Newly graduated RN, HOH, scared.

mercurysmom · Jul 25, 2011

Hi Gemberly,

Congrats on your first job! :yeah:

If you worked with your state Voc Rehab or your school's Disability Services dept, either of those offices may be able to give you suggestions, including pamphlets about suggestions for people communication with d/hh individuals. However, it sounds like you're comfortable with your hearing loss and know what works best for you; it's just a matter of getting people to use common sense. I've discovered that, at least in the programs that I've encountered, the problem isn't so much the needs or limitations of the individual with the hearing loss, it's the program staff's anticipationof the person's needs! It's really scary how easily people's imaginations can run wild!

What worked best for you during nursing school? Was there a system that seemed to be the most comfortable for your teachers, preceptors, classmates in clinical? The simplest accommodations are usually the easiest for everyone. Positioning is key; stake out a place in the report room where you can see everyone, sometimes it helps to get people to look at you while they speak if you're both sitting down, repeat key words/phrases to make sure you heard/lipread accurately, etc. (All things you've probably been doing for years; trust yourself! ) Remember, hearing loss is quite common, and you may not be the only person in the room who's HOH, although you may be the only person acknowledging it!

My favorite resource is the Job Accommodation Network; here's some great general info for nurses: http://askjan.org/media/nurses.html

Again, congrats!

MM

xtxrn, ASN, RN · Jul 25, 2011

Is there some vocational rehab center that might have info on getting the hearing aide taken care of before you start working? I have no clue if this is possible, but it wouldn't hurt to ask :)

mercurysmom · Jul 25, 2011

Here's the page on ed.gov that should bring you right to the list of all voc rehab programs in each state. Yes, they pay for hearing aids. Be ready to "hurry up and wait," though, because the process is quite long. There's a 6-month intake/wait period before you receive any type of assistance, and everything works at the speed of, well, government. :uhoh3:

http://wdcrobcolp01.ed.gov/Programs/EROD/org_list.cfm?category_ID=SVR

Since your job is starting soon, you might want to check with other orgs that help people in need of hearing aids. Assistance ranges from loaner HA's to brand new, top-of-the line HA's as well as FM systems and other assistive listening devices. There might be a way for you to get an adaptive stethescope from one of these other groups, I haven't looked into it because I don't use a stethescope in my line of work. Let me know if you come across anything though! This is a pretty big list and I haven't been able to explore it in depth, so if you find anything really cool please let me know! :coollook:

http://www.needymeds.org/copay_diseases.taf?_function=summary&disease_id=82&disease_eng=Hearing%20Loss&dx=10

These are pretty common ones, so you might have seen them already:

http://www.amphl.org Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Loss information, advocacy, networking

http://www.exceptionalnurse.com general information source for nurses with a variety of disabilities, nice links

Hope this helps!

MM

WagnerRN · Dec 9, 2011

Check out AMPHL (Association of Medical Professionals with Hearing Losses), there are so many HOH and Deaf RN's and MD's etc.. http://www.amhl.org