Hard of hearing nurses and their specialties

[Black Jade, BSN, RN]

Hi everybody! I would like to hear from nurses who are hard of hearing tell us about how they chose their specialties and if they have encountered any obstacles. Have a great day!

[llg, PhD, RN]

I became hard of hearing after I had already been a nurse for several years. So, my specialty choice of NICU was not related to my current hearing loss.

I believe that career planning for a hearing impaired nurse depends a lot on the type of hearing loss, the accommodations needed, and the expected prognosis for losing (or not losing) more hearing. For me, it wasn't a big issue as I had already completed an MSN and was in a staff development role. My hearing loss has very little effect on my job performance and I need almost no special accommodations. Ocassionally, I ask to sit in certain seats so that I can hear better in group meetings -- and I usually use it as an excuse not to take minutes! (But I think that is a good thing. :-) )

llg