AmberBradford

Hello! I have been a nurse for almost 3 years now. I am deaf in my one ear and have around 75% loss of hearing in the other. I am fine with talking on the phone as long as the other person is not talking fast and there is a volume control on the phone. I have worked as a school nurse and that was fine. But now I have moved into rehab nursing. I love being a nurse but when I am sick with a head cold my hearing lowers even more. I do ok at work. My co workers hate that I cannot hear every little thing. My question is what areas of nursing can a deaf/hoh nurse work in? I am feeling like there is no place for a deaf nurse to work. I know that at some point I will be totally deaf. Feeling a little out of place and that my co workers are right in the fact that I should not be in nurse.

I have been a nurse for over 2 years now. I have done school nursing and home health care for two very sick kids. I am now looking outside of nursing for a job. I like working with kids but that is not my LOVE. So as I have been looking for a new area of nursing I hit the same road block every time. I apply for a job. They call me and we sit down for am interview. At that point I hear "oh you have all of the skills we are looking for, but you have only worked home health care and schools. So we are sorry but you are not the right person for this job. But you have all the right skills just wish you had not worked home health care." I hear that every time. I need more hours then I have now at my job. I have applied for jobs at LTC, Doctors offices, staffing places. If I cannot find a new job but the end of the year I will be forced to look outside of nursing. When that happens I will never go back to nursing. I love nursing. I feel that its a calling. I feel that calling down to the core of my soul. But once more other nurses will not stop killing the younger nurses that want to move to a new area of nursing.

If you can look into getting your CNA. If you cannot do that then I would say that the next best thing would be to volunteer at a hospital as a transporter. That is the best way to meet the whole health care team on each floor. Also will help you later to get your foot in the door. Look at LTC's and see if you could volunteer there. Also if you know any student that is IN the nursing program now see if you can help them will flash cards. (flashing the cards for a study group) that will help you learn the info and let the teachers see that you are for real about being a nursing student and that you know what it will take to get there. If at all try to stay in school. Even if you can only do one class at a time. It looks better if you stay in then to remove yourself.

Hello! I just got a job as a methadone nurse. This will be the first time that I have done this kind of nursing. I have been a school nurse and home health nurse for a child. What kinds of things will I need to take note of when I start? I am not even sure where to start. Super happy:) for the change in area of nursing but also on pins and needles:nailbiting: about it. Any heads up would be nice. Thanks

I still have not heard anything more. They asked me if I could start on the 23rd. I was like yes. I have not heard from them after that. Its been like 1.5 weeks now.

I was just hired today. They gave me very little info can anyone tell me how it is working for them and what do you do while in the pt home? Thanks

The district now says that the nurse is a "do not need to know person." That means we do not know about CPS calls or any other medical issue going on with a child unless the mom wants to let us know. When the admin walked into my office and told me that they were needing a chart on a child I handed it to them and asked what they needed. I was then told that the school counselor was taking over that child's medical care. This was a child with tons of medical needs and was coming up on the biggest surgery that would need nursing care at school. When I talked to district about this issue all I was told is that the admin can do what they want and I have to follow them. needless to say I told them I quit.

You can do this!!!! You will feel like you are over your head in water and no live saver around. That is just the first 6 weeks. Then you will get into a nice flow with the kids and you will be able to breath once more. Just know that you will always have support here on allnurses. When you are looking around you and there are 10 kids in the office all NEEDED to be seen just remember your ABC's. Take a deep breath and tell yourself that you can and WILL be able to see all of them and care for them. Its ok if you take 10mins with one kid and only 3 mins with the next kids. You do not have to give the same amount of time. When you see the same kid for the 100th time this week stop and sit with that child for 5 mins. They more then likely just need to know that you care about them. I have heard more things from kids doing that that helped lead the doctor to find out what was going on. That or if CPS needs to be called. Yes you will have to call CPS more then you will think. When that happens just stop and allow yourself to breath and cry if you need to. I know that I have cried over what I have seen leading up to a CPS call. Just remember that you are a nurse and that you can do this.

Thank you guy so much. The links that JustBeachyNurse shared are great.

I am a school nurse for a 6-8 grade. I was just asked to teach all of 6th grade about epilepsy. There is a new child coming into the school that has major epilepsy. How would you teach other school kids about epilepsy? Any ideas would be great.

Did anyone get a clinic? I got the list this morning from occuvax. I tried for 4 openings and got one of them. I am not to sure about the paper work. The email that I got told me that I needed to call the place ASAP and then recall them 5 days before hand and that it was all paid for. Im a little worried about it. I was hoping for more than just the one clinic as I am no longer working.

Like Praise said...RUN...It may start out that you are working the front for 30mins but before you know it that will lead to you helping with paper work and working more and more in the front. Then if something happens to a child and you are away from the nurses office... its your license, not that admins. You will take the fall for being away. Ask for a copy of your districts job details to know what you can and cannot do per district. keep a copy of that on you and in your office. That way if you are asked to do something different you can fall back on it. But remember you answer to your school admin, school district and your board of nursing. Only one of them can and will take you license away from you. This is an area of nursing where its hard to please two things at once sometimes. But I am sure that you did not work your butt off in school to have it taking away. The school admins love to say that its a team work thing. That's great as long as your not a nurse. My admin know that I will not work anywhere outside of my office. I have put my foot down from day one. I did tell them way and they understood it then. Just be carful.

Here in my area if you are a school nurse you may as well hang up the idea of doing anything other then schools or LTC. The big box places like nurses that have not worked in schools. I was told by one if them that school nurses don't know how to do anything and have never really work as a nurse. HA that's what they think. So just be careful. If you hit a wall like that then you may want to move from school to LTC to hospitals. You will just need to back door everything. But it CAN be done. It just takes a bit longer. School nursing is great. I love it and never thought that I would. I started because I could not find a job other then the school as a new grad. Good luck.

Johnson and Johnson is really into nursing and they have free posters about nursing that you could use for one of your months. (i.e. May for nurses week) Johnson & Johnson Discover Nursing | Campaign for Nursing this is the web link for them. I have gotten tons of things from them so that I can use then in the office (ie reading stuff for them to read while waiting). Good luck this school year!

athena55, Thanks for the link. I will be checking it out. I lost my hearing when I was 10yo. I do have on file with the school that I am HOH. I just did not sign for them to tell my professors. I have seen the professors "Fix" the grades of follow students. (ie I know a friend of my was below the cut off and they passed while another student who was HOH was passing and then boom they file one test and were asked to exit. She still was passing when she exited.) I just know that if they knew before hand that I would be placed on the forever wait list. There are not many placed to go to school around here without paying over 80k for it. I just cannot pay that. So the community college is what I have to go with.