HELP Recyle disabled nurses

Nurses General Nursing

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I know that I am not the only nurse who is no longer working as a nurse due to a back injury. In the US, OSHA requires that you be able to lift 50 lbs to work on the floor as a nurse. I can't.

My "reasonable accomodation" was a move to watch heart monitors on the med-tele. floor where I worked. I also took quite a pay cut to do this. My only other option was to be unemployed.

I have my BSN, ACLS and over 15 years of nursing experience. I can't lift much, but I am still capable of starting IVs, inserting foleys, giving meds, assessing pts and knowing when a pt is in trouble. Frequently, I am a resource person to the nurses I work with, answering questions and debating options.

Years ago, I saw a news story on this nursing student who graduated and worked from her wheelchair. I can still walk, but am not allowed to work as a nurse but someone in a wheelchair can? This doesn't make sense.

There is a nursing shortage. It is bad....I see the shortage every day at work. I have good clinical skills and experience. And I am not alone. Is there any way that we can recycle and use nurses who are still able to perform a great deal of the core skills required in the daily routine of nursing care?

Can anyone out there (or here) help us......We want to help you by being able to do the work we have been trained to do and by working with you.

Thank you for your help.

I don't believe anyone other than nurses know OR care just how physically demanding bedside nursing really is. Add constant stress and responsibility for lives....and you got an accident waiting to happen. An accident...or a gradual breaking down/degeneration of joints...which is what Ihave in my spine and knees. :(

Physical therapists preach at us... but even they do not really grasp what we do...it is very different and under different circumstances than what they do. They are not under pressure, they work in teams under controlled circumstances, they can walk away and 'make the nurse get the patient up' if the patient refuses or fights them...:(

Even my husband in construction does not have a lifting requirement of 100#....and that is what is in the PP manual the last place I worked. :(

There oughta be a law....:(

What kind of law would you like?

We have a lot of laws now, but hospitals are really bad about not complying to them. I mean, we are supposed to get two breaks, and a 30 minute supper break per 8 hrs. shift. The only ones who get those are the smokers. The other night we worked two nurses short......I had a ten minute break the whole 12 hr shift I worked. I couldn't ask for more, because everyone was having it rough. The nurses working the floor were too busy to sit at the monitors so I could take a break.

It is a shame, and I believe that hospitals will be judged by God for not taking better care of their nurses who are injuried on the job. The problem is that there is no one to help when you get into some of these difficult situations.

Right now we have two pts that it requires just about all the night shift staff to get up to the bathroom. Pt refuses to use bedside commode or bedpan.

But, honestly, if I was back on the floor working, I would refuse to get this pt up. It just puts too much staff at risk of injury. I am not a skinny person saying this. I would expect a bedpan.....I would not want to risk other's welllbeing....

Anybody else have comments.....

Hi, everyone. This is my first post. :) My heart goes out to people who have had injuries and deal with chronic pain. I'm going to ask for some advice on a different disability.

I started to notice some hearing loss when in college. I had my hearing checked and was told that it was normal. When I started my second semester of nursing clinicals in 1994, the instructors made me get an amplified stethoscope when I had trouble hearing BPs. After graduating with a BSN in 1995, I started work in a state psych facility. I began to get concerned when I had to get really close to psychotic pts before I could understand them. I had my hearing checked & learned that I had 75% hearing loss in the lt ear & 55% loss in the rt.

Since that time I have had progressive hearing loss & wear digital aids bilat. I also have a $500 stethoscope. I've worked on a psych unit in a general hospital x5yrs. I work nocs b/c its quiet & there's less background noise when I'm on the phone or talking to a pt. My problem is now we are getting patients who are as sick physically as they are mentally. I'm afraid I'm miss something in an assessment or an event on the floor d/t my hearing loss.

If I go to apply at another facility, should I wait till after I get the position & then tell them I have hearing loss? If I asked for a non direct pt care job in my hospital, who do I ask- HR? What exactly does VocRehab do & would they help me retrain for something else? What kind of documentation do I need? I'm at my wit's end -my hearing is gradually getting worse. I'd really appreciate any input on planning for my future as a nurse.

Sorry this is sooooo long!:o

IrishElf, first welcome to this post.

I don't know any definite answers for you but can give you some advice from the disablity problems that I and others here have discussed.

