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.
One of the nurses at my local ER has a pretty pronounced stutter...she's also one of the better nurses there, and certainly one of the most compassionate ones. I believe she's actually trying to become a nurse practitioner as well.
I guess what I'm trying to say is that the vast majority of people will judge you for you who are, not how you talk.
Remember one of the finest, most magnificent voices in our time stutters/stammers, Mr. James Earl Jones. In fact what we hear is a result of him working with speech therapists throughout his life.
PS other famous actors who stutter: Nicole Kidman, Samuel L Jackons, Anthony Quinn, Bruce Willis, Peggy Lipton & RIP Jimmy Stewart. Singers who stutter Carly Simon, Mel Tillis, John Lee Hooker, BB King. Winston Churchill also stammered and he was one of the finest orators in modern history.
I think you are in fine company and I doubt your patients notice it. During report take a deep breath, pause or whatever you need to do to regain control of your words.
At times I find myself in the same situation. What I think has helped me is, to slow down, calm down, think about what I want to say before it comes out. As a child I found that reading out loud (a lot) really helped. I can tell you're an intelligent human being; tell your DON--I'm sure s/he would be understanding.
I work with a nurse who stammers. He tends to do it more when he's stressed out. He just takes his time speaking slowly to get his point across. It's very tempting to fill in the word for him when I know what he's trying to say, but I feel that would be rude so I don't. The NM and patients/families don't have a problem and neither do we. People just let him finish what he's saying and go on about things.
I have a similar problem. When I'm very stressed or nervous, I also will not be able to get words out correctly or will sub a different word for what I cannot say (I'll say it in my mind first and if it's not working there...lol, I will say something else). I pause A LOT and think before I speak and some coworkers do not have the patience for that. I then will get more nervous and it just spirals down from there. Yikes! If new words come up (like last week it was "epicondylectomy" and yesterday I had to say "myringotomy" several times...I practice over and over ahead of time. And sometimes no matter how many times I try, I still stumble over it and to ME I just sound so stupid. Argh!). I am pretty quiet at work...I avoid joining in a group and conversing a lot of the time. As far as the patient, I am not as nervous and don't have a problem. Although a few weeks ago during a super high stress time I stumbled over some words. I was so embarrassed.
Wow, I am speachless right now. I never knew it was so many nurses with the same issues as myself. My whole life I have avoided jobs that require me to speech in front of a lot of people but I have always known that I wanted to become a nurse. Crazy thing is I love to talk...lol.. During nursing school,I would avoid answering questions although I knew the right answer. I would keep alll my statements short and sweet. I would hesitate on answering questions but I knew just as much as the out spoken person in the class. It even go to the point during the last class in school I was ready to drop out because I stammered so bad during my presentation. But I told myself I refuse to let this get to me because. Each and every preceptor I have had, has gotten a person statement about how good of a nurse I would be. When I say during clinical, each one. At least one patient came to my teacher and told them how well I did. So I refused to let that define who I am as a nurse. It's a little embrassing at times but my patients come first and as long as I am caring for them that gives me the inspiration to continue another day....
If you gave me report, and said hang on a second, my stammer is acting up, I wouldn't care. We all have something that makes us different. I have had nurses say "I need a minute... I have a headache, I pulled a muscle, and I’m upset..." I know I've said similar stuff... When I was pregnant, I sucked at giving report! I felt like I had brain damage!
Give yourself a break! If you're doing a good job most people won't mind!
I doubt you can get fired for stammering... especially if you're being treated for it. I'd ask my speech therapist if he knew if a speech disorder is protected under the ADA... I bet it is!
Good Luck!
PS I had to google it, and there is a part in the Americans with Disabilities Act about speech disorders... So you could always talk to a lawyer if you're really afraid your DON will fire you...
I then will get more nervous and it just spirals down from there. Yikes! If new words come up (like last week it was "epicondylectomy" and yesterday I had to say "myringotomy" several times...I practice over and over ahead of time. And sometimes no matter how many times I try, I still stumble over it and to ME I just sound so stupid. Argh!). I am pretty quiet at work...I avoid joining in a group and conversing a lot of the time. As far as the patient, I am not as nervous and don't have a problem. Although a few weeks ago during a super high stress time I stumbled over some words. I was so embarrassed. 
RN0310
28 Posts
I have to see it