Should a person with Essential Tremor pursue a nursing career?

Nurses Career Support

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Hi everyone:

I am a 43 year old male with ET. I used to be on meds but stopped due to no insurance. I am starting my pre-reqs for nursing and although my tremor is mild still I have been wondering if I should peruse a career in nursing. I am worried about being able to draw blood or put in IV's. I can't help but wonder if employers will hire me due to my ET. What do you think? Should I pursue a nursing career? I'm presently a CNA and an AMAP and my ET doesn't interfere with my job. Thanks.

Mark

queenjulie, RN

161 Posts

Specializes in Step-down, cardiac.

What is an AMAP? Sorry, I don't have any advice, but I was wondering what that acronym stands for.

oramar

5,758 Posts

My doc's MA has the same thing. It hasn't interfered with her ability but she takes her meds. You know Obamacare is begging for people with pre-existing conditions to sign up. I think the problem with their pleas for people to sign up is that they keep publishing the info in newspapers. No one reads newspapers anymore. Put a video on U2 about it and they would have a million responses.

I say, "Don't ever let a disability stand in the way of your dreams".

On another note my hands have always been really shaky and that makes me a bit nervous. But as long as I can rest part of my arm on something I should be okay. I am sure you will find a way to work around your issue and still be an awesome nurse!

trebugRN

15 Posts

I have an ET and have been a nurse for 4 years. It's not a problem at all. I take my meds (propanol is Cheap - $4, can you switch to that?).

When I am really tired, anxious or have had too much coffee, it's more obvious...but you know yourself an you can steer clear of those things.

When you are enrolled in school full-time while in the nursing program, maybe you can use the health center to get back on your rx during your clinicals if it becomes a problem for you.

If a family or patient ever seems to notice I just politely explain to them - they seem very understanding.

Good luck - don't let it hold you back!

I have a familial tremor that is worse when I'm nervous or excited, and when I started nursing school I was on meds that actually made it worse. I would brace my hands when having to do fine detail work, am careful about how much caffeine I intake, and try to keep them in positions where the tremor isn't obvious so that it doesn't make others think I'm more anxious than I am.

Oramar has great advice though about getting on Obamacare: won't most schools want you to have health insurance anyway?

shakyinohio

5 Posts

An AMAP is an "Approved Medicine Assistant Personnel". Another words I dispense medications to residents in an assisted living facility I work at.

shakyinohio

5 Posts

Thank you for everyones encouragement. My tremor is only minor now and that is without meds. I do have insurance now thankfully, but just haven't been back to the dr. to get my meds. I'm thankful that my tremor is only minor. It's most noticeable when I do fine or detailed work or when I'm tired or stressed. Also when I pick up a glass of water. I do plan to get back on some meds. I just wasn't sure if nursing school would kick me out for having ET and if someone with ET should become a nurse. I appreciate the support. Thanks.

Mark

LovemykittyRN

15 Posts

Specializes in SICU, Renal Trnsplnt, ER, OPS, LNC.
i say, "don't ever let a disability stand in the way of your dreams".

medical.pngin my years of nursing, i have worked with or personally/professionally known of the following:

  • an rn who wore bilateral hearing aids. she had a stethoscope on which she could increase the volumn so she could listen to breath/cardiac/bowel sounds, etc.
  • a pediatric surgeon who had a ptosis of the bilateral eyelids and had to tape them open to make it through surgery. i would see him walking in the hallway, going into a patient's room, writing orders in the nursing station - all the while holding one eye open.
  • a general surgeon who had narcolepsy and often fell asleep during surgery. an assistant, or nurse, would simply call his name to awaken him and he would continue on with surgery. he sometimes had to be awakened several times. once during the night while giving orders to a nurse on a pediatric unit, he fell asleep and when unsuccessful at awakening him, she had to call the police to go to his home to awaken him so he could finish giving orders. he was well liked by the entire hospital staff and was considered an excellent surgeon.
  • i do not know this man personally but dr. charles krauthammer is a political commentator and a physician. in wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, it states "he later moved to the united states, where he attended [color=#0645ad]harvard medical school. suffering a paralyzing diving accident in his first year of medical school, he was hospitalized for a year, during which time he continued his medical studies. he graduated with his class, earning an [color=#0645ad]m.d. from harvard medical school in 1975, and then began working as a [color=#0645ad]psychiatrist at [color=#0645ad]massachusetts general hospital."

i'm sure there are many more examples but these are the only ones i know of personally.

i agree with the statement that has already been given: don't ever let a disability stand in the way of your dreams."

i once heard it said that a disability is only a disability if you let it become a disability.

good luck with reaching for your dream.star.png

LegzRN

300 Posts

Specializes in CEN, CPEN, RN-BC.

OP, I feel you. My hands always shake, but I've never really put any thought into meds (I'm guessing beta blockers? Just from reading something about surgeons taking them to steady their hands). I'm an ER nurse and although many patients have pointed out that my hands shake (probably increases their anxiety!), it has never impacted any of my skills, be it IV insert, blood draw, ng/og, etc...

One thing I do is make sure I'm constantly doing something with my hands. I'll explain the procedure while I set up all of my equipment so that I never really have two idle hands at any one time.

I hope that helps! Keep going and don't let that stop you. Good luck!

diane227, LPN, RN

1,941 Posts

Specializes in Management, Emergency, Psych, Med Surg.

I believe that you could do nursing. I had a tremor for a while as a medication side effect. It was severe and it stopped me from being able to start IV's ( and my tremor scared the hell out of the patients). But if you can control it with medications and other lifestyle changes, then I say go for it.

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