[Mini RANT] Crappy Vocational Rehab Counselor Refuses to Approve of me being in Nursing

NutmeggeRN, BSN · Mar 25, 2016

I am all about disability rights and doing as much as a person can do. I am curious to know what services you required to get through high school successfully? Did you have an IEP or 504 plan? Were you able to function without the use of a paraprofessional or special education teacher?

I think the Voc Rehab person may be trying to help you. Just because you do not like the answer, doesn't make them a crappy counselor. One or the other of these disabilities may well be overcome, but both? I am not so sure about that for the nursing field. Sometime just because we want it, doesn't mean it should happen.

Nurses depend on so many skill sets and assessment is HUGE!! Visual and auditory senses are used Every. Single. Day.

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · Mar 26, 2016

Natiel: Why specifically do you want to be a nurse? What is attracting you to nursing versus the other career options your counselor stated or even other health care careers?

See if you could start off as a CNA, do a CNA certificate course, many nursing students work as a CNA while in school, it also gives you a good idea of the work flow of a RN. Try and see if your counselor could arrange a shadow day to shadow an RN.

From your description, hearing loss, and legally blind there may be some barriers that can't be overcome, for example being able to see small numbers on the 1cc syringe, and the small numbers on the suction catheters. the smallest change could be a big difference for your patient. You can't always get a co-worker to draw up medications or other things as your co-worker also has to tend to their patients. In the end it is about keeping patients safe, in any health care career. Yes, there are many options for nurses, but you still will have the same clinicals,

papers, assessments, skills, tests. To manage, educate, and lead nurses you will have to have a basic idea of how direct care is provided.

Best of Luck. I hope you can speak with your counselor and have an open discussion

SunnyPupRN · Apr 3, 2016

Blaze a trail, brother. You have the motivation and you are not asking the world to cater to you. You're trying to fight the good fight, and you deserve to work in the field you want. Yes, I can see discrimination happening, but you must use your situation to your advantage. How does your situation make you a BETTER nurse? Does it give you more patience? Empathy? Could you serve as an ASL translator for the facility as well as being a nurse?

I fully believe you can do it.

SunnyPupRN · Apr 3, 2016

Check out Exceptional Nurses on FB. There are a TON of nurses there who have fought through nursing being hard of hearing. If nursing is in your heart, you can do this.

explorereb96, ADN, BSN · Apr 4, 2016

I don't know if many of you had to deal with the state Vocational Rehabilitation counselors. I have. My son has Asperger's and he had a hard time dealing with social issues. However, he is highly intelligent and wanted to work and help himself. He went to life skills training throughout High School and was successful. He decided to try college. He graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering at the Associates level. We knew full well that it would be tough to get anything in that field with just an Associates so he decided to try for his B.S. in Plastics Engineering. Again, with the help of Vocational Rehabilitation he graduated with honors with that degree. If i had listened to his first two counselors, today he would be a Walmart greeter. They are trained to push positions that are the least expensive to harbor funding. Again, it is understood that there is waste in every government entity. They have to try to weed out people that may come there for "help" to go to college and they never finish. You have to really want it and make the commitment. If not, you are wasting your time and the taxpayers money. There are many things disabled people do everyday that surprises and a lot of times surpasses what able bodied people can do. Again, if Nathaniel really wants this, he has some convincing to do.

LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN · Apr 5, 2016

I don't know if many of you had to deal with the state Vocational Rehabilitation counselors. I have. My son has Asperger's and he had a hard time dealing with social issues. However, he is highly intelligent and wanted to work and help himself. He went to life skills training throughout High School and was successful. He decided to try college. He graduated with honors in Mechanical Engineering at the Associates level. We knew full well that it would be tough to get anything in that field with just an Associates so he decided to try for his B.S. in Plastics Engineering. Again, with the help of Vocational Rehabilitation he graduated with honors with that degree. If i had listened to his first two counselors, today he would be a Walmart greeter. They are trained to push positions that are the least expensive to harbor funding. Again, it is understood that there is waste in every government entity. They have to try to weed out people that may come there for "help" to go to college and they never finish. You have to really want it and make the commitment. If not, you are wasting your time and the taxpayers money. There are many things disabled people do everyday that surprises and a lot of times surpasses what able bodied people can do. Again, if Nathaniel really wants this, he has some convincing to do.

I have dealt with Vocational Rehab; I have PTSD and multiple gunshot wounds as a domestic violence/gun violence survivor; I was a LPN at the time and wanted to return to school to get my BSN, and my first counselor told me that there was NO WAY I would return to nursing; and may not ever work again.

I ditched the funding (albeit I did get a new counselor that was willing to help me and was able to help me out for a few items when I returned to work) and went back to school; I am a RN at a level I Trauma ER.

I understand the OP has to engage with Vocational Rehabilitation; I think with the right improvements-by going through speech therapy as OP has alluded to-as well as connecting with other nurses-possibly through exceptional nurse and other orgs out there-then the OP can be ready to be in the best position to "prove" to Vocational Rehab that it is possible.

Others posting are also being realistic to the OP; with my challenges, I went back to school, got a new grad job; was upfront about my health issues and got a huge target when I revealed it, and I knew it and it amass me defensive and anxious, and I didn't succeed at my first job; having a disability made me more cognizant that even when an employer says they will support you; that is not always the case, at least with disabilities that are more on the "invisible" side.

