Deaf Nurses or Student Nurses

Nurses Disabilities

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Hi

I am hard of hearing and student nurse from Illinois. I had experinced hardships with nurse educ.instruction. They are having a hard time believing that deaf or hard of hearing can have access or professional careers in nursing or medicine. I tried to explained to them there are deaf/hard of hearing nurses and doctors out there.

My questions to those who are working as a nurse or student nurse, how did you overcome this type of barrier and What resource did you use while in school..i.e for example did you uses CART captioning or interpreters? If you did uses interpreters what level were they and were they familiar with medicine/nursing content and terminology?

Also how well did each of you did on tests? Did you have the interpreters interpret the questions to you or were you able to understand the material the way they worded the test?

Thanks

Abby

Specializes in None.

Hello, my name is Jacob and I am doing basics course and am fixing to get my Associate's in General Studies from South Plains College in December. I plan to relocate to Houston end of December to go to nursing school. I want to get my RN license. I will be taking a CNA class to get my CNA this fall. I was wondering what should I do for nursing school? I am profoundly deaf but wear a cochlear implant in my left ear. I have excellent speech and listening skills and do not require an interpreter but TDD or TTY (Phones for the hearing-impaired) may be required for me. I don't know what to do about steophscopes for cochlear implants or how to answer any concerns about how I can be a nurse with selective hearing? I am relocating due to discrimination from two advisors at my current school. I want to make the right choices of school in houston. I do not want to move 800 miles away from my family and friends to make a mistake. Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated, thank you.

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Specializes in Med Surg/Acute.

Hi, you know. It is against the law to discriminate against the deaf. Although, my nursing program tried to deny me back in 2004, because at the time they didn't really have amplified stethoscopes. Then I kept going and completed my prereqs and tried again and the Director of Nursing was new and she had known me prior to being the DON, she told me to find a stethoscope as soon as I could and let her know. I found one I have two actually, one cardiac and another that picks up bowels, and lung sounds. It has been amazing. i wear hearing aids and i am profoundly deaf. i cannot hear on the phone, i can hear the tone and people talking but no idea what they are saying. i was finally accepted in the program but i did have to show a proof of my audiogram to the program. however, i do not know if you can wear a stethoscope with cochlear implants due to how it's in your head on the side. all stethoscopes goes in your ear or attach to your hearing aids and you can hear it, but with cochlear implant, that seems very difficult to figure out. i would try to contact some sort of human resources for the deaf or look online for deaf advocates for deaf nursing. i would strongly invesitgate this before you consider moving. however, the school i attend is the top in the nation (we've had people move from england to come here) if you really want to go to nursing school and be accepted by the school, i recommend my school. the DON is the best and she is all about the students... not politics. good luck

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Specializes in None.

Thanks and what school is this??

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Specializes in Med Surg/Acute.

Cochise College in Sierra Vista, Arizona. A very small town, not very big that you might be used to. We don't really have much here but Target, Walmart and some franchise rest. It is pretty small. But very homely and the school is great.

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Specializes in None.

Ah thats a big move. From west texas to Arizona, I have to stay in Texas due to a tuition waiver by the state and Houston is where the biggest deaf community is in texas and there are about 20-30 nursing schools. So there's got to be at least one school that will work with me. My Audiologist is located in Houston at Memorial Hermann plus we are moving for my partner's job relocation on top of that. So moving to Houston is pretty much set for a good while. That's why I was looking for information about what to do. I appreciate ya'll help by the way! I really do from the bottom of my heart. I almost gave up my dream to be a nurse but I'm still going because I have a true passion of helping people and making a difference. I spoken with one advisor for CNA, when I told her about the advisors and this is the same SCHOOL! She told me that is just disgraceful and discrimination. Because she told me she works with two hard of hearing nurses and said she had never seen or met a better nurse than those two. She gave me the hope to go into nursing again.

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I am not deaf, but I wanted to say that I loved reading your stories! Wow! Way to go! All you want is a little respect...and basic accommodation. And why shouldn't you deserve it? People who don't have a disability don't realize how good (easy?) they have it in comparison.

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Cardionics, great stethoscopes for HOH. Expensive and worth looking into on Ebay, for a better price. If you go the electronic stethoscope route, call the company and request all the literature on the device and ask how they work in real world environments. These were developed for high noise locations, like in an ambulance going down the road. They were fine tuned for HOH, some have inputs for implants, and some hook to PDAs. If you are getting training help don't hesitate to ask how to get an electronic stethoscope, and who might help you obtain one, if you can't afford one and you have demonstrated a real need for the stethoscope.

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Any out there used an ultrascope?? I looked on the website and they say they are good for HOH?? Anyone think a Littman would be better??

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I tried the ultrascope today. I also tried the Littman 3000...The Littman was fabulous!! I have moderate to severe loss in both my ears and I wear only one aid. I used to work as a medical assistant and got by with the Littman lightweight..I'm now needing to make sure I hear bowel sounds and lung sounds so I'm investing the $265 in my tool..I'm starting nursing school at my local CC this fall..I don't read lips and have actually gotten by with NO hearing aids in all my prereqs. I just got the ITC aid recently and I had not worn an aid in 10 years or so. I'm looking forward to being in class and hearing everything...I plan to get a 2nd aid when my grants/loans come in..I hope this was helpful..

PS...The ultrascope was great too, but the Littman electronic really amped up the sounds..I could really hear my girlfriends bowels rumbing (she's in nursing school too)..Thanks for being my "patient" Cherie..*chuckle* I do plan on getting an ultrascope with a cutesy design for the younger set...

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Specializes in PACU/Cardiac/Nrsg. Mgmt./M/S.

I wear bilateral hearing aides. I would use an electronic scope for sounds, and constantly take out my aides to use the scope. Its a real pain but what worked for me.

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Specializes in GYN/Med-Surg.

I have profound bilateral hearing loss as well, and I am a nursing student going for an RN. What stethoscopes would you recommend? I do not speak on the telephone and I wear hearing aids. So far, I have not been using a stethoscope in nursing school and in clinical... I know I need to figure out a solution alternative soon but don't know what to do. Would anybody suggest I purchase the Thinklabs EKG/lung sounds app?

Thanks for any input :)

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Specializes in CNA in LTC.

Hey, just wanted to say that i am currently taking my prereqs to apply for nursing school. I have 100% loss in my right ear and sometimes have trouble with my left ear. I don't know sign and i don't read lips either. I am going to get the Littman 3100 or 3200. I am a licensed CNA and did not have any problems getting my CNA (i am not going to say license because apparently some people on this site don't think it's a license even though you have to renew it every 2 years and be in good standing with the state). I have always worked LTC and have not had a problem with the nurses or residents when I ask them to repeat themselves, sometimes I just get down and put my ear to them (the residents) if I have a problem hearing them. Some will ask what i am doing so I just explain it to them and they are ok with it. I found a site you might want to check out http://www.amphl.org/ it is the association of medical professionals with hearing loss.

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