BernieRN

Hi again Momof6, One thing you have to do is tell people...lots of people you are hearing impaired! It really isn't fair to them to not know. I have been hearing impaired all of my life, so I do well with lip reading while listening. If you haven't already, give that a try. You will eventually learn to look people in the eye, but be reading their lips instead. Any time you are around someone you need to listen to, ask them to please face you when speaking. Most people understand this and will accommodate, and respect that you need this and are glad to "help". Your being hearing impaired is no different than the person with any other disease, except that it isn't right out there for them to see. Eventually you will get used to telling people. Be proud that you have come so far with this impairment! The tubes- give them a little time to let your inner ear drain and see if it helps. If they don't, the doctor can take them out in his office and it only takes seconds. There is a small wire attached to each and he reached in with a tool and grabs the wire and plucks them out. You'll hear a popping sound and that is it! Do give them time, though. I have a couple of scopes- The E scope works pretty well. You might want to get the belt model with earphones (Cardionics sells them, including the volume controlled earphones). I usually use my Littman amplified though because it reads out the a-pulse for me and has a bit higher volume. The e scope is better in the respect you aren't constantly taking your (very expensive) aids out since you can use the earphones. This is nice, especially when working isolation! I am currently volunteering in a PACU, and I think if I can get a job in there, it would be good since it is one of the quieter environments. Patients are monitored, and I don't have a huge problem with breath sounds, except maybe in the elderly, I might have to listen a bit longer. my bluetooth aids were over 6100 for the pair, and when they finally release the bluetooth stethoscope, hearing won't be an issue at all! This particular scope is called the Freedom scope. Please! Tell people you are hearing impaired!!! It is the first thing I tell patients when I go in the room to assess them. They will know it when I take out my hearing aids to listen to them, anyway. Others will understand, for the most part. I promise!!! It gets easier...I promise that too!!!! And don't say you are sorry, just be matter of fact that you need them to speak louder and to your face. You can even buy pins at hearing places that say you are hearing impaired and to please face you! Bernie :)

Do know that there are also visual stethoscopes out there- you would simply have to learn how to use one! More or less like learning to read an EKG. It might be possible for your employer to buy a bluetooth phone/pager for you. Or get a bluetooth cell phone- and aids and have them paired with bluetooth hearing aids. You would then use this phone for your work. (tax deductible). There will soon be a bluetooth stethoscope available as well. As the previous poster suggested...contact Voc Rehab!!! I would think that if you couldn't hear sounds through the stethoscope, you would not be able to get through nursing school. The important thing here is not to fake it! Ask someone to hear sounds for you if you don't quite hear something! There are scopes you can use with earphones so you are hearing through the hearing aids. This might help as well. There should be a disability services at the college you are attending. Also see what they can do to help accommodate you! Bernie There are completely deaf people working in the medical field as doctors and nurses, so don't give up!

Hi to Momof6! The first thing I would do if you haven't already, is go to a hearing doctor and ask if it might be possible to try having tubes put in your ears. It might increase your hearing substantially. He/she will know if this might help. (If you haven't seen an ear doctor already. Next, have a GOOD audiologist talk to you about digital hearing aids! Analog hearing aids are simply made to raise the volume of all of your hearing frequencies. However, digital hearing aids can be adjusted by computer to raise the frequencies you can't hear so well higher- and the higher sounds are left at lower volumes. This makes hearing more natural. They are expensive, yes- but well worth the price. Also, the hearing aids usually have a telecoil setting on them, so that you switch to that setting to talk on the phone. Without the telecoil, if you put the phone close to your hearing aid, you would receive whistling feedback. My aids are also blue tooth- and I am having them paired right now with a blue tooth telephone. I have already experienced it, and it is wonderful! A company was supposed to come out with a blue tooth stethoscope this last summer, but they postponed production until next summer...I'm excited about this! There are also amplified stethoscopes too. There are also volume enhanced phones. The best I have found so far is the Clarity Professional model C4230, etc- for use at home. I am not sure what your financial situation is, whether you are self supporting or not, etc, but DO get in touch with your local Vocational Rehabilitation Center. They might possibly be able to help you with the purchase of hearing aids and also help you pay for your schooling. Lastly, it would be discrimination for your employer to fire you for your hearing impairment without first trying to accommodate the hearing loss ie: volume enhanced phones. Contact Voc Rehab first, though, before you ask your employer about this (?). Some people use hearing aids with the speaker phone and it works well, but in the health care community, it is a matter of HIPAA issues to be doing this, unless you are in your own office with privacy while using the phone. Hope this information helps, and good luck! Bernie

