so clear, they have a mask mode if you need it, and I have a stethoscope program on it that blocks out surrounding noises when I listen to my patients. It also has different modes you can easily switch to if you need more volume or more surround sound, or more focused sound. When someone talks to me it automatically turns down the surrounding noises so I can hear them. I don't know what type of hearing loss you have but these given me so much more confidence in my work life & my day to day life. They are expensive but my work insurance payed for them and they were well worth it. They're also bluetooth compatible, I can listen to music through them, talk on the phone, and control my settings through my phone at work if I need to. You should look into it. You shouldn't have to compromise your ability to work where you want to because of a disability. I even know a cardiothoracic surgeon at my hospital, and a cardiologist who both use hearing aids. You just have to find the right hearing aids & the right audiologist who will work hard to tailor them for your specific needs. It's amazing we live in a country where anything is really possible! ??Good luck!

[Rainbow_RN, BSN, RN]

I have fairly significant hearing loss but don't require hearing aids (yet). So far I manage but masks do make it hard. There is one excellent nurse on the vascular access team I've met that is completely deaf. Has an interpreter at all times. If you have any experience with ASL it may be an option for you. Also the nurses on her team often wear a mask with a little clear plastic window so she can lip read easier. That's an example of an inclusive workplace.

Actually why doesn't every unit have those window masks as a standard? Do you have any idea how many old people with presbycusis I could stop yelling at?? ? I especially love when they're like "I'M HARD OF HEARING" and I'm like "ME TOO BRO"

I am ready to apply at your old facility as the manager so I can get hired & fire whoever made fun of you on sight. 

[PLG1988]

I can't say that I rely on lip reading, but I have noticed that I am having people wearing masks repeat themselves more often. I should book an appointment with an audiologist!