Tuesday, January 19, 2021

Nurse practitioner who stutters helps others from the front lines of Covid-19

 


"StutterTalk® is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to talking openly about stuttering. StutterTalk is the first and longest running podcast on stuttering". 

"Roisin McManus, a Nurse Practitioner (NP) who stutters, joins Chaya Goldstein to provide a first hand perspective from the front lines of COVID-19.

Roisin shares ways we can contain the spread, defines flatten the curve, ways we can support healthcare workers and the general public; including education, mental health support, and dropping off medical supplies at local hospitals in need. And finally, Roisin offers advice on what to do if you get sick. As you can imagine, stuttering is not on Roisin’s mind right now."

"Roisin McManus has been involved in stuttering self-help and advocacy for awhile now. She has volunteered with StutterTalk, the NSA, Friends and was co-founder of the NYC Stutters Conference. She currently serves on the board of directors of Friends: The National Association of Young People who Stutter. Roisin is a nurse practitioner who specializes in ICU and end of life care. She is now working on the front lines of the SARS-Cov2 epidemic (otherwise known as COVID-19) providing ICU care in a New York City hospital."

You can listen to this podcast at: 

https://stuttertalk.com/page/5/


Cheers!


Donna


Wednesday, January 13, 2021

Nursing on the spectrum: What nurses with autism want you to know


"My name is Jackie Anne.  I am in my early 30s and I am a nurse I may have even been your nurse.  Unknown to you, and many I work side by side with daily, I also have autism."

                                                                                 Jackie Anne Blair, RN

“I have an excellent memory. My hearing is very sensitive in a way that I can hear things that others can’t. I’m often the first to hear alarms. I can differentiate sounds quickly and more easily. My sensitivity to touch helps with palpation during a nurse exam. I can feel if something is different or off. I perseverate about my patient’s issues. If something is off, or I just can’t pinpoint a certain diagnosis or issues, I do everything I can to figure it out."

"I am also hyper-aware of cross-contamination, and am a bit obsessive with handwashing. I don’t judge patient’s based on a diagnosis. As your nurse, I understand that you are so very much more than the list of diseases, disabilities and symptoms in your chart.” https://themighty.com/2020/06/nurse-autism-spectrum/

https://the-art-of-autism.com/how-jackie-anne-blairs-autism-helps-her-be-a-better-nurse/

                                                                                      Anita Lesko, RN, CRNA

Anita Lesko, RN, CRNA is a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist specializing in anesthesia for neurosurgery, organ transplants and orthopedic joint replacement. She states: "My gift of Asperger disorder gives me the ability to have what I call my ‘laser focus.’ It’s the ability to stay focused on a project for extreme periods of time with total focus and concentration".

In 2018, Anita advocated for autism acceptance to the United Nations. She has also published books and spoken at conferences with Temple Grandin.

https://exceptionalnurse.blogspot.com/2016/07/nurse-with-aspergers-syndrome-is.

htmlhttps://themighty.com/2018/01/the-good-autistic-anesthetist/?utm_source=engagement_bar&utm_medium=facebook&utm_campaign=facebook_share

Advocating Autism Acceptance to the United Nations, with Anita Lesko | EDB 123 (differentbrains.org)


Brandon is an RN with a masters degree, soon to be a Nurse practitioner in Texas. On his "Thriving with ASD" channel, he shares his journey to diagnosis and his coping skills for living with autism.


                                           Registered Nurse With Autism Spectrum Disorder - YouTube

                                           How I got diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder - YouTube

Sherri Schultz, pen name Pensive Aspie is "an Aspie, a wife, a mom, an aunt, a nurse, a Christian, a supporter of equality, a bibliophile, and a fan but not a fanatic of most things sci-fi and logical. My passion is Asperger's and helping others on the spectrum. I run a small online support group for individuals with ASD. I have found that the more knowledge I share, the more I receive."
About | Pensive Aspie (wordpress.com)

Another Aspie Nurse writes:

 "I have emotional intelligence, and am fully capable of empathy, and can socialize with purpose.......I have learned to use words to find out what I cannot discern otherwise. I have learned to recognize most people’s signs of illness, pain, sadness, anger, through decades of being a CNA, and have learned to use humor in small scripted ways to make day to day nursing smoother… Such as “oops! Let me clean my hands before helping you with that…don’t want to give you a gift that keeps on giving!” just small comments here and there that usually will elicit a smile from my patients." https://adventuresofanaspiern.com/

Lee is a nursing student in the UK

He has a number of videos on YouTube including: Asperger's and Nursing: A personal and professional view on being a student nurse

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nYsBvj-ACC4&t=156s

Anna has Asperger’s syndrome.

She works in the operating room as a nurse anesthetist.


Color a nurse with Asperger's in the, "I am a nurse: Color me Exceptional!" coloring book. I am a nurse: Color me Exceptional!: Maheady APRN, Donna Carol, Nuenke, Sue, Gili, Tom: 9781075196065: Amazon.com: Books

Cheers!

Donna