First, I recommend that you do NOT share with HR or other administrative people at your hospital about your problem. It would be in your best interest to investigate your options first. When you do discuss this in the appropriate format with your hospital, you want to know your options and your rights under the American Disability Acts.

A lot of us were naive enough that we actually believed that our hospital would take care of us when we were permanently injuried on the job. We found out differently.

See what others here can come up for you. Look at the support group at AOL (if you can).

Anyone else have any thoughts. I am going to think some on this......Get back if I have more.

But I do want you to know that we support you, understand what you are going through. I do know of a nurse who ended up on disability because she lost her eye sight.

Hang in there.

Hi Irish Elf! Welcome!

I'm sorry to read of your hearing loss...it must be very frightening.

Have you checked with your societies for the deaf for info and resources/support?

Do you know what is wrong with your ears and if it is correctable...I know there surgical procedures that can be done in some cases to reverse the problem.

I know you can email the federal and local authorities who oversee the Americans with Disabilities Act....if you go to their website..there you can find out more about what is available to you.

I agree with Mercy, do some research yourself before you talk to your employer...I have found out the hard way just how unconcerned they can be....so unless you trust them MAJORLY I would be cautious.

I have a friend who knows a lot about disability, I will ask her about your problem and see if she has some good advice. Anybody else lurking here who knows??

God Bless and keep posting! :)

Thanks Mercy & Mattsmom! I really appreciate the support. :)

I never did feel entirely comfortable with the idea of going to HR- especially without having a lot of knowledge re: ADA rights. My new supervisor is very understanding of my hearing problem, but I'm very leary of admin. & HR. I had a mgr once who told me that people complained that I didn't listen... a few months later she realized it was probably b/c of my hearing loss. I don't even like having to share my business at work, but it's necessary to tell coworkers they need to get my attention before talking to me and that the hearing aids amplify everything so they have to keep the noise down in the nsg sta. Grrrrr.

The area self-help group for the HOH is inactive, but I found a # for another one. I also got some #'s at the library for the area voc rehab. I'll also look at the ADA website.

Mattsmom- no, my hearing loss can't be corrected with surgery. I've been told that a sensorineuro deficit is non-correctable. I also asked my ENT about implants, too. One's hearing has to be completely gone before surgery can be done.

Originally posted by Huganurse

I wonder how many nurses are not at the BS d/t injury or the actual physical demands of BS nsg? I'd bet it is a high percentage. I can only offer words of encouragement to keep trying and keep focused on your goals. You'll get there! There is degree or a job for you. I found mine!

Similar thread about this subject on this BB:

https://allnurses.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=15630

:D Great subject for a poll...let's see how many in cyberspace respond!

Elf, I guess I was thinking about Rush Limbaugh, the radio talk show host who lost his hearing...the cochlear implants worked wonders for him, he says. :)

Let us know what you find out....when we share good info we help one another. And vent anytime...we all know as nurses we HATE to ask for help even when we should. ;)

Cheerfuldoer and anyone else considering school or career modification/change

Do give some thought to contacting a career counselor. One thing they can do for you is give some perspective on what your transferable skills really are, what kinds of opportunities and jobs are out there, and what you might be best suited to at this stage of your life.

As nurses I think all too often we fail to think outside the box. There is so much out there and we are limited in how we think about ourselves (won't even go into how other people limit us by how they think about us.)

If you're thinking about spending the money to go back to school, you want to be sure you're spending the money and more importantly, the time, wisely.

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Hello Dr. Kate...thanks for taking the time to share that valuable and encouraging information with us. I hadn't thought about sitting down with a career counselor, but it certainly sounds like a wonderful and wise option. Thanks for the tips! :)

Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

Mattsmom81's quote by Erica Jong: "Surviving has meant being born over and over." Mattsmom81, soooooooo true...in my life anyways. I like that quote. I've evolved more times than I can keep up with, which is why I won't just sit back and feel helpless or useless just because of my physical injury to the shoulder. We who have suffered job injuries, and are off work because of them, WILL overcome those obstacles that lie in our path of life, and be more the wiser for them in the long run...coming out on top like the true nurses that we are. ;) ((((Hugs to all the injured nurses everywhere)))) :kiss

Wow! Thanks Dr. Kate for the advice. I also appreciate the positive thinking and encouragement on this bb.

Well, I've gotta run and work a noc shift. I'll see where I can find a career counselor... six years of psych experience can be used somewhere.:cool:

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