Hard of Hearing RN's in MN...

Nurses Disabilities

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Hello,

I am struggling as a nurse who has moderate to severe hearing loss and wears bilateral in the ear hearing aids. I have been HOH since 2. I could go on and on with the struggles I have had and am reaching out to see if anyone in MN is HOH going to school for RN or is a HOH RN employed or is HOH RN unemployed in MN? I would like to see if all health entities are really accommodating or understanding HOH nurses. Am looking to start a group/business to represent this field of HOH nurses. I am looking for opinions and concerns in MN.

Thanks,

Starry

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I assume ???? that compared to you my hearing loss in insignificant? Do your hearing aids correct your hearing? How bad is your hearing with the aids? I am in California and wear hearing aids.

A lot of the answers to your questions depend on how bad your hearing is when you wear your aids.

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I hear 80% with hearing aids in.However, my hearing aids are outdated at this time. I know no one in MN who is hard of hearing as a nurse. I am looking to reach out to see what is needed in MN for those who need resources and the tools. I want to advocate for those who are thinking of going into a profession. It's a very challenging world.

How long have you been a nurse and what are your challenges?

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I had nerve damage in one ear age 3 in 1954. It wasn't total loss and since nothing could be done about it I, and my family, made no big deal about it. When I was young I actually thought everybody had one ear that didn't hear as well as the other!

I was never good with stethoscopes and lung sounds. I stupidly never thought maybe it wasn't me, it was my hearing loss! (Denial isn't always the best way to cope.) I got so good at forgetting or ignoring my loss I just blamed myself or felt stupid when I miss-understood or didn't catch what someone said. My loss wasn't that bad, no patients were harmed due to my loss of hearing :)

It wasn't till I learned hearing aids were much improved and could help even with loss due to nerve damage. Learning that, plus knowing everybody loses some hearing due to old age, inspired me to get hearing aids. In retrospect I know I should have gotten them earlier. It may have helped me as a nurse and socially?

I guess the challenge is directly related to how much a person can be helped with aids? There are so many advances in aids to say nothing of cochlear implants. My hope, assumption, is there are not a lot of problems with hearing impaired nurses. But as I said my loss was not that bad.

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