Many of us have endured such challenges, regrouped, and have come back who are posting here; some who post here had to pack it up and not practice and miss nursing; some had to contend with Vocational Rehab and been successful, not successful, or so-so.

We know how employers love to circumvent the whole process around the ADA; if they can't make the accommodations that the OP needs, even if the OP provides them, if he can perform the duties successfully, then it will be a challenge to break into nursing; that is the reality, whether it be good, bad, or indifferent; if OP wants to see this through, the FIRST thing is to be able to move toward a point where communication is effective, even if that means going to speech therapy and working to the level of being able to meet that need, at least showing that he can be able to prove to Vocational Rehab that he can be able to enter and pass Birkenhead school, and secure a position.

NurseNHowell · Apr 6, 2016

I'm pretty annoyed. Sorry if this is in the wrong forum!
ANYWAYS. I'm Nathan, 20 years old, bilateral profound sensorineural hearing loss due to meningitis antibiotics.
He gave me 2 alternative career choices: Lab tech or sonographer... HELL NO!
I have another meeting with him on April 18. What do I say to get him to budge?!
If nothing works, I can always talk to his supervisor directly. I want to try to make him budge first, though... Ugh.

I am currently in the ADN program after 10yrs as a LVN after some years as a CNA & EMT. I have rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus, myalgic encephalomyelitis, about 40% vision loss in my right eye after some serious trauma that also gave me a very minor(like extremely minor) spinal cord injury that gives me blood pressure issues and risk of autonomic dysreflexia that I generally only get with extreme pain. Also have some ADD/ADHD and the Kaiser doctor thinks I have narcolepsy but I don't agree.

I became a CNA after being a NA for a couple of years after all of my issues happened or were diagnosed. Every single step of the way I have come across nurses or just regular people who have told me that disabled don't belong in nursing. I am a firm believer that if you can get through the nursing program and pass the state boards then there is a place for you in nursing. I personally with my LVN have mainly focused on wound care and case management. I know my limitation and I know that eventually my RA&SLE won't allow me to stay on the floor long term but with wound care I am not constantly on my feet and every single one of the facilities I have worked at was more than happy to help accommodate me in my disability. When I have been on the floor doing wound care they have been understanding in giving me a split shift so an extended lunch break which honestly what patients can I do wound care on while they eat? So for example at my last SNF I would come in before day shift and do a couple hours 5:30-7:30am then back on the floor 9-12pm, take a 60min lunch and am back for 1-4pm or if we didn't the have bed bound patient census they would have me skip the morning I would tack it on after dinner and do their new admission assessments. Many employers actually preferred my schedule since it allowed me to be there for admissions as well as get my regular patients seen. But when I worked in a wound clinic or the hospital they just allowed me 15-20min breaks and a longer lunch like 45-60mins and tacked the extra hours on to the end of my shift.

I think the key is to look at all of the fields of nursing and really research it then when people present you with the "no you are disabled, you can't do it, its not possible" you have an exact response that is well researched and informed that is an area that you are well fitted for. When someone tells you that its impossible just realize that while yes some may actually be almost impossible or harder for you with your disability, there are tons of areas that you would be well fitted. I have friends and coworkers that have lost vision or hearing and changed nursing fields but still continue to thrive in nursing.

So I vote call the ombudsman like another poster did!

explorereb96, ADN, BSN · Apr 16, 2016

Also, Insurance companies always need nurses. Just don't understand the narrow mindedness..... how about Case Management? There are so many different areas.

Natiel · Apr 19, 2016

I WON! I had my VR meeting today, and after a long talk, my counselor finally decided that if I get into the nursing program, he'll change the plan on my file to nursing. Oh, and he'll pay for my pre-reqs under my current plan!

RNNPICU, BSN, RN · Apr 19, 2016

Good Luck. It is a long haul. Study hard, pass your boards, become an RN!!

Axgrinder · Apr 23, 2016

Is it an option to change to another vocational rehab counselor? Some people just don't click for whatever reason. I'm sure this wouldn't be the first ever request to change, and it could be done.

I was on medical disability for ten years, and getting back into the work force from SSI, and a medical retirement annuity was tough. When I thought I was ready as I ever would be to try I tried voc-rehab since it was an option. In my case it was a waste of my time - after investing in all the lengthy start up paperwork I went to a meeting with about 8 others attempting to do the same. I was the only person with a license/profession. They basically told me after all that there was nothing they could do to pave the way back into nursing for me. Nothing. Nada. Nope. Ziltch. I had to back up, and start over on my own, and I had to go it alone. It was beyond disappointing.

That being said, you have the right to chose your own career path - after all, you are the one who will be working everyday. Your counselor sounds like he doesn't like his job, and is burned out. But you my friend are not. You sound like you have a burning desire to be a nurse: go get 'em! Pave your own way. The only real limitations are those we impose on ourselves. Don't let others dump theirs on you too.

If you believe it can be done then that's half the battle vanquished. I believe in you.

explorereb96, ADN, BSN · Apr 29, 2016

I WON! I had my VR meeting today, and after a long talk, my counselor finally decided that if I get into the nursing program, he'll change the plan on my file to nursing. Oh, and he'll pay for my pre-reqs under my current plan!

Awesome!! Now work hard and show them that Voc Rehab CAN and WILL work for you. I'm glad I helped ya out a little. I am graduating with my AA next week and applying for the LPN-bridge RN/BSN program for the fall. Good Luck !