Nurses: How do you don gloves with a different hand?

How does a nurse or nursing student with short, partial or missing fingers; or who wears a prosthetic hand don gloves in a healthcare setting?

The question was posted to a group of nurses with disabilities. The responses included the following: 

"You could use different size gloves...one for each hand. I have no fingers on my right hand and use different sizes to have less latex in the way."

"Tuck the extra tips of the gloves in. I'm missing a finger (had it amputated due to cancer) and I just tuck the extra finger in. No one notices."

 "I have two fingers on my right hand. I turn the glove inside out and slide it over my two short digits and the other finger sleeves are tucked in automatically."

Susan Fleming, RN, PhD., a nurse who was born missing her left hand demonstrates how she dons sterile gloves in this article: http://www.exceptionalnurse.com/DegreesofSuccess.pdf. 

Dr. Fleming also demonstrates donning sterile gloves in this video "Nursing with the hand you're given". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3AfRRNxLWg

An article about surgeons with amputated fingers, published in 1982, may also be helpful.

Brown, P.S. (1982). Less than ten--Surgeons with amputated fingers. The Journal of Hand Surgery, 7(1), 31-37.

http://www.newyorkinjurycasesblog.com/uploads/file/2012-04-13%20(1).pdf

If you are a nurse with a similar challenge, please feel free to add a comment or suggestion to this post so others can benefit. Or, email me at ExceptionalNurse@aol.com.

With thanks!

 Donna

Kindle Count down deal! "The Exceptional Nurse: Tales from the trenches of truly resilient nurses working with disabilities"

Happy Thanksgiving and Black Friday!!!!

 Get the Kindle version of the book for $1.99 today. It's a Kindle countdown deal!

https://www.amazon.com/Exceptional-Nurse-trenches-resilient-disabilities-ebook/dp/B00MMG9YUC/ref=sr_1_1_twi_kin_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1480110521&sr=1-1&keywords=maheady

Will President-elect Donald Trump support nurses with disabilities?

So much has been said and predicted about a Donald Trump presidency. Can we turn our attention to nurses? And, specifically nurses and nursing students with disabilities? 

Will he stand with all nurses and nursing students? 

Will he support safe staffing ratios and safer handling policies?

Will he encourage employers to comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act and reasonable accommodation for nurses with disabilities?

Will he support reasonable accommodation for nursing students with disabilities in higher education?

Will he see the potential in a nurse or nursing student with a disability?

What can we do to bring the issues to the attention of the President-elect?

Please feel free to post a comment below or email me at ExceptionalNurse@aol.com. 

I will update this post as the new administration moves forward.

With thanks,

Donna

Why do libraries matter to nurses with disabilities?

Recently, I was asked why I encourage nurses, nursing students, nursing faculty and disability services staffers to ask their university, college, hospital or local library to purchase copies of my books.

Of course, the stories shared in books offer inspiration and hope to nurses and nursing students with disabilities, but there are other reasons......

If you purchase a copy as an individual (thank you!!!), but I would venture to guess that after you read the book it will be placed on a shelf and later end up in a landfill or thrift store.

But if a library purchases the book, the stories shared by trailblazing nurses with disabilities will live on for generations to come. 

The stories serve as examples of nursing students and nurses who benefited from the Americans with Disabilities Act. Some asked for reasonable accommodation and often fought the system, overcame challenges and moved forward to do the work they love. Information is shared about nursing school, gaining employment, accommodation, reactions from patients and fellow staff nurses.... and so much more.

If books about nurses with disabilities are available in libraries, nurses who are working on masters and doctoral degrees and doing research on the experiences of nursing students and nurses with disabilities will find the stories. Nursing historians will be informed as well.

Disability services staffers, human resource staffers, nursing administrators, attorneys, law students, vocational rehabilitation counselors, physical and occupational therapists need to know about nurses with a wide range of disabilities who have been successful in school and work place settings. They need evidence that a person with one hand, mental illness, lower limb amputation, spina bifida, learning disability, spinal cord injury, chronic illness, epilepsy, essential tremor, hearing or vision loss can become a nurse with and without accommodation! 

Most libraries have an easy online form you can complete to request a purchase.

Can you help the stories live on?

Maheady, D.C. (Ed.). (2014). The Exceptional Nurse: Tales from the trenches of truly resilient nurses working with disabilities. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform.   ISBN: 13:978-1495400933

Maheady, D.C. (2006). Leave No Nurse Behind: Nurses Working with disAbilities.

Lincoln, NE: iUniverse, Inc.       ISBN:13:978-0-595-39649-8

Maheady, D. (2003). Nursing Students with Disabilities Change the

Course. River Edge, New Jersey: Exceptional Parent Press. (Now available from Lulu.com)

  

With thanks in advance!

Donna

"Breaking it down" for nursing students with learning disabilities

   Breaking a task down into micro-units, using prompts, and assistive technology can help all students. We all do this whether we realize it or not (Brandt and Alwin, 2012; Kolanko, 2003). As nurses we develop sliding scale charts for delivering different dosages of IV medications, write laboratory results on our hands, and enter prompts into our iPods to be on time for medications and treatments (Kolanko, 2003; and McCleary-Jones, 2008).

     Understanding deficits in social processing or lack of social skill learning is more common in college students today. Developing a network of support is important to all students with disabilities. Students with LD tend to be individual rather than group learners. But this characteristic sometimes isolates the student. Finding ways to integrate them into study groups, peer tutoring, or group discussions may help to increase the comfort level of group work and as nurses with supportive staff (Brooke, 1999). The student feels at ease and can see the group as a support rather than a source of stress.

When students with LDs learn to micro-unit (break information down into its smallest units), use various learning strategies and are provided more time, they can see the relevance of these techniques for patient care. Nurses with LD are uniquely prepared to care for patients who have the same needs. Upon learning of their LD, students report reactions of grief and loss as they see themselves as a person with a disability and not “a normal person.” Helping them to self- advocate, learn success strategies, and referrals to specialists can support their needs. It should be emphasized that this is something they can help patients do for themselves as well (Kolanko, 2003). 

This information is an excerpt from a chapter commentary written by Katherine Kolanko, RN, PhD in "The Exceptional Nurse: Tales from the trenches of truly resilient nurses working with disabilities". 

Please share your thoughts below.

With thanks,
Donna