Hi IdianaCNA1993, As far as working as a PRN CNA while in school, you might be wise to go ahead and do that. You would be surprised how many call off "sick" in the health care field, and could very easily end up with more hours than you actually want! I think one of the reasons they might offer PRN is so you are not receiving benefits such as health insurance, and with you being under your mothers wing, you probably don't need it. Second, if you are in a facility as a CNA, you already have your foot in that door toward having a potential job as an RN once you get your degree. Then, after some experience both as a CNA and RN Thirdly, if you are staying at your mothers or even out on your own, depending on financial circumstances, you can receive substantial grants which is money you don't have to pay back- towards your education. Pell Grant and O'Bannon Grant (in Indiana) are two that come to mind. You can also apply for other scholarships- sometimes by just writing a paper about a specific topic or something. This is also free money. Incidentally, the better your grades in high school, the better the chances of receiving scholarships. I know a student that is going to Valpo for a 4 yr degree in nursing and has full scholarship there. I think his schooling is going to only cost about 4,000.00 a year and that is on campus! There are surpluses of nurses in a lot of areas, including mine- but there are pockets of areas where they are needed...small town hospitals and such. And nursing homes have a high turn over rate, depending on the facility and how much they actually care. Hope this helps! Bernie

Thanks Marshall1! That's pretty much all I needed to know. I have read things of that nature on here and wanted it clarified. Not even going to mess with them. I just wish I could find a job...I feel like I am running out of time, with over 1.5 years out of school. Stressful to say the least, and self supporting! Bernie

Thanks to all for the replies!!! I appreciate it VERY MUCH! Bernie

Tish 88, Thanks for your response! The possible job interview is with FMC- and I am reading a lot here...and it worries me that they are going to send me many miles away for training and/or the job. I do not like driving at all, especially in the winter- although I wouldn't mind if it were just the local hospitals and facilities. Thing is, I could ask them about this while having the phone interview, but it is sounding like they are possibly not up front about where training is and where you would travel, even when asked in the beginning. I really think I would like dialysis and don't want to pass up this possibility- as there aren't many jobs to begin with around here and I am unemployed. Been out of college since May of last year and it is looking pretty grim! I'll keep reading and see if I can find any more good info on this particular company. Thanks again! Bernie

Hi, Could some of you please explain the difference in Chronic and Acute dialysis in respects of travel and hours worked per day? I live in the north and don't fancy driving long distances- and have a dog to worry about if I have to work long hours. I was offered an interview for a position in acute and am thinking about it... Thanks for your time

I never regret posting to Allnurse, always feeling a bit better after doing so. It's good to not feel alone. Thanks! and good luck to you Miss Liss!!!

Diva, That actually makes me feel a bit better. Still, after 15 months out of school and new nurses being generated in the area every Spring and Fall, it is looking pretty grim. Self supporting and no unemployment...and Fazoli's won't even hire me! Very sad economy!

Thank you Miss Liss!

I graduated May 2010, passed the boards in June 2010...not a typo...and no job!

