I have ADHD.Can I be a nurse?

saphyre · Apr 9, 2008

I know at least two people who have ADHD and are wonderful nurses. One worked on a heavy Med-surg floor. I had no idea he had ADHD until it came up in a conversation moths later. He has since gone on to be an ICU nurse.

Another nurse I know started off in a nursing home. She figured that having consistency with patients would be a great benefit. The last I heard, she's been there for at least two years and loves her job.

HM2VikingRN, RN · Apr 9, 2008

I have it and I did just fine with nursing school. The main thing is to work on organization.

(Nursing tends to attract a lot of people with ADD. Its a combination of increased empathy that folks with ADD tend to have AND the benefit of consistent structure.)

Go for it!

RN1989 · Apr 9, 2008

If the lure of money is the only reason you chose nursing, I recommend that you see a career counselor.

If you have spent any time on this forum you will have seen numerous postings on the hardship of nursing and what it can do to a person. Many nurses learn the lesson the hard way that money is not everything. Nursing does pay better than many other jobs however the amount of responsibility and the amount of work it takes to become a nurse as well as maintain a license is huge. In fact, the pay is no where near commensurate with all the responsibility and liability that nurses take on. There are ways to make money that are much easier and less stressful. You would not want to waste 4 years worth of tuition and hard work only to find that nursing wasn't worth it from a financial standpoint when you are stressed out and your emotional and/or physical health suffers. Or that you are unable to get your ADHD under control well enough to multitask with complete follow-through on all the tasks that nursing school and nursing jobs require.

As you have said, you have never been married to any particular job. Please see a career counselor who can help you define your likes/dislikes/goals and give you a clearer picture of what might be a good match for you.

Lemur, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2008

I have ADD, and have found nursing to be a perfect fit. The other job that I have excelled at is waitressing, and the similarities between the ER and a busy restaurant on a Saturday night are not lost on me.

Talk to your therapist.

L.

Morettia2, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2008

I have ADHD big time..I did fine in Nursing school, infact I think Nursing school was the best thing for my ADHD..it taught me how to prioritize..TIME MANAGEMENT is the key. At first (while in school), it's awful you don't know where to begin, what to do, that's what the clinical instructors are for, they have tricks and tips for you, and if you tell them confidentially you have clinically dx ADHD they are def. going to help you with time management , I told my instructors not to give me special treatment I can handle the same as the other students, it was my paper work that stunk at first I was all over the place, but in the end I was the student at clinical that got the hardest pt. assignments, the most prioritization, and the most thanks from my patients, instructors and staff nurses. I had a few clinical instructors tell me, " I would have never known you were ADHD untill you told me" . THAT felt good..also I had told my teachers in private that I was ADHD and had a letter from my psychiatrist, and I was allowed to take my nursing tests by myself in a room with some extra time actually untimed, but 30 min. extra was all I needed, it varies on how much time you need to take tests. My tests were all standerdized tests, I call them bubble tests, which I am absolutly horrible at taking, but I learned not to second guess my answers, use an index card to go through each line ect...by my last year I was done my tests before the rest of my class...but you find a groove..I found this most helpful while I was in school and even as an RN, take a deep breath, write down what needs to be done, always ask if you are not sure. Becomming an RN and living with adult ADHD has improved my life. I find my self more organized. Also with ADHD you are more alert to your surroundings..hehehehe..that's a good thing if you want to be a nurse..I have learned this on many occasions..ADHD people make good ER/ICU/CCU/Critical Care Nurses.heheh cause I am one..GOOOD LUCK and if I can help you with any thing AT all just ask!!!

Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2008

your adhd doesn't concern me; however, your motivation for wanting to be a nurse does. i hope there's more to it than money. because if all that interests you is the healthcare and the money...consider that dental hygienists make equal to or more than a nurse.

jess

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · Apr 9, 2008

I don't mean to pile on but I did want to add one thing about the money issue....nursing has really horrible wage compression. What that means is that very often the wage you make at 20 years experience is not that much different than what your organization is paying to new grads. I've even seen situations where new grads are brought in at a higher wage than the veterans.

I'm not saying all nursing jobs. Just most I've seen. I think the starting salaries in nursing can appear misleading from the outside. If it was, say, law or accounting, in your mind you'd say "wow, after a few years I'll be doing great!". Just be aware that wage compression exists and it is uniquely bad in nursing.

TX_ICU_RN · Apr 9, 2008

My husband has ADHD and is an EXCELLENT nurse! The most difficult part for him was getting through the didactic part of nursing school. He did awesome in clinicals, but the amount of reading and note-taking was overwhelming at times. However, our class motto was "C=RN". He finished his BSN and went back to school 2 years later and is now a FNP! You can do it...good luck to you!

HM2VikingRN, RN · Apr 9, 2008

Aka "C's get degrees...."

DaveMac · Apr 9, 2008

I have ADHD and I feel like I am doing well in Nursing. Since 1977, I have always been able to be able to do my work on my unit and go to other units when called to assist. Many look at me like they can't believe that I stay caught up. With ADHD, multitasking is second nature, so as far as nursing goes, you have a leg up.

Now about the big bucks. Excuse my while I LMAO. At the start, the pay is not so good, depending on the hospital you are at. When you first hit management, expect a loss. I work full time in a community hospital and as an agency nurse one day on the weekends, 2 or 3 weeks out of 4. I have to take manager call for a week every 3 to 5 weeks. The money can be made, you just have to give up your life at the start. THINK LONG and HARD before you go into nursing. When I precept a new nurse, one of the first questions I ask is "Why do you want to be a nurse?" If they tell me money, I recommend that they find another profession. We want and NEED nurses who want to help and not just to have a job. Being a nurse is more than a 7 to 7 job. It is 24/7. It not what you do, it is who you are. You can't turn it on and off as you feel. It is always on. You see someone in need in the mail, you respond without thinking. You see a car on the side of the road and someone on the ground, you stop and assist.

So think about it and pray about it. Good luck in your choice. And yes, C=RN. What do you call the RN or LPN/LVN nursing student who finished last in his/her class and passes the state boards? Nurse, RN, LPN, or LVN,:caduceus::cheers:

JB2007, ASN, RN · Apr 10, 2008

I have adult ADD and I am a nurse. Like you I did not do well in high school (I graduated), because I hated every minute of it. I loved college and graduated with high honors, so nursing school doable if you are motivated for the right reasons. As far as being a nurse with ADD, I struggle with time management. However, alot of newer nurses without ADD struggle with this too. I say go for your dreams and do not let a dx of ADD/ADHD stop you.