Nurse Reporter Fall 2008 - Wyoming State Board of Nursing

If you are DisabledAdapted from Career Fitness Tips for Disabled Nurses by ValerieRestifo, Nurse Week, February 20, 2001Disabilities can happen at any stage in one’s life. Be prepared toavoid as many as possible by staying healthy. An attitude of beingflexible, continuing to earn certifications and degrees, and beingpositive will help to avoid being defined by a disability. It is howyou handle the disability that makes the difference.The right strategies will help get a promotion, a new position, or acareer transition after an injury or illness.1. See yourself as a problem solver! Focus on the things you cando well. Sell your qualifications, strengths, achievements, andcareer goals.2. Don’t mention your limitations or inabilities in your cover letteror application. When asked if you can perform certain dutiesof the position, state what reasonable accommodations you willneed. Focus on what you can do, not what you cannot do.3. Use your professional contacts. Many jobs are found throughnetworking. Tell all the professionals you know what you arelooking for and what your qualifications are.4. Think positively. Your enthusiasm, optimism, and positiveapproach will get you far. Answer questions with a positiveresponse.5. Do your homework about the position for which you are applying.Ask for a tour to see if you can handle the layout. The moreyou know, the easier it will be to make a decision about an offer.6. Seek out employees of the organization where you want towork to determine if they are open to professionals undergoingrehabilitation.7. Look your best and be as healthy as you can be. Schedule theinterview when you are at your best. Clothes, cosmetics, and accessoriescan give you a business and confident look.8. If you didn’t sell yourself for the position, reassess and try again.Remember, you have something to offer. Matching your assets tothe job is the winner.Student Nurses with DisabilitiesMartha Smith, coordinator of the HealthSciences Faculty Education Project at theOregon Health & Science University inPortland is working to increase the retentionof students with disabilities in health scienceprograms through a federally funded program.The purpose is to educate and train faculty tounderstand students’ needs. In most cases ofnurses or students with disabilities, the biggestobstacle is attitude. Usually, the initialreaction of seeing someone with a disabilityis that the person needs to be fixed. Not so!The person can be competent as a healthcare professional. Whether voiced or not,the common thought is that a nurse with adisability may not be able to provide safe,competent care. This thought is prevalentamong nursing faculty, students, nursingpeers, physicians and patients. No secondchance is given. If a mistake is made, the assumptionis that it was because the performerwas disabled.The University of Wyoming Fay W.Whitney School Of Nursing has a statementMarcia L. Dale, RN, EdD, FAANin their admission policies that states: “Allstudents must be able to perform the essentialfunctions of a student nurse. Reasonableaccommodations will be afforded to studentnurses with disabilities as required under theAmericans with Disabilities Act of 1990;Faculty and staff from the School of Nursingwill work with staff from the University DisabilitySupport Services to determine whatconstitute reasonable accommodations.”The ADA allows schools to list technicalstandards or essential functions -abilities thata potential student must possess to succeed.These can prohibit some students from beingadmitted, the opposite of the intent of theADA. Students have been known to have toapply to several schools before being admitted.Be persistent. Usually, the faculty tendsto expect the student to be more limitedthan they are. Don’t let them decide whatcan and cannot be done. Not admitting toa disability is not uncommon, as that mightcontribute to admission. This however, onlydenies special accommodations to which thedisabled are legally entitled. Some specialequipment such as amplified stethoscopes, vibratingpagers, automatic blood pressure cuffsand digital thermometers have helped nurses.Being given more time to take an exam orto perform a skill might be necessary. Askingfor an interpreter or reader might solve aproblem. These solutions are not beyond areasonable accommodation.ReferencesCarol, R. (n.d.). Nurses with disabilities. MinorityNurse.com. Retrieved June 23, 2008 from http://www.minoritynurse.com/features/nurse_emp/01-27-02h.htmlDenver’s Nursing Star (2008, June 23). Disablednurse succeeds despite hurdles, attitudes. RetrievedJune 23, 2008 from http://www.denvernursingstar.com/newsletterMaheady, D. C. (2006) Leave No NurseBehind: Nurses Working with disabilities. New York:iUniverse, Inc.www.ExceptionalNurse.comwww.healthsciencefaculty.orgDisciplinary ActionsRuth KearneyLetter of Reprimand Drug Diversion 7/08/2008