Student nurses with disabilities

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I am curious if there are any nurses/student nurses with memory impairements/cognitive deficits. I understand that you have to have good memory/cognition to get through nursing school and practice, but is there anybody who has done it with disabilities, and if yes any strategies/compensatory technicues? Thank you

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There's the "go big or go home" strategy. This strategy is literally how it sounds.

Cheat. It works? Big payoff. You get caught? You go home.

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Specializes in ER/Tele, Med-Surg, Faculty, Urgent Care.
I am curious if there are any nurses/student nurses with memory impairements/cognitive deficits. I understand that you have to have good memory/cognition to get through nursing school and practice, but is there anybody who has done it with disabilities, and if yes any strategies/compensatory technicues? Thank you

Would you want a nurse with memory impairments taking care of you/ or family members? What cognitive deficits are you specifically referring to? Nursing requires sharp brains/attention to details.

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I'd rather have a nurse with memory impairments taking care of me who is on medication to help the condition, rather then one who is at the bar every week drinking or one who's a pill popper!!!! I want someone wants to be a nurse because they enjoy it. I don't one someone who became a nurse because it pays well!! Those are the nurses who don't care about their patients. Maybe this nurse will require longer time with a nurse preceptor to ensure she's okay! Some people are not good with their memory in certain areas for example maybe she can't remember everything she read from a 50 page medical book but if she performed the tasks explained in the medical book then she will retain the knowledge forever.

Sailor Nurse: For having so many degree's and being so smart on paper, you sure lack common sense! You do not know the entire situation! Furthermore you do not even know her diagnosis or if she even has one! You do not personally know her strengths or weaknesses! If she made it into nursing school and is maintaining her self through school then I don't see any problem with her being a nurse. The drunks and drug addicts are the problem!!!! The nurses who have no compassion for others is the problem.

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I suggest to you to watch simple nursing videos go to simplenursing.com and youtube has his some of his videos. Try Uworld the questions are amazing! Flashcards are good too! Try everything you can to see whats better for you! Write out things you have to know for the test. Talk through what you must know to anyone even if they don't have medical knowledge, If you can teach it then you will get it! Repetition is the key! Never let these negative rude people stop you from your dreams! You made it through high school so your competent! If you had such a serious problem then you wouldn't have even made it to nursing school! There is always a area for everyone in nursing. Maybe you would do well in home care nursing because you are only dealing with one patient. There are so many different areas to work and you will find your area and excel. Dont worry you got this! If you tell your self you can do it then you will but never give up on your dream. Maybe you have ADD and medication does wonders! Do you have a Diagnosis? Maybe even go part time so it's not as stressful. Some teachers are not good in the way they teach things so I know simple nursing would be good for you. Some nurses are bad in school but they are amazing nurses! Some nurses are great in school and are horrible nurses!

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I am curious if there are any nurses/student nurses with memory impairements/cognitive deficits. I understand that you have to have good memory/cognition to get through nursing school and practice, but is there anybody who has done it with disabilities, and if yes any strategies/compensatory technicues? Thank you

This question needs to be addressed by your academic counselor. I doubt that anyone with memory impairment and cognitive defects would be accepted into a nursing program.

Any learning disability accommodations, would be a moot point. Nursing requires CONSTANT learning .. on a STAT basis for patient safety. Nobody is going to accommodate you when your patient is swirling the drain.

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I suggest to you to watch simple nursing videos go to simplenursing.com and youtube has his some of his videos. Try Uworld the questions are amazing! Flashcards are good too! Try everything you can to see whats better for you! Write out things you have to know for the test. Talk through what you must know to anyone even if they don't have medical knowledge, If you can teach it then you will get it! Repetition is the key! Never let these negative rude people stop you from your dreams! You made it through high school so your competent! If you had such a serious problem then you wouldn't have even made it to nursing school! There is always a area for everyone in nursing. Maybe you would do well in home care nursing because you are only dealing with one patient. There are so many different areas to work and you will find your area and excel. Dont worry you got this! If you tell your self you can do it then you will but never give up on your dream. Maybe you have ADD and medication does wonders! Do you have a Diagnosis? Maybe even go part time so it's not as stressful. Some teachers are not good in the way they teach things so I know simple nursing would be good for you. Some nurses are bad in school but they are amazing nurses! Some nurses are great in school and are horrible nurses!

No.. OP does NOT have this. To suggest flashcards and You tube videos is ludicrous.

The skill of nursing requires critical thinking skills and a solid comprehension of math, anatomy and physiology and pharmacology.

Can't pull out a flash card when your patient can't breathe.

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I am curious if there are any nurses/student nurses with memory impairements/cognitive deficits. I understand that you have to have good memory/cognition to get through nursing school and practice, but is there anybody who has done it with disabilities, and if yes any strategies/compensatory technicues? Thank you

You need to have good critical thinking skills as well as memorize lots of fact in order to be able to function as a nurse. And not only that - you need to be able to practice safely. Nursing most often also means to multitask, constant prioritizing, and learning new facts.

