birth defect, not allowed to practice nursing?

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A friend was born with birth defect, around 3 fingers missing.

When I asked her about taking up nursing like I plan to do, she said someone told her it's not allowed.

I find this so hard to believe.

Can someone shed a light on this?

She can write and carry anything like a normal person.

Specializes in LTC, Subacute Rehab.

I worked with a nurse who had about three fingers on each hand - she did perfectly well.

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I only have 2 fingers on my left hand, I work as an x-ray tech & I'm staring Nursing school in the fall.

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Specializes in MICU - CCRN, IR, Vascular Surgery.

One of the girls in my nursing school classes has only partial fingers on one hand d/t a birth defect and she's been able to do everything required of her in class, lab, and clinical.

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Specializes in M/S, MICU, CVICU, SICU, ER, Trauma, NICU.

I don't think that should stop her at all.

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I work with a woman who's missing a few fingers. I never even noticed it until I one day did a double-take and realized it.

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Specializes in M/S, pedi.

http://adaptiveenvironments.org/neada/student_videos/danielle/videos/danielle_video.html

This link is to a story about an RN who has only one hand and her battle with her RN program to graduate after they told her she could never be a nurse... it's a great story. Very inspirational!

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Specializes in OB/GYN, Peds, School Nurse, DD.

My best friend's mother was an RN with one leg. And this was over 30 years ago. I would think that as long as you could perform the duties of a nurse, you could be licensed. Your friend might have to figure out alternate ways to do things, but I wouldn't think that having only 7 fingers would be a problem. How many nurses use all 10 fingers all day long?

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I know a nurse who is missing a hand (since birth) and another one who has a shortened forearm and incomplete hand, and both are awesome nurses. They have had to learn how to adjust in doing things like giving injections and starting IVs, but they have adjusted to doing everything else in life and have adjusted in those areas as well. You can do it.

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Specializes in Junior Year of BSN.
I know two working Nurses with 2.5 arms between them.

Ok I don't know if that was meant to be a joke if so it was funny. :lol2:

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Specializes in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes.

I had a professor in nursing school who was missing a hand completely. She wore a prosthetic and to be honest, I never noticed until she told us why she didn't have her hand. So, missing 3 fingers isn't a problem, especially if your friend can function as if they have all 10.

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Specializes in Family Practice, Mental Health.

I know of 2 RN's, each missing a hand. I went to RN school with one student who was missing her hand. To my knowledge, the only thing she couldn't do was scrub in.

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