Can my physical limitations hinder my pursuit of becoming a nurse?

[LRyder]

It's been a long while since I've posted on the site, life has been quite hectic. I'm still working towards becoming an RN, just.. slowly at this point. I'm currently in school for Medical Administration, since I already have a pretty extensive background in Admin, I figured it'd be a good (and affordable) start in a medical setting. Then the plan was to move to pre-nursing while holding my Med Admin job, and then possibly transfer to a different position (if available) in that facility...

Well, it seems my body has other plans for me. I've always had little issues; migraines and some back pain and what have you, but lately my old injuries have really started taking a toll on me. Here's the specs: I've got mild scoliosis (thanks mom), mild sciatica, torn L rotator cuff (4 year old injury), fractured R fibia (5 year old injury), carpal tunnel, "weak" ankles as my GP likes to say, and as I mentioned - back pain and migraines. Now, I haven't had health insurance for the past 6 years.. so nothing has been professionally taken care of beyond finding out what was wrong, just personal physical therapy and being careful. The older I get, the worse I feel. I'm 22 and I feel much older. I really think I need to see a neurologist and possibly an orthopedic specialist, so I've got to continue saving my money, or hope I get a position that offers benefits.

My question to all you lovely nurses out there; Can I do it? I have the will, but.. I'm so scared I won't be able to get through clinicals, or worse yet.. actually hurt somebody because I may collapse or lose feeling in my hands. So many thoughts are in my head about what could go wrong.

Any thoughts or suggestions? Any feedback much appreciated.

[llg, PhD, RN]

As you already know, you need to get a good diagnosis in order to make any valid judgments about the feasibility of a nursing career. You need to get health insurance. I know that is not always easy, but it should be your #1 priority right now -- an even higher priority than your education. Take care of your health problems and then decide whether or not you have the physical abilities to handle the demands of nursing school and a nursing career.

It's probably possible to graduate from a nursing program with the types of physical problems you describe ... but if those conditions are only going to get worse as you age, then nursing might not be a good choice for you. You'll need to address those problems before you can make any kind of reasonable decision.