Service Dog

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Specializes in Health Care Aide.

Question, are health care aides allowed to have their support dog with them while at work? My dog is trained and certified, she is a PTSD service dog and is very well at helping me, my attacks are rare. Obviously I know when my attacks start and it wouldn't affect the patient, obviously, I would take into account if the patient has allergies or fears of dogs, just wondering cause they don't mention this stuff in class. In class, my professor sees my dog as she odes come to class with me but he never addressed it, I assumed it was okay but now, at 12 am at night, my mind has wandered so now I'm asking you guys!

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I doubt any company would want to take on that liability.

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I don't know if it differs from state to state but I honestly can't imagine this working out in an acute hospital setting. I know there are laws to protect those with bonafide disabilities who require an actual service dog to have one but I'm not sure that it can be accommodated in every possible work setting.

Patients can obviously refuse to have a dog in their room; can they also refuse to have a dog on the ward? If a patient or employee is afraid of dogs and the dog cannot be kept out of their eyesight does that trump the needs of the employee who has the dog? What if knowing that a dog is kept at the nursing station keeps patients or family away because of that, is that reason enough to ban the dog? I wonder.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

You're describing a therapy dog not a service dog. While there are some protections for therapy dogs, mainly in terms of housing accommodations, they don't have the same workplace protections as service dogs, and an employer can legally prohibit you from bringing a therapy dog to work.

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not sure it would work out, but you could try desk jobs like case management or telephone triage or work from home jobs.

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Specializes in EMS, ED, Trauma, CEN, CPEN, TCRN.

OP, please look into the difference between Emotional Support Animals (ESAs) and service dogs. Service dogs are those that are trained to do a specific task for their person related to a disability. Infection control policies may prohibit ESAs. If yours is truly a service dog, you may have some wiggle room, but it might not be an accommodation an employer could make based on patient preference.

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Specializes in Behaviour Health.

Hello, I am a disabled veteran, PTSD ad other issues, I do have a service dog ADA trained and certified. It is true, does not have to be, there is no actual training facility for it. But you must proof, sometimes with doctors notes that your animal is trained to your disability and how it will help you. That is why I did the 30 days training. My service animal (dog) is very well trained, and I do not work in environments that are sterile, I am a BH nurse for this reason. I make a good monthly income and wasn't that hard to find a job. Make sure, after your interviews you disclose that you have a service dog and a disability, or whenever they ask about it, and they MUST adhere and change policies to accommodate you and the animal, this trumps anything else, or anyone else, unless will cause undue harm to patient and safety, i.e. sterile fields, rooms, etc.

Therefore, you will have to find jobs like the one I just told you, like Behavior Health, Geriatrics, Clinics, Shelters, and a **** load of other jobs will accept you the way you are. Perhaps, if you can live without it, better for you, then you can get into something more dramatic, such as ICU and post operative etc. Patients and doctors, allergies and not liking dogs are not a reason for you to leave your service animal at home. Remember, if it is not extremely well trained, it is your neck in the line. Hospitals are a place where everyone want a free money from it, and you just expose yourself.

CoolDoc.

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Specializes in ICU RN, FNP student.

I know this thread is old, but for those saying that this person's dog is a therapy dog or ESA, please educate yourselves before claiming knowledge. This thought process annoys me. The OP clearly stated, "My dog is trained and certified; she is a PTSD service dog." Psychiatric service dogs are ADA protected as service dogs. If trained, they are service dogs, not therapy dogs or ESAs. Co-workers' or patients'/families' "fear" of dogs is not a valid reason for denial. I have been in the medical field for almost 20 years, and I have a psychiatric service animal. Uneducated and discriminatory people to psychiatric disabilities are the problem, not the service animal. If you work in the medical field, you have a responsibility to educate yourselves on these matters. It is not hard; just Google ADA!

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DNP-FNP student said:

 Uneducated and discriminatory people to psychiatric disabilities are the problem, not the service animal. If you work in the medical field, you have a responsibility to educate yourselves on these matters. It is not hard; just Google ADA!

Uh, the first/original problem was people demanding that their untrained and unruly pets MUST be allowed to be present and create havoc everywhere that their irresponsible owner wants to take them. THOSE people are the ones who made (and continue to make) things rough for people with legitimate needs and protected rights. 

If you can help educate people, it's always wise to first attempt doing that without snark and accusations.

DNP-FNP student said:

 Uneducated and discriminatory people to psychiatric disabilities are the problem, not the service animal. If you work in the medical field, you have a responsibility to educate yourselves on these matters. It is not hard; just Google ADA!

The first/original problem was people demanding that their untrained and unruly pets MUST be allowed to be present and create havoc everywhere that their irresponsible owner wants to take them. THOSE people are the ones who made (and continue to make) things rough for people with legitimate needs and protected rights. 

If you can help educate people, it's always wise to first attempt doing that without snark and accusations.

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MunoRN said:

You're describing a therapy dog not a service dog. While there are some protections for therapy dogs, mainly in terms of housing accommodations, they don't have the same workplace protections as service dogs, and an employer can legally prohibit you from bringing a therapy dog to work.

This isn't quite correct. The ADA specifically mentions dogs that are tasked trained to assist with attacks/episodes related to PTSD when defining a "service"  animal. If this dog is task trained and appropriately mannered and it's handler has a current diagnosed disability it is protected under the ADA and must be reasonably accommodated.

I'm not an expert so I've included a link to my source.

https://www.ada.gov/resources/service-animals-2010-requirements/

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