Hi all! I am new to this site. I am a Nursing Student in block 2 at a community college in Arizona. I have a few questions:

How much information about my disability do I have to disclose to my instructors if I have made a request for accomodation?

I have Fibromyalgia and I have been on social security disability for depression for the past 16 years. ( back then my doctor didn't know what to call my condition, and the only diagnosis that they would accept as a disability was my suffering from depression). I have been taking classes one to two at a time for the past 5 years in order to get all of my pre-rec's for nursing school. As a result, I managed to finally get into the nursing program! I was very excited to have the opportunity to become a nurse and to be able to "contribute" somehow to society. It was not an easy semester for me, as you can imagine I'm sure, but I did it!

Anyway, our clinical groups were divided up for the fall early in May. When we got the list, I was put into a clinical group that has two back to back 12 hour shifts. There are other clinical groups that have two back to back 8 hour shifts, but more days. I sent an email to my instructor requesting to be put into an 8 hour rotation instead of the 12 hour one and I was told that they would not do it, AND questioned my ability to even be in the program.

I am concerned now that I may have opened a can of worms (so to speak) by making my request based upon my having Fibromyalgia. I am afraid to do or say anything else now for fear of rocking the boat so much so that I get tossed out! What should I do? And, is there anything that I can do at this point?

Thanks for listening. I hope to hear from some of you soon about this.

Lori

Hi Lori,

It seems to me that your request for the 8 hour shift clinical seems perfectly reasonable. There are lots of jobs for nurses that do not require 8 hour shifts so to imply that if one cannot do 12 hour shifts then one cannot be a nurse is absurd! I have Lupus and probably have some symptoms in common with you and I have been a nurse for many years. I don't take 12 hour shift jobs; it is that simple. I hope that you can hang in there and become a nurse; I really think that your experiences will make you a more thoughtful and compassionate nurse. I

Lori, I had a spinal cord injury and fractured several vertebrae in my neck three years ago (C5 to T2 level). The fractures resulted in problems with motor function in my upper extremities, along with some balance and endurance issues (I am thinking very much like you deal with.) I am a LPN with 25 years of experience, most of those in acute care settings, several of those years were spent working indendently on an acute inpatient rehabilitation unit. I was a patient on the very same unit I worked on. MY co-workers and friends became my nurses and physical therapists. I was and still am very highly respected by the RNs I worked with. The unfortunate thing is that I am now disabled and am now trying to figure out a way to finish my education. I was in the midst of completing my education when I got hurt. Now they tell me there in no place for a damaged nurse.

You may have to fight to get what you need. Under the ADA you do not have to disclose your disability until an accommodation is needed. However, you will probably have to get a note from your doctor, and have a meeting with your disabilites coordinator at the college where you are attending. You will have to move quickly, they will need some notice if they are going to change the rotation schedules. I am in a similar situation, except I have only one semester to go and have a tough time with the 8 hour clinical days.

Hi! I am a nursing student with lupus, and I empathize with your situation. I absolutely struggle to maintain consistent energy levels with the frenzied pace of nursing school and clinicals. In lupus, as in fibromyalgia, symptoms are exacerbated by stress and lack of sleep, so it is important to maintain your health.

Your request is reasonable and should be accommodated. Switching you to an 8-hour rotation still meets program requirements, while also accommodating your health. What is their rationale for refusing to switch?

Also, it's inappropriate for your instructors to assume that, simply because you may be unable to work a 12-hour shift, that you therefore are incapable of being a nurse. That's a disappointing response and attitude!

As Pam stated in an earlier post, not all nurses work 12-hour shifts -- and, for me, that's the beautiful thing about nursing...there are so many different opportunities to find your own path/niche.

You may want to make your instructors aware of the ADA information on this Web site, as well as the many examples here of nurses with medical challenges who are actively practicing and contributing. Sometime all that's needed is some education and understanding. Hope this helps. Chin up, don't be discouraged. Keep persevering!