Your first step in getting some more information would be to connect with a guidance counselor in school and if you are diagnosed to connect with your provider to discuss. While there are accommodations in regular school, you need to have the basic abilities to full fill the nursing job per se. If this is not the case you can't be a nurse.

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Accommodating Nurses with Disabilities

Here's a website for nurses who require accommodations. There's the section for your impairment sara! Furthermore here is who you contact to find out more about your disability: U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) The website provided that. So many people are quick to discourage you but listen to me if you graduated high school made it into nursing school you can't be that impaired.

Cognitive Impairment –Cognitive impairment, as used in this publication, refers to disturbances in brain functions, such as memory loss, problems with orientation, distractibility, perception problems, and difficulty thinking logically. Cognitive impairment is a syndrome, not a diagnosis. Many conditions can cause cognitive impairment, including multiple sclerosis, depression, alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, and stroke.Memory Deficits:

  • Allow the employee to tape record meetings and provide written checklists
  • Provide type written minutes of each meeting
  • Provide written instructions and allow additional training time

Difficulty Reading and Writing:

  • Use speech recognition or word-prediction software if handwriting is poor or difficult
  • Use a personal data assistant to help with spelling
  • Seek areas of employment where charting is done by computer or in settings where reading/writing may be decreased, for example in an operating room
  • Use dictation equipment and/or scribes

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Accommodating Nurses with Disabilities

Heres a website just for nurses with a disability. It depends upon how disabled you are. I feel if you made past high school and into nursing school then that in itself says a lot. The doctors need to determine where you stand so that would be the 1st on my list. Then from there I would contact the U.S. Department of Labor who can further direct you. Your not the only person!

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Sara2013- first of all, congratulations on making it to nursing school with memory impairments/cognitive deficits. I know how challenging that is first hand. Can you go through nursing school with memory deficits? There is no hard and fast answer. It depends on you, your dx, your MD, and your school. That is the first hurdle. Take me for example, I had brain surgery for epilepsy. My surgery had many complications which included bacterial meningitis, osteomyelitis, Stevens Johnson syndrome, and a plate put in my head. After all of the my brain was damaged a bit. My neuropsych test said I was mentally retarded- yes it actually said that. I went to cognitive retraining therapy after failed attempts in going to school. The therapy helped. I completed my pre-reqs for nursing school and then went on. Now my doc signed the technical standards form even tho I occasionally had a sz if I didn't get enough sleep and I still needed accommodations with school. I was better, but I wasn't perfect. My first semester of nursing school was horrible. I was signed up to do a 5pm-9pm clinical then the next day do a 7a to 2pm clinical. I lived an hour away from the clinical site and we had about 4-6 hours worth of paperwork to do after the first night. Knowing myself and how lack of sleep could cause a sz I asked to have a schedule change. That was not taken lightly. I got a lot of the same comments you are geting- I was told I couldn't be a nurse if needed accommodations etc. Well I fought it and my sched was change. I was not the favorite student by any means, but I was in nursing school and passing. My point with all this is, you will have a battle if you ask for accommodations. Depending on what your dx is and why you have memory deficits you are allowed accommodations and will do just fine.

I am an ICU nurse now and I use my strategies to enhance my memory everday. You can do it. Plus, there are always other avenues of nursing, you don't have to work on the floor. With my memory deficits, it has come down to being more auditory. If you tell me something I won't remember unless I write it down. I write everything down. It may take 2x as long but I remember everything when I do. My first test in my first semester I just read the chapters-77% after that I made handwritten then typed study guides-94% you will find what works best for your deficit. If possible have a neuropsych test done. You can be a nurse and don't let anyone tell you otherwise.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Accommodating Nurses with Disabilities

Here's a website for nurses who require accommodations. There's the section for your impairment sara! Furthermore here is who you contact to find out more about your disability: U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Disability Employment Policy (ODEP) The website provided that. So many people are quick to discourage you but listen to me if you graduated high school made it into nursing school you can't be that impaired.

Cognitive Impairment –Cognitive impairment, as used in this publication, refers to disturbances in brain functions, such as memory loss, problems with orientation, distractibility, perception problems, and difficulty thinking logically. Cognitive impairment is a syndrome, not a diagnosis. Many conditions can cause cognitive impairment, including multiple sclerosis, depression, alcoholism, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, chronic fatigue syndrome, and stroke.Memory Deficits:

  • Allow the employee to tape record meetings and provide written checklists
  • Provide type written minutes of each meeting
  • Provide written instructions and allow additional training time

Difficulty Reading and Writing:

  • Use speech recognition or word-prediction software if handwriting is poor or difficult
  • Use a personal data assistant to help with spelling
  • Seek areas of employment where charting is done by computer or in settings where reading/writing may be decreased, for example in an operating room
  • Use dictation equipment and/or scribes

Reality check: Accommodations must be made by employers for the currently employed.

Accommodations are not made for interviews and basic skills testing.

If an applicant does not possess the qualifications to fill the position, he/she will not be hired.

Not meant, rude, hateful or negative.

Real.

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