Nurse with hearing loss?

[BoopRN]

Question...do you think that you can be a good nurse with hearing loss in one ear? I am a student nurse with 2 semesters to go for ADN. I have had ear problems my whole life and had tubes and 2 previous tympanoplastys on the left. I recently learned that I have a cholesteatoma in my left ear. I will require surgery and could end up with no hearing in that ear for several weeks (if no reconstruction of the hearing bones are needed) to several months (if reconstruction of hearing bones is needed) to permanent loss (not likely, I think). I currently have normal hearing on the right and moderate loss on the left. I feel that I am safe now, my only concern is during the healing period or after if the hearing ends up worse. Thanks for any input. I would just be devestated if this ends my nursing dream.

Thanks!

Bobbi

[Indy, LPN, LVN]

Some of the same things you do in regular off-work time will be helpful in the clinical setting. Stand up for yourself. Tell people you don't hear well and make a point to face them when they talk; they will adapt. I've spent time listening to the docs on purpose when I don't have to be, just to make sure I'll know what the heck they are saying when I call them at 4 am for an order; I get used to their voices. This comes across sometimes as "not afraid of the doctors" and "like to round with the docs" but it didn't start out that way.

In school, make sure that you find whatever adaptive equipment you can use, and fast. Practice with it. If it means that your skills check offs have to be done differently, make sure your teachers know you need something different, but that you are also competent. With me that meant getting an electronic scope, and using the plastic BP arm to test with. It also meant that I spent a couple days in the lab having quality time with the plastic arm, over and over again until I was sick of it, in order to be able to pass the skills check offs. I still had to listen to a real person for pulse, etc. but again, practice was essential.

There are people who will pick up skills easily, and then there are some of us who have to work really hard to get the basics down. If you take the attitude that you'll do what it takes, and demonstrate competence then your disability will be more of an asset than anything else.

[fat cat]

Hello boop 777,

Just before reading this thread , I read a short article in Advance For Nurses, " Loud and Clear assistive listening devices enable nurses with a hearing impairment " by Erin James. I tried my best to locate the article on page 31 of the June 18 , 2007 issue on www.advanceweb/nurses so I could get you the link but I just was unable to for some reason or another. I'll highlight it for you what she wrote:

Personal ALDs amplify sounds for a single listener, but can be configured to work with more that 1 speaker, according to www.hearinglossweb.com

Personal amplifiiers, personal FM systems and computer-assited, real-time transliteration (CART) reporting are commonly used in a classroom setting.

Personal amplifier is of small size with an attached microphone for the person who hears to speak into. The microphonne is attached to the device, and the person with the hearing problem may use a neck loop if they have hearing aid or a headset directly connected to the device.

FM systems- are wireless and receives sound spoken into a microphone and then transmits it like a radio wave to headphones via a receiver. The lecturer can attach the microphone to a lapel or the microphone in the device can pick up the sound. One drawback however for one student had been that at times in a large class it was impossible to hear student participation

CART reporting - a typist types the lectures + the sentences appear on a screen

Telephone communication: amplified phones with cochlear or hearing aid adapter can be installed on a unit. Also relay communication systems involving a 3rd party communications assistant and text telephones. One nurse had 2 nurses listen to an order at the same time to verify a verbal order over the phone and said that relay worked well if 1 could not use a regular phone.

Article shared web site : www.exceptionalnurse.com where the founder of it indicated that student nurses were reporting they could access ( the telecommunication service) online and most prefered to use a video phone with the relay. The founder of web site mentioned that the video phone was quicker allowing for a more normal conversational flow.

To have an amplified phone or TTY installed on the unit, request it in writing. The article stated that a sample accommodation request letter written by the US Department of Labor, Office of Disability Employment Policy, Job Accommodation Network is included in Leave no nurse behind: nurses working with disabilities. She gave the reference in the article: Maheady, D.C (2006) Leave no nurse behind: Nurses working with disabilities. Lincoln, NE: iUniverse.

Article shared that vibrating pagers tend to be more effective. And that a colleague for one person told her what was being said and that usually during a code or hospital lockdown or a personal page that thecolleague would inform them.

Article shared that state vocational rehabilitation programs can help with the purchase of amplified stethoscopes for nurses, who typically buy their own. While an amplied telephone installed at a hospital would be its property and should be paid for by the hospital. Article said if you face difficulty with reimbersement try contacting your state voc. rehab office and local deaf service center.

Article said when technology is not abailable to help a nurse with a hearing impairment, teamwork was the next best option. Such as she stated, if there was a procedure a nurse with hearing loss cannot assist with, trade-offs worked well. Example given : nurse in an invasive procedure requiring a mask and hearing impaired nurse needed to read lips, that she could trade off that assignment for another one for another nurse.

Article said founder of the excetionalnurse.com suggested to invite the vendor representative of Deaf service center representative to do an inservice on technology and hearing loss saying that the information would be helpful to staff in working with the hearing impaired nurse as well as with their patients who have hearing loss.

Lastly , the exceceptionalnurse.com founder she quoted what a nurse in a New York hospital said- that she worked hard, much harder and that in the end colleagues will have respect for you and this will result in teamwork.

Boop777 I hope this is helpful and encouraging to you. I'm sorry that I was unable to get you a link to this good article by Erin James . I would not have taken this much time to share this but I feel that you and maybe others could benefit in some way. May God bless you.

[BoopRN]

Thank you everyone and especially Fact Cat for the time, I know how precious it can be!

On another note...

I'm a little mad about this today. I requested a copy of my record and was looking over a CT report from March of 2003. I had the cholesteatoma way back then and noone ever told me or did anything about it! I can't help but wonder if prognosis or treatment would have been better it if was taken care of back then. I guess a lot of docs don't really know what it is or how serious it can become. If left untreated (the only treatment is surgical removel) it can cause facial paralysis, hearing loss, or even menengitis or death due to the fact that it can errode the mastiod and enter the brain cavity.

Well, I'm am thankful that it is now being taken care of and thankful for the support and well wishes here.

Have a good Tuesday everybody, I've gotta do some last minute cramming for a test today.

Bobbi

P.S.

I feel kinda star struck because Tazzi wrote to me. I always follow your posts! :)

[merellis2009]

I too had a cholesteatoma *but in my right ear* along with both surgeries (one to remove it and one to reconstruct the hearing bones that were destroyed). I have a mild to moderate permanent hearing loss in the affected ear (although it's MUCH better than it was pre-surgery). Judging by the date of your initial posting, I am guessing by now that you've had one or both surgeries and therefore are either still recovering or are as fully recovered as to be expected.

Throughout my nursing program, I used a Littmann Cardiology III but now that I've graduated and am on the floor of a cardiac/tele unit, I invested in a Littmann 4100 electronic stethoscope. It's the best decision I've made. Things are so much clearer now. Please update us on your recovery status. I hope you're doing well-let us know what you ended up doing for your stethoscope needs. (I can tell you where you can get a good deal on a Littmann 4100 if you decide that you need one.)