I only have one hand. I have never had a problem doing anything with one hand before but the nursing school has some doubts whether i'll be able to do it or not. I would like to know if any nurses or doctors out there have ever worked with someone with only one hand and if they wree able to do everything. I would like to get in contact with someone who is actually in my situation to talk about this. Any advice would be helpful!
2007-11-08 08:11:19 · 3 answers · asked by sc1120 3 in Business & Finance ➔ Careers & Employment ➔ Health Care
I never had to face your situation, and do not know how much you have to assist you in the way of prosthetics, which could make a significant difference.
There are many tasks which nurses perform which require the use of 2 hands. You would be able to have someone assist you with these, and after school, there are many areas of nursing you could work in where you could limit that requirement. Most significantly in areas such as psychiatric nursing and in advanced practice nursing as a psychatric nurse practitioner, the need for 2 hands would be lessened.
During the skills development phase of nursing school, certain tasks key to basic nursing often require 2 hands. A single but simple example would be catheterizing a male patient. I can think of no way to perform this task with one hand. Catheterizing a female would also be highly difficult if not impossible without contamination of the field. IV starts would be much more difficult.
These hands on tasks decrease after school and are often picked up by ancillary personnel but the nurse has to take over on the more difficult patients.
I think you can do it. And I wish you well, but it will be difficult.
When I was in school, I had my right hand in a long arm cast and was unable to use any of the fingers for 10 weeks. There were tasks I could not complete by myself. Fortunately for me, a friend of mine had his left arm in a cast at the same time and together we could get most jobs done. There were other tasks that I had to learn after the cast came off. You would have to have special help.
There are major inovations in new assist and adaptive devices for the disabled. The Army has built a 5 story building in San Antonio called "The Center for the Intrepid" where they are retraining the soldiers injured and disabled in the military to work and live with their limitations. They find out the needs of the individual and develop individual programs to enable them to return to as normal a life as possible. That includes adaptations for occupations and even pastimes. They have developed a simulation program to teach a man to surf on his prosthetic legs so he can return to his pre military hobby. They have developed aids to enable people to work in jobs that would have been unavailable to them before. From this development, new adaptations will come to the civilian market.
2007-11-08 17:18:57 · answer #1 · answered by US_DR_JD 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I am sorry I don't have more complete info, but there was an article in the Los Angeles Times about a medical student or resident that has either 1 hand or no hands & is missing a leg too I think. She is in pediatrics. Does any one else remember more info???
2007-11-08 13:16:45 · answer #2 · answered by Diane A 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
well just be glad you're IN nursing school... i was in a bachelors nursing program because I failed two courses... so i got kicked out. 5 1/2 yrs and over $100,000 on tuition wasted!!!!!
i would trade places with you if i could, it hurts so much to get kicked out of nursing school during your senior year.
2007-11-14 11:54:36 · answer #3 · answered by FigureSk8ingAddict 3 · 0⤊ 1⤋