I have been compelled by the narratives and stories I read in this forum esp about the medicalization of nurses and nursing students with disabilities, and the marginalization of those nurses with bipolar and other mental health diagnoses who disclose their conditions. From the some of the posts I've read over the years, it appears there needs to be more awareness generated regarding the effects of medicalization of nurses with disability in the workplace and classroom.
Q: What are your thoughts?
Q: Would there be a benefit for my conducting a study that raises awareness of medicalization in this field as well as the voices (narratives) of those who unecessarily experience marginalization and discrimination (e.g. disclosure, monitoring, etc)?
About me....I am a graduate student (PhD) in technical communication focusing on medical rhetoric and communication. I have ADHD and have worked over 25 years in the allied health field before returning to school, and I can attest to my own struggles with ADHD while working in the health industry. This past summer, I took a disability studies graduate course where I wrote a preliminary paper analyzing the effects of how discussion threads like this one provide both support and knowledge-based information for nurses and nursing students with disabilities. However, through my analysis I became increasingly interested in the stories I read and need for awareness about some of the barriers you all are facing in the nursing industry.I haven't fully decided if this would be a good direction to expand on my summer research, and would really like some feedback from some of the participants in this forum who experience the effects of medicalization.
I would love to hear your thoughts, concerns, and suggestions....and if this is something you might be interested in contributing to/participating in either through interviews and/or surveys.
Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.
The costs of these programs are borne by the nurse, of course. Which is interesting considering that it's very difficult to find a nursing job as it is, let alone with stipulations. I honestly don't know how people do it.
I should mention that at least in my state, one can 'self-refer' to the HPMP, although I'm pretty sure it's safe to state that the vast majority are mandated either because the nurse has been brought to the attention of the BON, or has self-disclosed her/his addiction or mental illness on the license application. The length of time one must stay in the program varies, but it's a minimum of two years here.
There is a separate track for nurses with mental health issues, although it's amazingly similar to the one for addicts/nurses who have diverted etc. meaning you still have to submit to periodic observed UDS (they seem to think psych patients are automatically guilty of substance abuse), daily call-ins, and counseling by THEIR staff. Frankly, if they offered the counseling services only, I think a lot more nurses would self-disclose, because the rest of it is just harassment IMHO. I can see the benefit of counseling, because not everyone has their own therapist or psychiatrist, and it is harder for those of us with emotional dysregulation and mood disorders to cope with the stresses inherent in our work.
But the punitive approach is what's in vogue, and that's what drives nurses underground and forces them, essentially, to lie. That can't be good for either the nurse or the public the BON is trying to protect.
Viva, can I ask what state you are in? I know you mentioned Texas, where I am, is very strict. I'd like to look into some other states and see if I can dig a little deeper for information....or if anyone could chime in who is from another state for a heads up about policy??
Sorry I've been a bit MIA but dissertation work and teaching simultaneously, especially this semester, has been very time consuming. I just wanted to give a shout out and thank you to those of you who provide some responses and gave voice to some of the issues regarding the monitoring program. I am working on the editing stages of hopefully a publishable article based on ethical practices of health professionals in the workplace regarding disclosure/nondisclosure, monitoring and marginalization of nursing professionals with disabilities, AND a summarized version of the research I worked on this past fall based on some of your input has been accepted for an ethics panel/presentation at a conference on medicine and technologies in May. So your voices/concerns, in this respect, will be represented in another type of public forum.
I am still hoping to continue the research by documenting oral histories or personal accounts from some of you have expressed interest in telling your story. I need to see if I need IRB approval first...usually with narrative oral histories, and because this is a publicly open forum, oral histories may be exempt from the process. Will keep you all posted but if anyone else is interested
VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN
22 Articles; 9,996 Posts
The costs of these programs are borne by the nurse, of course. Which is interesting considering that it's very difficult to find a nursing job as it is, let alone with stipulations. I honestly don't know how people do it.
I should mention that at least in my state, one can 'self-refer' to the HPMP, although I'm pretty sure it's safe to state that the vast majority are mandated either because the nurse has been brought to the attention of the BON, or has self-disclosed her/his addiction or mental illness on the license application. The length of time one must stay in the program varies, but it's a minimum of two years here.
There is a separate track for nurses with mental health issues, although it's amazingly similar to the one for addicts/nurses who have diverted etc. meaning you still have to submit to periodic observed UDS (they seem to think psych patients are automatically guilty of substance abuse), daily call-ins, and counseling by THEIR staff. Frankly, if they offered the counseling services only, I think a lot more nurses would self-disclose, because the rest of it is just harassment IMHO. I can see the benefit of counseling, because not everyone has their own therapist or psychiatrist, and it is harder for those of us with emotional dysregulation and mood disorders to cope with the stresses inherent in our work.
But the punitive approach is what's in vogue, and that's what drives nurses underground and forces them, essentially, to lie. That can't be good for either the nurse or the public the BON is trying to protect.