Hello AF Wife, The first thing you might want to do if you haven't already is to contact your local Vocational Rehabilitation Office. Instead of looking for jobs not requiring the use of the stethoscope and phone, look for tools to help you use them. I have phones for the hearing impaired at home- clarity- that are boosted specifically for HI, and those types of phones can be placed in the area you choose to work. ADA requires that employers accommodate you in this area. There are visual stethoscopes- and stethoscopes that attach to a hub put in your hearing aid so they go through the sound mechanism of the hearing aid. They only work with specific HA's though. They also have amplified scopes. Check out Audex for the phones, and Cardionics for stethoscopes for the HI and visual scopes. Vocational Rehab might be able to help you with guidance and possibly financially depending on your financial situation. The phones, of course are just to see what is out there- so you will see there is something available for you to hear on in the first place. Hope this helps. Don't give up! Diana

Those numbers are usually blown pretty well out of proportion for the South Bend ITCC. Rumors.

I can't speak for Valpo, but in South Bend they do make your schedule of any classes that are nursing. They will tell you what days of the week and what hours you do what. As far as your day starting at 7, yep- or earlier! Depends on the clinical and the professor. Class room times, however, I think our earliest was 8 or 8:30 - gets you a good parking space though! Other than actual nursing courses, if you are brave enough to take other general courses as well, those you get to fit in as you see fit or course times allow. There aren't exceptions to this in South Bend. Valpo might be different.

Hi, I have been reading this thread- I am severely hearing impaired and wear bilat bte digital aids. I am going in to my second year of nursing to be an RN. The question of hearing when people are wearing masks is a fair question and one that I ask myself- because I don't know yet what my limitations will be when I graduate. I was excited to see the question asked- hoping for some good responses that would suggest I might actually be allowed to work in a med-surg unit- or work in the ED- because I assumed those two places would be off limits to me. I do take my aids out to use my steth with pts in clinicals, but I would be concerned about needing to use my steth in a hurry and the seconds it takes to remove them- and also the risk of losing them- and also not being able to hear instructions while the aids are out. I would think I would need a lot of experience to be able to rely on body language and such in the medical setting- this being the only good suggestion I have read through this thread after the question of masks was made. (unless I missed something). I do have a second scope with cables but haven't been to the audiologist to have my aids adjusted for the tones for it. I also am fearful of the telephones in the facilities because of the hearing difficulties, and when I have had to answer a call, I become very frustrated, as a pt shouldn't have to repeat themselves and I am embarrassed to have to tell a co-worked I can't understand what they are saying. I would like to see the feuding end and maybe have some real answers to these issues- I was not at ALL offended by the question of the masks- and ask the same question myself.

DN08- at the very least, O2 is O2 supp., no continuous pressure that is needed to keep the airway open; but the CPAP is continuous pressure- to keep the airway open for breathing and most have nothing to do with suppl. O2- although some have that too. I personally haven't had any issues with skin integrity- bu sure have with compliance. Hated mine for a long time until I found the right mask. I rinse the water container out daily and clean the whole system once a week- as well as the sponge filter. There is a paper filter on mine I change on an as needed basis. Only distilled water should be used in them. Humidity is a personal preference- usually a dial so you can turn it up and down. Much better with humidity for sure! Might be good to check the Biox on the pt while they sleep, but if they are not in the middle of an apnea episode, they most likely will show a good O2. Then, you walk away, and two minutes later they could have an apnea event and the O2 would drop for those few moments, so I am not sure if checking it specifically for that would be beneficial. Hope this helps Diana

oh my!

We are forbidden to wear thongs too. It would have been nice if the pants were the green that our tops are. Less worry than messing up white slacks.

