2017 Top 10 blog posts about nurses with disabilities

As we look back on 2017, let's revisit the top 10 Exceptional Nurse blog posts about nurses with disabilities. 

                                       Silent No More! Nurse beaten and raped!

Attorneys representing two nurses and a nurse’s husband called a press conference to counter official statements that nurses taken hostage at Northwestern Medicine Delnor Hospital were not injured in a May 13 incident in which a jail inmate was shot dead by a SWAT team. The horrific events at Delnor Hospital cannot be forgotten or pushed under the rug. Nurses need to stand together for much needed change. https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/06/silent-no-more-delnor-nurse-beaten-and.html

Breath of a nurse with a tracheostomy

Michelle DiGiacomo, LPN

My trach is a part of me, like being brunette, short in stature or female, but it alone does not define me.  I am the sum of all of my parts. So you will never hear me trying to deny my trach, hide it or eliminate it from the equation.  Sometimes, people with disabilities, in their fight for equality, want others to ignore their issues in the hope of being treated like everyone else. But we are not like everyone else. One might even argue, we are in some ways better, stronger, more determined, resilient and empathetic. I will use my trach and any tool in my arsenal—everything I am and every breath I take--- to be the best nurse that I can be.

https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/10/breath-of-nurse-with-tracheostomy.html

Listen up! What not to say to a nurse or nursing student with a disability

A group of nurses and nursing students with disabilities was asked to share comments made to them. Responses included the following:

"Maybe this is God's way of saying you shouldn't be a nurse."

"You will not be able to work as a nurse."

https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/11/listen-up-what-not-to-say-to-nurse-or.html

Permanent hearing loss as a Mom and nurse: What do I do about...?

Sarah Matacale, RN

I AM A NURSE in my heart and soul.  So what do I do about…???….I grieve, get mad and frustrated, bargain, beg, pray and cry a lot. Then, I put on my big girl panties and went back to school for medical documentation, billing and coding.  I took and passed my CCS exam; I opened myself to finding another passion. https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/02/permanent-hearing-loss-as-mom-and-nurse.html

From nurse to patient to disabled nurse

Danielle Fullen, RN

 I have been diagnosed chronic lower back pain, degenerative disc disease, lumbar radiculopathy, lower extremity radiculopathy, spondylolisthesis, spinal fracture (L5), spinal stenosis, lumbar pseudo arthritis, herniated disc (L4-L5), lumbar discogenic syndrome, post laminectomy syndrome, spinal hemangioma, and left hip bursitis.

Through all this excruciating pain, I remain positive.  Positive that one day, I will have some relief and get back to work in nursing, as a nursing instructor.

https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/10/from-nurse-to-patient-to-disabled-nurse.html

Helen Lindsey, BSN a quadruple amputee working to get her nursing license back

Helen lost her arms and legs to bacterial meningitis but not her passion for helping others. She is an Army veteran who received her BSN from Winston-Salem State University.

According to twcnews.com in Winston-Salem, N.C.: She is currently working toward getting her nursing license back, and she will be the first student in the state's nursing re-entry program to have a disability to this extent.https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/05/helen-lindsey-bsn-quadruple-amputee.html

Anita Lesko, a nurse with Asperger's syndrome invited to World Autism Day at the United Nations

Anita Lesko has Asperger's syndrome. She is a nurse anesthetist, military aviation photojournalist, author, public speaker, advocate and founder of a non profit organization...and now invited speaker at the United Nations! https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/04/anita-lesko-nurse-with-aspergers.html

The nurse with dementia: Where do we go from here?

Gail Weatherhill, RN, BSN

The British Royal College of Nursing (RCN) recently shocked many by passing a resolution that nurses with dementia should be supported to continue practicing as long as possible. Their reasoning was that most fears of these nurses constituted discrimination based on old prejudices and misconceptions. https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/06/the-nurse-with-dementia-where-do-we-go.html

Army nurse set on fire by a colleague wants to resume career

In September 2016, First Lieutenant Katie Ann Blanchard, a nurse in the Army serving at Ft. Leavenworth in Kansas, was set on fire and attacked by a colleague. Almost 20 percent of her body was severely burned, including her entire face and ears, and parts of her arm and chest. 
https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/01/army-nurse-set-on-fire-by-colleague.html

For nursing students with learning disabilities: Is speed associated with ability?

Jamie Axelrod, AHEAD President and Nicole Ofiesh, Ph.D., Learning and Education Specialist, Lecturer, Stanford University wrote a letter to the Chronicle of Higher Education in response to an article by Ari Trachtenberg titled Extra Time on an Exam: Suitable Accommodation or Legalized Cheating? 
https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2017/01/for-nursing-students-with-learning.html

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Donna