Telling The Truth: A Nurse Who Stutters

[RN0310]

Hello All

I have a confession to make. I am a nurse who stammers. Most people may or may not know that I stammer because for years I have done thinks to cover it up. Like use fill in words for what I want to say. Use the "um" in between my phrases so that I wouldn't stammer over a word. Pretend that I can't pernounce the word and spell it out. Or talk in a lower tone so that people don't hear me stammer. Or just remain quite most of the time. This is something I have been battling since I was a child.

Before I started my nursing job I saw a speech therapist and he encouraged me to just tell people that I stutter and not be embarassed about it. Because I wanted to be the most effective communicator possible. He said the most important thing is that you communicate and take care of your patients. No one cares if you stammer over you words when you talk as long as you get your point across. It is so embarassing. I tend to go out in the hall and do my report because the nurses station is so crowded, and I don't want anyone to hear me stammer.

Or I don't explain report as well as I would like to for fear of stuttering across a word, but I write detailed nursing notes. I give the important life saving information, but it's not as smooth as I would like it to be. I am so embrassed to tell anyone because if they hear me stammer over a word, I will loose my self confidience that I have worked so hard to build. I am a good nurse, I just have a speech impediment.

What should I do. I have been seeing a speech therapist but because of my busy work schedule I have not been seeing him as frequently. But my goal is to set a aside at least one day a week to see him, so that I can keep my confidence up. What should I do? I fear that if I tell my Director of Nursing, she will fire me.

[silentRN]

I have had the same problem when I first became a nurse. I still have the same problem, where I can't articulate correctly. What I do is write the word down, and say it over and over again. A lot of it has to do with confidence. When you lack confidence, at times the word comes out funny. But, like I said, I usually just write the word down and practice before I say it

I still can't pronounce the word phenomenon correctly!

[caregiver1977]

I have a son who stutters, but he is only 7 1/2, so he is not facing the issues you are yet. I'll just tell you what I think.

When I was in the hospital, I was more concerned about the care I was receiving, the encouraging smiles, and the understanding I got when things didn't quite go right. If your speech impairment hasn't affected your job in a negative way, then I think you should just carry on and see your speech therapist as much as you can. I know my son's stuttering gets worse when he is stressed, so maybe this is something you shouldn't stress about. Look at it this way; you made it through nursing school, had a successfully job interview, and got hired. Apparently someone thinks you can do the job!

I would rather have a stuttering, kind, capable nurse then the ones who spoke plainly but were pushy and rude.

[RN0310]

patient 1977,

I agree with you when you say that. Thier are times when I am stressed, and not of those stressful situation have affected my job as a nurse at all.

Thanks for the encouraging words. My son is 2 years old, so I am working is speech development right now. The first sign of stuttering, Im sending him to the speech therapist.

[LPNweezy]

hehe i stutter too! and often times i can't think of the word i want to say so i pause mid sentence. My explanation: i am SO smart, that my brain works faster than my mouth

[RN0310]

LPM WEEZY

I pause mid sentence a lot of times too,

[Chin up]

I too am or should say "was" a stammer. I got over it, by writing. To this day I write and love it. Anyway, I found by expert learning, I had more confidence and stuttered less to none. By expert learning, I mean thoroughly learning a subject. I was prepared, more than the" typical" person. I also would explain before hand my stammer. That seemed to break the cycle also. Yes, when I am fatigued or extremely nervous, it tends to slip in. But, overall, after years of public speaking, I feel I have conquered this. Right now I am in law school. I have learned so many tips and techniques to overcome the "um". I found that many people suffer this to some degree and some of our greatest orators were stammers. Chin up!! We can do anything, once we accept, acknowledge and love who we are. Peace!

Nb- you may want to try toastmasters. Fun, encouraging, supportive. It will help tremendously with fear.

[RN0310]

Chin Up

Wow, its good to know that I am not the only one out thier..lol. I'ts a difficult situation if you let it control your being as a person. But I have done more then what I ever thought I could do. One of my goals is to teach health because I love it so much. So that's one of the goals that I want to overcome and reach. I will try a toast masters class.

[eyeball]

I can't believe no one has mentioned The King's Speech, this years Oscar winner about the King of England who was a stammerer... great movie, great acting, great message....SEE IT!!!!

[Chin up]

I can't believe no one has mentioned The King's Speech, this years Oscar winner about the King of England who was a stammerer... great movie, great acting, great message....SEE IT!!!!

Thanks!!

[RN0310]

That movie just slipped my mind. Because of my busy schedule I have not be able to see the movie yet, but I plan to see it on my next day off.

[onetiredmomma]

I agree with all the encouraging words you have been given. I am also 99.99% sure that it would be extremely illegal if you were fired because of this! Best of luck!