Could I be let go because of my ADHD?

pebblebeach, BSN, RN · Oct 20, 2017

There's no way that would disqualify you. If that was the case re: ADD/ADHD and everyone answered truthfully, a lot of healthcare workers wouldn't have jobs! :) I have intermittent depression and ADHD and I take meds for both. I always disclose that info with job/school applications to cover my butt (if something were to come up on a random drug test).

You should be fine.

caliotter3 · Oct 20, 2017

If you were ever let go, it would be for something you did or did not do, not because you have ADHD.

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Oct 20, 2017

That isn't necessarily so. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but I once made the mistake of disclosing my mental health diagnosis to my employer, and found myself out of work a few weeks later because suddenly no one trusted me to do my job. I'd had to go out on medical leave of absence and was fired within days after I got back. It was devastating, and my career never recovered.

That being said, I wouldn't advise you to lie on your questionnaire, just be aware that healthcare supervisors aren't always sympathetic to people with mental illnesses. You'll probably have to work twice as hard as a neurotypical to be considered successful. I hope you have good bosses who will work with you and have reasonable expectations for your performance. Best of luck in your new job!

NurseSpeedy, ADN, LPN, RN · Oct 21, 2017

I have had many co-workers with ADHD.

I recently filled out a questionnaire that I had to check "yes" for back issues-herniated discs and stenosis, and disclose my scripts. I still got the position and no one ever questioned me about my health history.

pebblebeach, BSN, RN · Oct 21, 2017

That isn't necessarily so. I don't want to be a Debbie Downer, but I once made the mistake of disclosing my mental health diagnosis to my employer, and found myself out of work a few weeks later because suddenly no one trusted me to do my job. I'd had to go out on medical leave of absence and was fired within days after I got back. It was devastating, and my career never recovered.
That being said, I wouldn't advise you to lie on your questionnaire, just be aware that healthcare supervisors aren't always sympathetic to people with mental illnesses. You'll probably have to work twice as hard as a neurotypical to be considered successful. I hope you have good bosses who will work with you and have reasonable expectations for your performance. Best of luck in your new job!

LOVE your signature/quote btw - so true. A blessing and a curse to feel everything so intensely.

That is terrible that your diagnosis was used against you. Makes me so angry. With ADHD, I feel like I will always disclose because I take the lowest dose possible of Adderall, and if it shows up on a drug test I feel like that could put me in jeopardy. All the yellow tape with stimulants these days, I don't want to mess around. With my depression/anxiety though, I guess there is no reason they HAVE to know about it... but ugh, why can't we be transparent if it's a medical diagnosis we are successfully managing!? And if there was an emergency, like an asthmatic who may need albuterol in an emergency, there might be a 911 day when I need help or need to take a day off to get myself together - how is that any different? Stigma is the worst.

Can I ask if you don't mind, was it an issue of a medication you disclosed you were on that your supervisor didn't trust? Or the diagnosis itself? I am a newbie/almost done student nurse and this makes me nervous for future jobs.

"You'll probably have to work twice as hard as a neurotypical to be considered successful."

Long Term Care Columnist / Guide · Oct 21, 2017

It was because of the diagnosis itself (bipolar I) and the fact that I'd been unstable enough to require medical leave per my psychiatrist. I didn't blame them for wanting someone, in this case a corporate nurse, to keep an eye on me for awhile, but she literally trailed my every step and constantly peppered me with questions while I was trying to do my job. The company also refused to grant me reasonable accommodations, such as being allowed a couple of hours every day to do my work without interruptions and working four days instead of five days per week. (I was the DON for an assisted living community, a position I'd held successfully for over 2 1/2 years). I'll never forget what the corporate nurse said to me when I was fired: "Your work habits have been consistent with your diagnosis. It's not your fault, it's just your brain chemistry." Sure didn't make me feel any better when I was escorted out of the building though.

SouthpawRN · Oct 21, 2017

I think the key is to read the questions very carefully, Usually it is asking if YOU believe YOU have a medical issue that would prevent YOU from doing the job safely and effectively. (with or without reasonable accommodations). It is not asking if YOU think OTHERS will think you can do the job safely and effectively!!!! Obviously you are in school and are pursuing this profession because YOU believe YOU can do it. If you are having a physician sign off on a medical form for employment, be sure to address why YOU feel YOU can do the job and what reasonable accommodations you need, if any. YOU have the task of getting others to see your medical disability or diagnosis from YOUR perspective. You may have to sell this to them during an interview. Show how you have adapted and succeeded in nursing school, life etc.

Glycerine82, LPN · Oct 26, 2017

I'm not sure how it's OK for them to ask you that, but either way I don't disclose this information. It's usually pretty apparent upon working with me for any length of time but I don't feel it's any of their business. I don't ask for accommodations, I figure them out myself. I go somewhere quiet to chart and I try to learn from my mistakes. I can't see how this would disqualify you but in the future I wouldn't answer it. Little do they know, ADHD isn't a bad thing - it's kind of a super power :)

CloverPark, RN · Feb 1, 2018

I have never come across a questionnaire that asks if I have ADD/ADHD when applying for a job... In all honesty. after going through what I have been through, I would have left it blank. My story: I was working as a float tech at a hospital and I gained a lot of respect because I worked hard, was always eager to help and learn, and patients loved me. There was one unit where I worked often and I really loved... After I became an RN, they hired me for a FT position... I was doing fairly well, but like any new grad, I was struggling a bit with my time management... often staying late to finish charting. We had a meeting (me, the DON, nurse educator, and my preceptor) and all in all they said I just had to work on getting out on time, but that it wasn't a serious issue that couldn't be fixed/improved. Yet, me being the perfectionist that I am freaked out and later disclosed to the fact that I have ADHD to the nurse educator, who I trusted and felt comfortable with. She was very understanding and gave me reassurance. I never told her not to tell the DON, but then again, I never could have imagined what the DON ended up doing. I got a call from her the next day saying that she couldn't put me on the schedule until we had a meeting. Mind you, we JUST HAD a meeting! When I showed up to said meeting, she informed me it would be at HR... Then out of nowhere she spewed out all these false allegations about things I screwed up, and even though I shot down every single one, I ultimately ended up being let go. I was still on orientation at the time, so there wasn't a whole lot I could do. I did go to a lawyer and could have potentially gotten a decent amount of money for being discriminated, however the lawyer miscommunicated with the hospital and they got mad. I then went to the EEOC and got a settlement, but trust me, it wasn't much. And the pain and suffering can never be cured with money... It took me a long time to gain the courage to look for another job... but eventually I did, and I'm happy now for the most part. I work as a subacute nurse because I am still scarred for life from that experience in the hospital. I am VERY careful about who I disclose my ADHD to and I NEVER leave it anywhere in writing.

kaylee. · Jun 1, 2018

Kindof old post but...to me if i saw a question about adhd on an application, i would have said "no", because whether or not i had the dx, red flags would pop up for me: i do not offer this type of info ever. While no one is "required" to disclose this, they can evidently still ask, and so checking "yes" would be willingly offering up your private health information.

Now they have this knowledge and it was willingly provided...seems like a little trick. So they could be fishing for bits of things that make you seem less favorable.

Even though its not true, that mental health stigma runs deep in our culture. It just seems like disclosing this has no upside for you as the employee. In the future, let your alerts go up strongly to such questions, which will cause you to proceed cautiously before clicking yes. I hope things worked out with your employment!