Nursing with Skeletal Dysplasia

[tayadea]

I want to be a nurse.

I have spondyloepiphyseal dysplasia congenita. I am 4'8" and have pain in a lot of my joints. Mainly my ankles and knees. I also have fake hips, and 2 rods and 20 screws in my back.

I loved driving a truck (18 wheeler), but I had to quit for many reasons. One being I have 3 kids at home.

I had gotten my pre-requisites done for the LVN program prior to truck driving, but after a bad shift at the pizza place I was working at, I quit and got my CDL. I figured, I'd never be able to keep up physically or put that much stress on my body walking that much...

I never thought about ADA and resources... I really think I want to go for my RN now... Does anyone know how I could do this successfully?

[VivaLasViejas, ASN, RN]

I don't want to rain on your parade, but nursing is hard, physical work, unless you go into management. Most nurses have to start off on the floor though, and that's where you might have some serious problems. There is lifting, pushing beds (sometimes with patients in them), turning and cleaning up patients, and a whole lot of standing and walking. There is bending, stooping, and kneeling too. While your small stature doesn't count you out, it makes things like hanging IVs and transferring patients more difficult.

To be honest, I wouldn't recommend nursing for you. There are plenty of other jobs in health care that you could do, such as patient registrar, social work, HR, even phlebotomy. It's worth looking into.

Best of luck to you in whatever you decide to do.

[tayadea]

Would there not be any ADA resources for me to access?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

Would there not be any ADA resources for me to access?

ADA provides "reasonable accomodations". I am not sure if the apparently substantial needs you have could be considered reasonable. If you could not physically handle a single shift in a restaurant environment, how would.you.manage the clinical requirements of school?