Are there any nursing students or nurses out there with disabilities

[futurenurse34]

Hi

I am not a nursing student yet but will be applying soon. I am also hearing impaired and wear two hearing aids. Althrough I cannot hear 100% with them I am able to hear so much better if I did not wear them. My question is are there any nurses out there with disabilities?

Is it difficult for you to be a nurse because of your disability? What obstacles have you had to overcome.

Thanks

[nevergonnagiveup]

i don't have a disability but a good friend of mines did. she was missing three fingers from her dominant hand due to a 4th of july firecracker incident. the director of the nursing program accepted her (legally i guess she had to or it could be looked at as discrimination) but they were concerned if she would be able to hold a syringe properly for an injection or even be able to write her notes for class.

to their surprise, she did exceedingly well. although, she would not say it was easy, she is a successful rn and in the process of completing her bsn.

i feel as long as your disability will not impact your patient's lives, i say go for it! good luck!

[rn/writer, RN]

Thread moved to Nurses with Disabilities forum.

[Marvie]

I am an RN who works in the OR and profoundly deaf, wear 2 BTE and I do just fine. I also won Oticon's focus on people award. If I can be an RN, so can you.

[corinth13]

I have Meniere's Disease and I am a student too. Don't know what is going to happen with school now that my surgery for Meniere's has failed.

[Reallyconfused0160]

Could you provide a link for nurses with disabilites? I am waiting to get into a program, and I guess I have a disability. You can't see my disability because it's chronic pain. I've learned to live with it and won't let it stop me from doing what I want. I suffer from a herniated disk, but the pain has gone down tremendously due to losing wieght and exercising- no surgery.

I have a second condition that also causes chronic pain and will be life-long but I do take Tegratol for it, as it has helped a little bit. It's Post Traumatic Trigeminial Neuralgia. I suffered from it for almost 3 years before a dx. It was so scary having this type of pain and not knowing what it was.

Basically, it feels like someone is constantly punching you in the face, eye and feels like constant tooth pain. It comes and goes but moreoften has been there. Although it is a disability, I will accept it as it is and move forward.

Have you applied for disability services at your school?