Keys to Success for Nursing Students With Disabilities

Nursing school can be a challenge for many nursing students and even more challenging if you have a disability. Following these important steps can make the journey easier.

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Keys to Success for Nursing Students With Disabilities

The Girl Scout motto regarding "being prepared" is the best advice for nursing students with disabilities. In order to be prepared, you need to take action and do your homework- the sooner the better.

An important first step is to learn about your rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act. Visit the web sites listed below and pay careful attention to what is considered to be a disability as well as "reasonable accommodation". Also, remember that if you need reasonable accommodation, you are responsible for making the request.

Title II of the ADA covers state funded schools such as universities, community colleges and vocational schools. Title III of the ADA covers private colleges and vocational schools. If a school receives federal dollars regardless of whether it is private or public it is also covered by the regulations of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act requiring schools to make their programs accessible to qualified students with disabilities.

An additional part of doing your homework includes careful consideration of the pros, cons and timing of disclosure. You are only obligated to disclose if you request reasonable accommodation. Disclosure will allow you to request needed accommodations, but it can also potentially lead to stigma or being treated differently. The decision can be difficult and should be considered with care.

Visit the campus Office for Students with Disabilities as soon as possible. If you will be requesting accommodations such as a sign language interpreter, books on tape or a note taker, recognize that it may take time for the Office of Students with Disabilities to make needed arrangements. Make sure you have copies of up to date medical documentation regarding your disability

Purchase items you may need such as hearing aid batteries or medications. Research technology and equipment such as amplified or electronic stethoscopes, computer programs, audiobooks, and screen readers before classes begin.

Purchase your textbooks as soon as possible. Also, try to get copies of course syllabi before the start of classes. Organize a study notebook for each course and buy a calendar to record class times, clinical times, assignments and exam due dates.

Read all you can about other nursing students with a similar disability. Check your library for books related to nurses with disabilities. If you can't find a specific book you want, ask your librarian to order it. Do a library search for journal articles using the keywords "nursing student', disability" or use a specific disability keyword such as "hearing loss", "deaf", "learning disability", "mental illness", "missing limb", or "vision loss".

Get connected with a nurse or nursing student mentor with a similar disability and join online support groups. Visit the nursing laboratory and introduce yourself to the lab instructor. Find out if there is an organization for students with disabilities on campus. If so, consider joining. Also, learn about other resources for students (writing center, library, study areas, tutoring services, counseling center, health office). Information should be included on the college or university website.

Remind friends and family members that you are going to be very busy with school and will need their support and understanding. Being prepared is the best approach to being a nursing student with a disability. Remember that being a nursing student is challenging for many students with or without disabilities. Try to stay positive, eat healthy, exercise, make time for some fun and repeat often....

"I can do this!"

If you are a nursing student with a disability, what helped to facilitate your success? Can you add any additional suggestions?

Download

ADA Q & A: Section 504 & Postsecondary Education

Resources

AFB CareerConnect: For Job Seekers Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired - American Foundation for the Blind

Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses

College Survival Skills | DO-IT

Exceptional Nurse | Welcome

Information and Technical Assistance on the Americans with Disabilities Act | ADA.gov

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Donna Maheady

About Donna Maheady

Pediatrics is my love and passion. I am a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner and have been practicing and teaching nursing for over 35 years. I am the founder of a nonprofit organization for nurses with disabilities, www.ExceptionalNurse.com, author of three books and numerous articles about nurses and nursing students with disabilities as well as other topics. In addition, I am an autism mom/warrior and dog lover!

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Specializes in Tele, ICU, Staff Development.

Great information. I like how you talk about whether to disclose your learning disability or not.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

Great information. Perhaps in a future post, you can add some thoughts on 1 other issue that students with disabilities should consider: being realistic about career paths and job opportunities after graduation.

I have run into a couple of students who seem to have focused only on the process of getting their RN without thinking about about what happens after that. Employers are not obligated to provide unlimited accommodations, just reasonable ones. As someone who works with senior-level students and also hospital orientees, I have seen a few painful situations in which people who had managed to get through school with lots of accommodations being made for their disabilities discovered that they could not handle an actual job in their chosen field because of things that could not be changed.

For example, one student was passionate about becoming a nurse in an Emergency Department -- but needed the accommodation that she work in a quiet environment without a lot of distracting noise and light -- and needed a slow pace to give her time to process information thoroughly before having to make a decision. She had gotten extra time for all her exams, and only needed to take care of 1 patient at a time in school ... but no ED could accommodate her need for that slow pace and non-distracting work environment forever. I've encountered a couple of cases like that.

While many disabilities can be accommodated within the profession of nursing -- I myself have hearing and balance deficits -- we need to be realistic about what can and cannot realistically be accommodated in the workplace when we make our career plans.

Thanks for helping the students get on the right track!

llg

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

Agreed don't just focus on what you need to get through school (and remember you can't just self-identify you must have been diagnosed by an outside professional whether a neuropsychologist, school psychologist, speech-language pathologist, learning consultant (LDT-C) or other qualified professional. Many colleges with schools of education/graduate schools of education have qualified grad students than can perform these assessments as part of their training.

You need to be realistic about employment opportunities. If you can only work 8-4 Mon-Fri in a slow paced environment nursing may not be the best career choice even if is your "dream" or "passion". If you have a cognitive processing disability that affects your executive functioning, critical thinking, application of knowledge, and require maximum modifications & accommodations this may not be reasonable outside the classroom setting. Not everyone can do anything you want.

My son has challenges and needs to make some decisions soon. I'm pushing for career interest testing in 8th grade now to plan for more success in the future

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Specializes in Pediatrics, developmental disabilities.