There are different ways to go about using the scope, partly depending on your level of deafness. If you think you might only need assistance with vital signs, then the Littmann 3000 or 4100 might very well be enough for you. It amplifies all sounds, so will amplify the different pitches you need. If you have more severe hearing loss, there are "shoes" that can be applied to the back of the hearing aids for the scope to go through the mechanics of the aid. This would benefit those people that can t hear specific tones related to the VS. These would be most likely digital aides and then the audiologist would tweak the hearing aid so that those specific tones you are missing would be turned up, while tones you can already hear will not be turned up to drown the other tones out. The disadvantage of this is that there are wires dealt with and attaching the stethoscope wires to the shoes when you need to. Another option which was tried for me was to have them make a pit in the ear mold so the amplified scope sits in the pit and the amplification goes through the air vent to your ear. This would be fine except I find that the holes don't line up and I can't be holding the ear pieces to the holes correctly while taking VS. Another idea I read about was to take the tips off of the stethoscope and have the air holes bored out larger to accommodate the ends of the scope. Then you would leave the aides in and just place the bare tips into the holes to hear. Disadvantage there is a risk of whistling feedback, especially those people with more profound hearing loss. Also, keep in mind, my digital aides were roughly 3,000.00 each! Lastly, there is also visual aides that work with most of the electronic stethoscopes. I have an E scope and it has become less than I need,so I just purchased the Littmann 4100. I haven't had time to really mess with it, so can't really give an honest review for it. I do already feel it is going to be more user friendly with where the controls are and such. If your hearing is getting progressively worse over time, I would suggest going with the best scope you can afford, since volume can be adjusted according to your needs. I think so far,the Littmann 4100 is going to be the best. Shop around on price, I found it at 419.00. As far as how I use my scope, I have the pitted ear mold in my right ear (my worst ear) and I take out the aide in my left ear and wear the scope. So, I am basically heavily depending on my left ear to do the hearing. Then, when listening to breathing and bowel, I hold the ear piece at the right ear and move it until the holes match up and I hear better. I am just now learning and something to keep in mind is that you don't have to be in a big hurry to hear. I felt as though I was taking too long and unless you have an emergency situation, that is not the case. I am, however, very uncomfortable with putting 3,000.00 in my pocket, but that is going to be far and few between in the long run. Hope this helps! Diana

The tops are Ivy Green, maybe called hunter green. The pants are white. White shoes with no decor on them and definitely not clogs! Not sure if it is this color for both LPN and ASN or not.

For under 200.00 at the scrub room in south bend, I purchased 3 tops, 3 pants, a jacket and a pair of shoes. The uniform tops and jacket were engraved with the IT logo and that was included in the cost.

I had worn analog aids since I was 15. Till then, no one knew I couldn't hear. Certain tones, some high, some low are lost in my hearing and the analogs basically cranked up the volume of those sounds I could hear. In 2004, I received digital aids. They turned up the bands for the sounds I couldn't hear all of those years (I'm 48). The first thing I heard was my own voice! I would start talking to the audiologist and crack up laughing, settle down, talk again, crack up laughing again. I went home and it started snowing. I never before knew snowing made a sound! It was wonderful. Birds singing, the leaves on the trees rustling, and the refrigerator motor! Very worth it. I hear sounds people take for granted. I think it is almost a gift, the hearing loss, because of appreciating those sounds I had never heard before.

I feel I have to add to this some hopeful suggestions for nonpharm tx for pain. At the very least, maybe one of these would help. Acupressure Acupuncture Hot/cold packs Hypnosis Imagery Massage Music Relaxation Therapy Baths Touch (Reiki and such) Maybe a noise machine with the sound of the ocean or stream or rain Hope this helps

Hi Percy's message that people have the right to make bad choices is really not in line with the thinking that acts that are ethical reflect a commitment to standards beyond personal preferences. To say that the persons thinking is wrong, that their belief is wrong because it isn't in line with your own belief is not being an advocate for the pt. Personal beliefs and biases aren't supposed to be part of the advocacy for the pt. The best you can do is give the pt information of options available and let them decide what to do in their death. I know for sure that it is hard to watch when you know you can do things to make them more comfortable physically, but mental comfort to many people is a whole lot more important. Being able to live with themselves and their decisions in dying.