Nursing and Asperger's Syndrome

jimeneti_MSNstudent · Oct 17, 2009

How wonderful that your friend is interested in the nursing profession. Wise decision indeed! I'm interested in how Aspergers manifests in your friend. I don't personally know anyone with Aspergers, but Wikipedia cites "physical clumsiness" and "difficulties with communication and social adjustment" as common traits of the syndrome, although they are often minimized in adulthood. I can see how these symptoms might hinder one's ability to practice nursing. Fostering therapeutic relationships with patients, communicating well with the healthcare team, and manual dexterity are all very important.

However, since your friend is already an EMT, I'm assuming she is very high-functioning and would probably be an excellent nurse with her background! If communication is an issue, well, we can ALL work on that! There are many therapeutic communication techniques that simply take practice. As long as your friend is willing to engage in self-reflection and evaluation of past interactions with patients (as all nurses should be!), there is always room for improvement. I took a wonderful 2-day workshop called Crucial Conversations: Tools for communicating when the stakes are high. I highly recommend this to anyone going into or practicing nursing, especially in a leadership/management role. This course really helped me learn successful communication tools to use in situations of conflict.

Good luck to your friend! If their heart and mind are set on nursing, I'm sure they will make it!

Whispera, MSN, RN · Oct 17, 2009

I'm wondering why your friend wants to be a nurse...the scientific basis of it? the technology? Nursing surely has both of those. People with Asperger's do have "difficulties with communication and social adjustment" as the previous poster noted, and can learn the skills necessary for these things. However, Asperger's sufferers don't always realize that they need to communicate or adjust to social situations, so they may not see the need to learn the skills. They can have difficulty reading body language and tone of voice. They may not be able to detect emotion in others. They may not see the need to ask questions that can help with assessment. They may not see the signs of illness that are subtle. There is a range of symptoms in Asperger's from "kind of" to "oh wow!" so what a person is able or interested in doing would vary from one to another. I hope your friend sees the need for therapeutic use of self as well as for use of science and technology. Otherwise, being a nurse is going to be very difficult for her.

mamamerlee, LPN · Oct 17, 2009

This is a difficult question. As an EMT, she is usually part of a team, isn't she? As a nurse, one is frequently the 'point man', and if she cannot grasp subtle differences in the pt's behavior or needs from one shift to another, then she may not be able to function on the floor.

There is also a strong possibility that she may not make thru nursing school and this may be a problem for her.

She should try to arrange a discussion with an admissions person for a nursing school.

sethmctenn · Oct 18, 2009

I have a brother and two cousins with Asperger's Syndrome. They are all extremely inelligent. The information part of school would be a breeze. Sometimes they have trouble with the imagination aspect of application questions. Many people with Asperger's have trouble with empathy. It's also easy for them to be blunt and hurt people's feelings.

My brother has studied body language extensively. He watches for when someone inhales and that's how he knows to be quiet and listen to something that they are going to say. It is amazing the transformation that he has had in his ability to conduct himself in the world. I believe that it is entirely possible for a person with Asperger's to be a great nurse. Nursing presents different challenges for them but also an incredible opportunity for growth.

meluhn · Oct 18, 2009

I think it would be very difficult but not impossible. Maybe she could work in a more technical area of nursing where people skills are not totally crucial like the or or pacu. People with Aspergers can learn so, like the previous poster said, she could try to learn certain cues to look out for when talking to people.

teeniebert, LPN · Oct 20, 2009

As a probable Aspie (when I was having the most problems AS wasn't a recognized diagnosis) I can say that it is possible to use the quirks of this condition to your advantage. The skills I developed to help me function more 'normally' help me immensely as a nurse. I make lists, color-code things, compulsively alphabetize, and make a conscious effort to be overly polite. The AS/autism spectrum disorder tunnel vision also helps sometimes--I can focus on the task at hand without being easily distracted. I would encourage your friend to speak with the counseling department/disability office at whatever school she plans to attend, so that any accommodations she needs can be made.

Flare, ASN, BSN · Oct 20, 2009

It really depends on what traits she has that define her as having aspergers. I worked with that population for years and most would be just fine - but others may have some difficulties. If she is successful as an EMT then i'd assume she's used to having a certain level of contact and social interaction.

Gail Seemann · Nov 13, 2009

Hello! My name is Gail Seemann, and I am a new disability services coordinator at UAHuntsville. I was wondering if you would mind helping me help someone with Aspergers here on our campus who wishes to be a nurse? I do not know a great deal about nursing, so I'm concerned that I'm not going to be especially good at knowing how to help him. I would love any suggestions, advice that you can provide! Thanks, Gail Seemann

Flare, ASN, BSN · Nov 13, 2009

again -it really depends on what traits they have that defines Aspergers. In general, social skills and learning how to be part of a team are important. Of course the actual nuts and bolts of nursing is paramount, meaning knowledge of anatomy, disease processes, nursing skills, pharmeceuticals etc. But to be able to communicate effectively with a patient - even when a patient is being difficult - or work in a team is also important. A nurse really needs to be able to think beyond themself. This does not always mean that a nurse's own needs and feelings take a back seat but you need to think beyond yourself.

GoldenFire5 · Nov 14, 2009

I did home health as an LVN for a while and had a patient who was highly functioning and had Asbergers. She was extremely unempathetic to her caregivers. She was very intelligent in a few areas, but after being with her for such a long time, it was more like talking with a 12 year old. I cannot imagine her being responsible for anyone else. The way she talked about the sudden death of her dog was almost inhuman.

I worked in an urgent care after doing home health. I had plenty of anxious patients there, but the visits were short. Now I work on a tele floor and I am amazed at how many patients we have with underlying psych conditions. Managing their care for 12 hours has been one of my biggest challenges as a new RN.

I am concerned about the two students above with Asbergers who want to be RNs. I guess it would depend on the degree of severity and also what kind of nursing they want to do. Even in the ER where in theory the visits should be short, nurses often have very difficult patients they have to take care of for hours and hours because there are no psych or medical beds available.

There are other positions in healthcare that do not require as much therapeutic use of self as an RN does. Xray techs, ultrasound techs, dietary, speech, RT, PT, OT. They all have patient contact but for much shorter periods of time. I would encourage your students to consider these as well.

L8RRN · Nov 14, 2009

Goldenfire5

Please do not make assumptions on the abilities of those with AS/ASD/HFA based on your limited exposure to the disorder. While there is no cure, there are ways of coping with the widely varying characteristics and some people with the diagnosis would potentially do a fantastic job as a nurse. There are plenty of people who do not have the diagnosis who are not suited for the profession.