Prospective male nurse with a lot of questions.

[DirtyBlackSocks]

Hi everyone.

I have a lot of worries going into the nursing field, and if these questions would be better suited in another forum please correct me.

First off. I'm a disabled Veteran. In the Army I was a Ranger Medic - and I've found that the medical field is definitely for me, I love everything about it and I perform better in this field than I have in other fields of work.

That being said, I have concerns about being as eligible as other nurses due to certain limitations I have.

I fractured my femoral neck while in the military and had to have my hip pinned. As a result I burn out faster than your average person when it comes to activities such as lifting. On top of this I have a congenital narrow spine that can be problematic to the point of not being able to perform physical labor tasks at an acceptable rate.

What I'm wondering is, are there any places in the nursing community for some one like me? Should I look into a different field of operation such as pharmacy technician? My main goal is to become a Nurse Practitioner - and I've not looked into if similar room for educational development exists in other medical fields that carry a similar education requirement as nursing. (i.e. a 3 year degree).

Is there any bias within the actual acceptance into the nursing programs based around disabilities?

I also have old (seven years and longer) priors on my record that include petty theft and drunk in public. I've already spoken with the California Board of Nursing on this and was told they would not be a problem with respect to becoming an RN. However, the person was fairly brief and I'd like to make sure that these won't suddenly impact me after a long period of hard work.

On top of all of this I have tattoo's that would show in short sleeved scrubs. They are not offensive in any manner, and most of them have deep symbolic meaning towards myself and soldiers I've worked with who were killed in the line of duty. Removing them is not an option. Can anyone give advice into how that will affect my chances?

I realize a lot of the feedback may be speculative information on your part, as nobody here knows the dress code policies or individual policies adhered to by schools. I still welcome anyone's opinion.

Basically I'm wondering if I will be discriminated against based around my disabilities, or my tattoo's. From Nursing School and on.

What can I do to ensure I have a leg up in other departments when being considered for the nursing school program? Perhaps to try and offset negative impacts that my issue's might cause.

Thanks for your time!

[DirtyBlackSocks]

Nursing schools may or may not have a problem with the tatoos, it will just depend on the culture of the particualr program.

I went to a Jesuit school in an ASBN program and they didn't want visible ink. That being said, the ASBN program cut us some slack when compared to the traditional students, probably because we all had at least a bachelors degree already and it was a very intense program.

If it's an issue I would say get some long sleeved plain white t-shirts and expect to be hot from time to time.

The subject of lifting is near and dear to me. I'm 39 and have had a bad back since I was 17. I look like a small, balding, overweight ape so lots of times people expect me to just give a patient the old heave ho. I go looking for a lift.

I did my immersion/preceptorship/extern at a VA. They had a no-lift policy too. Overhead lifts were in all the rooms and there were lifts that could pick a patient off the floor or get them from a chair back to bed. I've been to other no-lift hospitals as well. I'm a huge proponent of not hurting myself of a patient or a team member by trying to be superman.

You should have a great shot at a VA job with your veteran status. The one I worked at as a student was great. There was a lot of autonomy and they let me do a lot of things that my peers never did. The benefits are fantastic and job security is excellent.

They will even pay for your NP if you promise to stay there for a year.

Good luck.

That's very good information! I really hope I can secure a job at a VA, simply because I want to work with other Veteran's (you get a lot more respect from a person, and gain more respect for some one when you find out they're a veteran like yourself).

I've actually got an appt. with my physician coming up at the VA, so I think I'll take that opportunity to talk to my nurse about what they think. :)

[RgrMedic]

What battalion were you in brother?