I start college in the fall and I am just wondering... in a few semesters when I apply for nursing school, I am required to fill out a medical history form that asks questions about any previous conditions I have had. Well, one of those conditions is "depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, or other psychological symptoms." I have to check yes or no, then explain the condition below...
Well, when I was 12/13, I developed anxiety and was put on medication. I went on several different medications for anxiety/depression and my mom was always hyper-vigilant and took everything I said or did to the extreme. She had me hospitalized for about a week when I was 13 because I was depressed and she thought I was suicidal. Well, after I got out of the hospital, I gradually stopped going to the psychiatrist and didn't have to take my medication anymore. I haven't had to take medication and haven't had any anxiety or depression problems since. So it's been like 5 years and it'll be like 7 years when I'm applying.
I'm just wondering if I should put any of that on the medical history form, because I know I'll have to sign a medical records release and I don't know if that's in my medical records or not but it probably is so they'll see it. Could this prevent me from becoming a nurse even though I haven't had any issues in years? If I check no, and they somehow find out that I lied because I've been hospitalized for depression, could I get kicked out of nursing school? What should I do?
Not knowing where you are I can't say for certain, but in my state there are certain psychological conditions that can keep you from getting licensed (schizophrenia and bipolar
Not knowing where you are I can't say for certain but in my state there are certain psychological conditions that can keep you from getting licensed (schizophrenia and bipolar[/quote']
Ugh sorry, hit send too soon. Those two conditions plus a few others. Anyway, knowing this information up front can protect you if have a a condition that will bar you from licensure by keeping you from wasting the time and money on a degree only to find out you can't get a license.
med43 I know it is intimidating but they CANNOT exclude you for your medical history it is against the law. They also cannot access your medical record without your permission and if you give it to them you can usually request for only the most pertinent and minimal info to be released per HIPPA regulations. I would contact the school and request more information and ask about exclusions, but they cannot hold your mental health history against you when considering your application, if they did and you could prove it technically you could sue them for discrimination...
HIPAA, and they simply won't get admitted to the school. no rationale need be provided. I truly don't understand the req. of med rec release, if I were you, I would be researching other schools.
med43 I know it is intimidating but they CANNOT exclude you for your medical history it is against the law. They also cannot access your medical record without your permission and if you give it to them you can usually request for only the most pertinent and minimal info to be released per HIPPA regulations. I would contact the school and request more information and ask about exclusions, but they cannot hold your mental health history against you when considering your application, if they did and you could prove it technically you could sue them for discrimination...
If I had to guess i would say they are looking for serious physical impairments that would limit your ability to nurse. Things such as bad back, or osteoporosis, etc. Also, im sure they look for psych issues after everything that has happened at schools over the past few years. regardless, anxiety and depression if you had them at 12/13, probably won't be weighed heavily because it was 5 years ago or so. if it was within the past 3 years it will be a red flag to them but not as bad as other conditions (schizophrenia, bipolar, ODD, etc) So i would do as the person above me recommended and research other schools, but also poke into the admissions office and see what they look for. when you release the medical records to them, you can not hide anything, its infact probably written on the agreement that the university has full and clear access to the records. Worst case, they reject you for it and thats not a big deal. There are plenty of schools that dont check records, and many of them would be happy to have you im sure.
csmcj, BSN, RN
71 Posts
Not knowing where you are I can't say for certain, but in my state there are certain psychological conditions that can keep you from getting licensed (schizophrenia and bipolar