Health History-Keep Me out?

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Just wondering...On the health history form I am asked about all sorts of health issues, one of which is depression and nervous disorders. I had a bout of depression 20 years ago and am currently taking anti-anxiety medication now. Could this keep me out of nursing school??:crying2:

Hey,

I would be intersted in the answer to this question also. I had a bout with depression 7 years ago and went to outpaient therapy. I would hope that it would not count aganist us.

PJL and NICU_nurse2b

Welcome to the All Nursing Forums.

:) I wish you each the best in your nursing career. :)

A Pre-Nursing Student :)

Angels’

"Footsteps In The Sand"

Would it be possible to not say the truth without them knowing it?

I know lying is wrong, but sometimes, that's the only choice you have. Like when I got an interview to work as an aid in a hospital close to me. They asked if I ever had problems with my back (I did). Said no, got the job, and never had any problem because of that.

Bottom of the line, you have to think about your dreams. If that's what you really want, if it's worth the risk, then do it.

Good luck!

SG

Just wondering...On the health history form I am asked about all sorts of health issues, one of which is depression and nervous disorders. I had a bout of depression 20 years ago and am currently taking anti-anxiety medication now. Could this keep me out of nursing school??:crying2:

No, having a history of mental illness or depression is not going to prevent you from nursing school. So long as your condition is stable, you are fine. In fact, I would be willing to bet that if you have any trouble getting into a school on the basis of past mental health problems (that are now resolved or controlled by medication) you could have a pretty good case for discrimination based on a protected status.

Don't worry about it. In fact, if it were me, I would not feel compelled to divulge my 20 year old health history to a nursing school as long as I felt it had no bearing on my current abilities.

Best of luck to you!

Adri

Specializes in Level III cardiac/telemetry.

I've had an on-going struggle with depression and take several medications so it's impossible for me to really hide it because you usually have to disclose your current meds. I also think that letting the program know in advance may help you out in the future if you have any problems. However, like others said if your problem was 20 years ago it probably isn't relevant now and you would only need to disclose the anxiety med. And there are soooo many people out there that take anxiety meds! I've taken Ativan as a muscle relaxer after I had jaw surgery so it's not JUST for anxiety.

Also, as has already been said, it's ILLEGAL to keep you out of a program based on a medical problem.

Most of the applications I've seen for programs only ask you if you're capable of all the requirements and then once accepted you have to let them know your health status and medication (supposedly in case of emergency.) At that point, I don't really see the need to not disclose unless you're afraid of being treated differently. In my medical assistant and CNA classes all my teachers said it made no difference to them and that they thought it would actually let me bring a lot more empathy to my patients.

Okay, I'm tired and I'm rambling so I'll stop.

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