Our very own spotangel currently has a great article, titled "I Feel Dizzy", which is about her providing excellent medical services to a hearing/speech impaired patient. Her article had me recalling my history of working with that population.
For about the first 2 1/2 years of my nursing career, from 1984-86, I worked as an LPN in a brand new 19 bed psych unit at Weed Rover Township Hospital. There were three recidivistic hearing impaired patients I got to know and I thought how cool it would be to be able to communicate with them in a method less encumbering then writing notes back and forth.
So, I took an American Sign Language (ASL or Ameslan) course at my local Larry & Curly Community College and learned the basics. For the remainder of my nursing career, I used sign language several times over the years, the last few being at Wrongway Regional Medical Center, in the past couple of years.
Just knowing how to fingerspell was enough if I didn't know the specific sign for something, but knowing some signs related to the medical profession really came in handy.
So, in my own hodgepodge Davey Do way, I'm starting a thread on nursing & sign language.
Please! Feel free to share any stories, information, or thoughts on working with this population!
Specializes in New Critical care NP, Critical care, Med-surg, LTC.
As I finally finish many years of formal schooling, my next endeavors are to learn medical spanish and sign language. I can muddle through finger spelling, but that's about it for now. You've all inspired me to delve more deeply when I find the time! I'm sure these patients are so relieved to have someone to communicate with.
Do you remember the inspiration for you to take a sign language course?
One of the girls at church - a little younger than I - was deaf. She sat next to her mother, who quietly signed as people spoke. I didn't even notice it until one Sunday when I sat in the same pew.
I was in my teens, and I thought, "I could learn to do that."
I got my hands on a card that showed the alphabet in ASL, and learned that. I didn't take the sign language course until after I was a nurse.
A wonderful unit secretary that I worked with at Wrongway had parents who were hearing impaired from birth. She was so very good at signing, and could read people's slight expressions like a book. I strongly encouraged her to get certified and make good money, but she never did.
This is called being a CODA or child of deaf adults and my friend is one
You know, Kitiger, through animation I can do just about anything!
I haven't ran like that in quite some time!
At that pace, I could go . . . 3 steps . . . possibly 4!
Now, walking, I'm fine. I normally walk a couple miles/day, plus 100 miles/month on my AirDyne bike.
Sorry. We're supposed to be talking about sign language.
At one point, I thought I could learn ASL or Spanish - maybe both - and translate as I got older. (You saw that, didn't you? OLDER, not old.) Alas, it wasn't to be.
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meanmaryjean, DNP, RN
7,899 Posts
Another thought about Sign Language: It should be an elective 'foreign language' in every school just like Spanish, French etc.