I couldn't agree with you more...all students and graduates (with and without disabilities) have to be realistic about considering where they are best suited to work.

In many ways, I see the journey to self-discovery in nursing to be the same for all.

Thanks so much for commenting....I will think about an article on these issues!

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Specializes in Pediatrics, developmental disabilities.
Nurse Beth said:
Great information. I like how you talk about whether to disclose your learning disability or not.

Thanks, Beth.... disclosure is a major issue to consider. For example, if you need extra time to take exams or a quiet space.... other students may show resentment. Anticipating potential issues and working on coping methods and reheorificed responses is part of the process.

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Sunshine,. lollipops and rainbow aside.

How can anyone with a disability, perform nursing care for the disabled?

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.
Been there,done that said:
Sunshine,. lollipops and rainbow aside.

How can anyone with a disability, perform nursing care for the disabled?

I know an extremely competent PNP who happens to be a paraplegic due to a car accident. She has no cognitive issues and works in a combination out patient & long term care pediatric facility with many children of various disabilities aged 0-21. Her accident occurred during her BSN program. She graduated with honors as they were able to make reasonable accommodations.

Someone who needs to primarily type extended written passages due to dysgraphia could easily be accommodated in a setting with EMRs.

There is no absolute answer.

The type students llg is referring to should have received better counseling as needing maximum modifications and accommodations in school does not reasonably or realistically transfer to the work environment. Those students are not being set up for success in the real world.

It's not about just overcoming obstacles and reasonable accommodations it's also about realistic employment opportunities.

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JustBeachyNurse said:
I know an extremely competent PNP who happens to be a paraplegic due to a car accident. She has no cognitive issues and works in a combination out patient & long term care pediatric facility with many children of various disabilities aged 0-21. Her accident occurred during her BSN program. She graduated with honors as they were able to make reasonable accommodations.

Someone who needs to primarily type extended written passages due to dysgraphia could easily be accommodated in a setting with EMRs.

There is no absolute answer.

The type students llg is referring to should have received better counseling as needing maximum modifications and accommodations in school does not reasonably or realistically transfer to the work environment. Those students are not being set up for success in the real world.

It's not about just overcoming obstacles and reasonable accommodations it's also about realistic employment opportunities.

If any disabled student can obtain their degree, more power to them.Most certainly agree that exceptions occur. However, nurses NEED to be physically able to perform the their duties and the ADL'S of their patient.

Unless, the nursing degree obtained qualifies the student for an office job.. it is useless.

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Specializes in Pediatrics, developmental disabilities.
Been there,done that said:
Sunshine,. lollipops and rainbow aside.

How can anyone with a disability, perform nursing care for the disabled?

Can you be more specific?

Is this an example of what you are asking?

A mental health nurse practitioner who happens to be deaf works with patients who are deaf in a mental health care setting. She is fluent in American Sign Language.

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Specializes in critical care.
Been there,done that said:
Sunshine,. lollipops and rainbow aside.

How can anyone with a disability, perform nursing care for the disabled?

I have a broken, anteriorly displaced spine and epilepsy. I care for them quite well, actually. ?

At work, I chose to disclose one and keep the other to myself. At school, I found out about both (spine first semester in the program, epilepsy the third) and without knowing at that time how impaired these diagnoses made me, I disclosed both.

Admittedly, I'm only impaired to the extent that I just need to be mindful and self-aware at all times. I keep up on exercises and meds, I keep with good body mechanics, I avoid seizure triggers.

The word "disability" includes a massive spectrum of impairment. At this time, I'm a very fortunate girl. But, I do have disabilities. I choose to remain functional on bad days, knowing the good ones still balance them out.

I agree, though, that realistic understanding and expectations are required. If my seizures become uncontrolled or my spine hinders my ability to remain physically active, I'll have some very tough decisions to make. I do worry that those who jump into nursing with higher levels of impairment may be setting themselves up for disappointment and struggle after graduation.

Yet another reason why nursing school really should teaching real world nursing. I get that there is a massive variety of opportunity out there, but so, so many jobs expect that coveted year of med/surg before they'll look at your resume.

When I learned about my spine, I had a clinical instructor try to talk me out of staying in the program. I hated her for it. Thinking back on it, her delivery could have been better, but there was an element of truth to it, and she was the only person who dared to share it. She was overall a jerk. If it had been anyone but her, I might have been convinced to not do nursing. Glad it was her, though. It's been worth it for me so far.

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Specializes in Hospice.

There's a saying, "Just because you CAN do something doesn't always mean you SHOULD."

I've seen people who have no disabilities wash out of Nursing because they can't keep up in the work environment and no longer have just one patient for a 4 hour clinical day.

If you need multiple accommodations just to make it through school (not talking about wheelchair access here, more on the order of multiple tries to pass an exam, access to someone for clarification during an exam, a quiet room to yourself to take an exam), you are going to be deeply disappointed when you discover that isn't the real world of Nursing.

I really wish we as a society would stop giving kids trophies just for showing up to a game, stop telling them that they can do anything they want because the rest of the world thinks they're as special as Mommy and Daddy do, and spend more time helping kids become the best people they can, realizing some dreams may not be doable once the cocoon of school and excessive special accommodations drops away.

I wanted to be a ballerina, and I have a wonderful natural arch (without curling my toes, even!) but I'm built more like a Reuben model than Twiggy, I can't spot during a turn to save my life, and the thought of going en pointe makes me vaguely queasy (friend was a ballerina and I saw her feet-ouch). So, I watch a lot of dance movies and dream a bit.

Was I devastated when I couldn't realize my dream? Nope. Life does go on.

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