Ideas for accessibility

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I am just starting my nursing career as a volunteer. I have always enjoyed working with others; especially in a hospital setting.

i have been visually impaired since birth, so I can only see three feet in front of me. This usually doesn't bother me or interfere with patient care. I began having seizures in November of 2913. I have Absence, Atonic and Grand Mals. My volunteer coordinator is highly concerned that I cannot care for my patients. She feels like I'm really too much of a risk if I randomly 'drop' at any point.

I am confident that I can help just as much as anyone else; but how do I show her this without being rude?

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Are your seizures under control? Do you have break through seizures, if so how frequently?

Are you a nurse or a pre-nursing student? Yes, your visual impairment may limit your opportunities just like you are not eligible to drive a tractor trailer or school bus with new onset seizures and if you cannot see clearly 3 feet in front of you.

What are the expectations as a volunteer? If you have poorly controlled drop seizures, it would not be safe for you to transport patients without risk of harm to both of you. If you are answering phones and handing out visitor passes at the information desk the risk to others would be insignificant.

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Are you at risk of having a seizure with no warning while you work with the patients? How long have you been a volunteer at this facility? What are your duties as a volunteer? Do you transfer? If your seizures are under control with medications and you're able to make patient cares work with your limited visual field (which doesn't seem to be an issue), you should really emphasize this to your coordinator and remind her that you've been doing this for X months without incident. Just keep in mind of what JustBeachyNurse mentioned above.

I'm not sure she's trying to be especially hard on you, though. You have to understand that it's her first duty to protect the patients that will be under anyone's care, including yours, so she has to make sure every volunteer is physically and mentally/emotionally competent to undertake the demands of caregiving. She also sees that volunteers are on the track to become fully licensed care professionals, so there is extra responsibility in that. If someone shows up tired all the time, she would be on them about that. If someone seemed to always bring their personal life into work, she would be on them about that.

I wouldn't take it too personally and I would just reassure her that you're under medical care that you comply with fully, haven't had a seizure in X amount of time, and that you wouldn't be taking on these tremendous responsibilities if you had any doubts. Of course, if she gets obnoxious about it, then there might be further steps to take, but at this point, it sounds like you've been a volunteer there for a short amount of time and the coordinator is just following up on legitimate concerns.

This seems like a good experience for you if you do want to go into nursing as a career. This will be what everyone asks you, and you might have to prepare for the possibility that with severely limited visual fields, you may not even be qualified to work in a fast-paced critical care environment. Volunteering duties are a world away from real nursing care duties.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Aside from the seizures (if not well controlled or you have breakthrough seizures especially atonic/drop seizures without warning--you are a liability to yourself, the facility and your patients), lets assume your new onset seizures are well controlled even though it's been less than a year, since you have been significantly vision impaired since birth do you have a case manager with your state commission for the blind? This is the advocacy and accessibility group for the visually impaired. They can assist you to develop reasonable accommodations.

You can also contact your local chapter of the Epilepsy Foundation. Most chapters have advocacy ANC accessibility experts that can help you advocate for yourself.

If your seizures are not well controlled you may need to stop volunteering until your medical status is stable.

If you are not yet a nurse, you need to be aware that your options will be limited having only a. 3 foot field of vision. How can you see cardiac rhythm changes on a monitor 6 feet away? See that the patient down the hall, Mr. Jones is attempting to ambulated unassisted when he is a high fall risk but his roommate Mr Smith is independent.

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My seizures are definitely not well controlled. My therapist thinks that the seizures must be stress related or at least stress makes them more frequent. She thought that a hospital setting would be best for me until I figure out how do deal with them. My first seizure that we know of was November of 2013. Being born three months premature may have an impact on that.

I have not you started volunteering. My first shift in the ED was supposed to be tonight, but there was a problem with paperwork. I should only be sticking and cleaning rooms. The other part if it should only be desk work until I know what my abilities are.

It would defiantly be difficult or even impossible it see or manage something from a distance greater than what I can see.Indefinitely wouldn't help me at all to drop on my way to a patient or to get help. I may end up talking with my group coordinator about possibly having one of their assistants come to help at least for a little while.

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it. It's nice to hear other's opinions.

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
My seizures are definitely not well controlled. My therapist thinks that the seizures must be stress related or at least stress makes them more frequent. She thought that a hospital setting would be best for me until I figure out how do deal with them. My first seizure that we know of was November of 2013. Being born three months premature may have an impact on that.

I have not you started volunteering. My first shift in the ED was supposed to be tonight, but there was a problem with paperwork. I should only be sticking and cleaning rooms. The other part if it should only be desk work until I know what my abilities are.

It would defiantly be difficult or even impossible it see or manage something from a distance greater than what I can see.Indefinitely wouldn't help me at all to drop on my way to a patient or to get help. I may end up talking with my group coordinator about possibly having one of their assistants come to help at least for a little while.

Thanks for the input. I really appreciate it. It's nice to hear other's opinions.

You may be asked to not come in as a volunteer until cleared by your neurologist that your seizures are reasonably under control. Even sitting at the nursing station sorting papers, if you have a atonic drop seizure you could injure yourself and as such be more of a liability than an asset to the hospital. Cleaning is usually left to housekeeping staff as there is high potential for exposure to biohazards in the ED. But even if you are carrying supplies to stock a room, if you have a seizure and drop the items (in most facilities if sheets touch the floor they can no longer be used for a patient) you now require staff to attend to your medical needs.

I understand your desire to start working in a medical setting but you need to get your own medical status stabilized before you can help others. I can understand many of your challenges by observation as quite a few of my patients are ex-preemies/ex-30 weekers some I have worked with for several years. Granted the majority of my patients are significantly younger than you.

Kudos to you for trying to push forward but honestly with my knowledge and experience with the ADA, the accommodations you need right now as someone with uncontrolled atonic, absence and tonic/clonic seizures are not realistic.

Requesting a paid staff member/CNA accompany you as you volunteer would not be a good use of resources as the CNA could likely perform your functions as a volunteer in addition to other skills (unless this is a volunteer assistant but again this now exposes a second person to possibly confidential patient information in the ER plus possible hazard exposure).

Please do not be surprised if the volunteer coordinator comes back and says that risk management will not permit you to volunteer until your seizures are better under control. And they would be correct.

Working with the commission for the blind (or equivalent in your state) you can find accessibility accommodations to move forward in your aspirations. Many accommodations for your low vision are inexpensive and not difficult to implement.to permit you to volunteer

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Specializes in ICU.

I am an epileptic. I have been for almost 15 years. It took several years for my seizures to come under control. I would suggest you do that first. You cannot take care of patients if you don't take care of yourself. I have been seizure free for over three years now. If you are having psuedoseizures you need to find a therapist that can help you with that. Someone who specializes in that. I understand that you want to help people, but you are limited in what you can do. I would at least speak to your physician and see what they have to say. But until at least the seizures are under control you can't even begin to think about caring for patients.

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