future nurse with epilepsy, please help me...

dotty08 · Sep 1, 2006

I agree with you, don't take me wrong, that's why I let people know about my condition when I start working, just some heads up for them. I can imagine how hard it had to be having a full ER and then loosing an extra hand pretty much, your're right a unit with more staff would have been much better and less selfish for this nurse.

chopin06 · Sep 2, 2006

thank you for your replys! i start lpn school on 9/5! i'm so excited! i've been feeling wonderful. i've pretty much interested in hospice or home health care. although oncology is interesting me as well. talk to you all soon! happy labor day weekend all! don't labor too hard!:wink2:

allnurses Guide · Sep 2, 2006

After thinking about it... Yes Lee1, you are right, it probably would be wise for a nurse with epilepsy to be careful when choosing a field of nursing. A field like ER with it's stress, fast pace, sounds and lights... sounds like a seizure waiting to happen, you know? Same with Med/Surge... way stressful. A sure trigger for exacerbation of seizure disorder, no?

I found your post a bit.. I dunno, harsh? I found it appalling that YOU felt like you had the right to know about a coworkers health condition. OTOH, I can understand how you would have LIKED to have known, but what would you have done about it if you had known about it beforehand? Told the coworker straight up that you didn't feel comfortable working with her, and why? Told your manager about her condition? Mmmmm... if she had gotten fired or forced to transfer or ANYTHING, it might have stunk of a discrimination lawsuit that you could have been right in the middle of. ESPECIALLY if she hadn't even had a seizure at that point, or had had her seizures under control long term.

I don't know if this is something that happened to you recently or what, and I don't know what happened to your coworker following this episode. But her being fit to do her job was ultimately between her, her employer, and possibly the BON. If she resumed her job, then it fell upon her coworkers to find other employment if they were that uncomfortable with her working amongst them. In addition, I want to say that it was your hospital's responsibility to find you some help when this happened to her. She could have had to leave her post for ANY reason. She could have injured herself in that busy ER. She could have fell sick. You know?

Again, I understand your frustration, but your coworker should have every right to do her job without persecution if she and her superiors feel like she is fit to do so.

dotty08 · Sep 3, 2006

thank you for that post, I thought it was a little harsh as well, esoecially because I was working in the ER as an Admissions Clerk before I became a GVN. I just didn't want to sound disrespectful and like you said, I also understand her concern in some way. But nobody should be treated like an outsider or differently just because they have epilepsy.

lee1 · Sep 10, 2006

After thinking about it... Yes Lee1, you are right, it probably would be wise for a nurse with epilepsy to be careful when choosing a field of nursing. A field like ER with it's stress, fast pace, sounds and lights... sounds like a seizure waiting to happen, you know? Same with Med/Surge... way stressful. A sure trigger for exacerbation of seizure disorder, no?
I found your post a bit.. I dunno, harsh? I found it appalling that YOU felt like you had the right to know about a coworkers health condition. OTOH, I can understand how you would have LIKED to have known, but what would you have done about it if you had known about it beforehand? Told the coworker straight up that you didn't feel comfortable working with her, and why? Told your manager about her condition? Mmmmm... if she had gotten fired or forced to transfer or ANYTHING, it might have stunk of a discrimination lawsuit that you could have been right in the middle of. ESPECIALLY if she hadn't even had a seizure at that point, or had had her seizures under control long term.
I don't know if this is something that happened to you recently or what, and I don't know what happened to your coworker following this episode. But her being fit to do her job was ultimately between her, her employer, and possibly the BON. If she resumed her job, then it fell upon her coworkers to find other employment if they were that uncomfortable with her working amongst them. In addition, I want to say that it was your hospital's responsibility to find you some help when this happened to her. She could have had to leave her post for ANY reason. She could have injured herself in that busy ER. She could have fell sick. You know?
Again, I understand your frustration, but your coworker should have every right to do her job without persecution if she and her superiors feel like she is fit to do so.

If you read the note completely it said that she told me after the fact.

I did feel uncomfortable working in those conditions and I did resign from that particular place. I have many years of critical care experience and fortunately that is the only time I was exposed to this. The event occurred years ago. Noone else will protect your license, only you.

Like I said before that type of potential debilitating illness, you need to be careful what type of work you do. Noone minds helping a coworker during an emergency, but how would you feel if you knew it was a chronic problem and could occurr over and over.