Ptsd And Nursing

[HëllaBubz]

Ooooo, on the other hand, I forgot to mention.....was walking down to the hair dresser and thinking that I really need to get back into work, and get my confidence up, I really didn't care if it only paid $5 a day, at least I would be doing something to get better.

Just as I'm thinking that, and thinking rather glumly to myself just how far my pride had been stripped away, and what it had taken for that to occur, I get a phone call.

Last year, when I was still working, I applied for a job for which I was short listed, but didn't get it.
I had at least 5 interviews, but each time, didn't quite make it, but one of the schools where I applied now has an emergency where they need someone to start in a fortnight, and so they called me!:D

I go for another interview sometime this week! I'm excited but also :poop: scared, but you can't reap unless you sow, right?! :cautious:

 

[greycloud24]

I think it might depend on your particular symptoms and personality. I got through the first year of nursing school and my VA councilor responsible for my career path pulled me from the program when I failed a course. She told me that she did not want me in the medical field since part of my symptoms are memory loss and I might accidently injure a patient. So the real question you should ask yourself is "will my PTSD symptoms interfere with my ability to care for a patient when a slip up could result in their death?"

 

[HëllaBubz]

Well that was one of the reasons that I decided to leave nursing.

On another note, I didn't get the job, which was just as well because it was full time and I would have keeled over after a week!:notworthy:

 

[Phoenix Under]

I am a Registered Respiratory Therapist and have been medically retired for years due to connective tissue disease. My Dr. says that my illness is due to the severe trauma I recieved as a child.

 

[Faulkes]

Urgent advice needed please from my fellow nurses/medics..
I have been sent home for two weeks on sick leave and tomorrow I have to go and see a Doctor in occupational health for an interview.

I am a nurse on a 12 month post grad course - NHS funded - and was recently diagnosed with PTSD. I am awaiting psychotherapy but there is an 18 week wait. I told my clinical mentor about my diagnosis as December was a particularly hard month emotionally and I was struggling, but staying afloat, despite feeling exhausted and managing to fail a paper at University. My diagnosis seems to have created a catalyst of horror for me as I am now a safeguarding risk apparently..

I work with families and children and I think the concern is that I may experience a flashback during a visit...I don't know how to address the issue as I have only had two flashbacks - both after watching videos about abuse/domestic violence as part of safeguarding training at University. I managed to contain my anxiety re the above until I was safely home, despite feeling awful. My very real concern is that I will have to leave my course and job as a result of PTSD. Has anybody else experienced an occupational health appointment with a DR? I'm unsure of what to expect

 

[ClairBear226]

YIKES. That tells me my instincts have been right to keep my PTSD diagnosis under wraps. I swear, the nursing profession is the only one where they eat their young. I've never told work, and it is no where in my medical chart. I've never had to deal with the kind of issues you raise, but first of all, where do you live? The laws may be different from country to country. If you are in the US, I would consult a labor attorney. Quickly. You could possibly be looking at a discrimination issue. Find out what your rights are from someone that knows what they're doing.

 

[HëllaBubz]

Ok, there are several things that you need to tell them

1. You currently are managing (with good effect) all symptoms of PTSD through a medical practitioner.

2. With the appropriate support (stress the word appropriate) from the University you will manage well.

3. Triggers can be caused by almost anything, and sometimes the most obviously related 'issues' are not the main stressors.

4. The above point needs to be clearly understood and acknowledged by the doctor, university, and workplace.

5. If you are seeing a doctor and/or counsellor (a counsellor will suffice to help contain anxiety temporarily), then you are able to pass off Point number 1 truthfully which will hold up if someone decides to do something inappropriate.

If you feel like you can cope at Uni with the support of a counsellor or just some extra understanding from your lecturers, then you should state that clearly to them, because all the preconceptions in the world about PTSD will cloud their judgement, especially if all they can think of is you losing your nut and going Rambo-style on them.

I'm sure that you won't, but you need to let them know that you were managing *ahem* perfectly well before they found out, and due to a *few* ongoing hindrances which have been now diagnosed as PTSD, you are merely informing them so that they are able to understand if you are a little slower one day than another.

Keep in mind that the above is a *VERY* mild summary of what you might be feeling, I do not wish to minimize that, it is more for the uninformed's benefit.

Good luck my dear, and let me know how you go, I've been through that stage already, so I'm here if you need me.

 

[Girl3]

I've worked for 21 years now as a physician. During that time, the number of rapes/assaults wherein victims suffered phsyical damage was significant. At no point did I ever fall apart, get out of control, lose professionalism, or become unable to take care of patients.

Two summers ago I even had to take care of on of the men who raped me when I was 14. Although I did call my psychiatrist between seeing the patient preop and taking him to the OR, it was just to let him know that I'd like to talk to him later in the afternoon or evening if he had time. I will admit I had to focus on my breathing when I first started to talk with the patient/rapist such that my voice would not betray my anxiety.

Many physicians like me keep their PTSD under wraps because it could mean losing our license to practice medicine. That is due to the wording regarding mental illness - everything is grouped together with major depression, bipolar, schizophrenia, etc. When you look at epidemiologic studies trying to "prove" that psychosis should be a definitive subset, the problem is their 'nets' by which they 'catch' patients are predominantly inner-city based, dealing with homeless victims. They are only gathering a certain subset of patients.

An article published in the British Journal of Psychiatry in Oct, 2010 discussed the fact that many of these smaller, ill-concieved studies aren't really threshing out the co-morbid diagnoses with such patients. In other words: people with schizophrenia, bipolar, and other mental ilnnesses where psychosis is a feature, often experience trauma and develop PTSD on top of their primary mental illness.

When one clears out the comorbid diagnoses, the incidence of psychosis with PTSD is roughly 2.5% - certanly not enough to warrant the stigma attached to PTSD. We are not all waiting to "go postal".

The most functional of we PTSD patients do not often participate in studies due to factors of self-admission, fears of so many different things, and time (many studies are set up such that you would have to be homeless to participate.) Consequently, I feel it is a personal mission to participate in studies so that researchers "see" PTSD doesn't have to make you unable to have a career.

 

[Faulkes]

Thank you clairbear226, TheBubzilla and girl3 for responding, it is greatly appreciated :)

I am in England and agree with everything you say, but particulary laughed out loud at 'the nursing profession eating their young' it is soooo true!! I did get the impression when I told my clinical mentor I have PTSD that I may as well have said 'oh by the way I drove the wrong way up the motorway naked' such was the subsequent reaction to my diagnosis.

I understand the need to risk assess and the concern about how I will do my job, but it was still a surprise. I saw Occupational health Doctor yesterday and thankfully he was brilliant, explaining that although I may have only just been diagnosed with PTSD I have almost certainly had it since Childhood when the abuse took place. He also added that being at work will help me, as will specialised trauma counselling and in the short term 10mg Citalopram - one per day.

I am off work for two weeks and can then return to my job and post grad course: My only concern now is whether the NHS and University accept the Doctors recommendation and ALLOW me to return. I know the course is stressful and I will have to find a way to mimimise the impact of it on my health, emotional and physical... I feel optimistic though, so am keeping my fingers crossed!

 

[pumpkinpie]

I just saw this thread and so perhaps nobody will see this, since it's been quite awhile...but let me get this straight: all you did was tell your clinical instructor that you have PTSD, and without there having been any problems with the performance of your work, you were taken off work for 2 weeks and required to go see Occupational Health? Unbelievable. Wait, no actually I can believe it if you are talking about a hospital, and especially the nursing administrative-type characters.

Never forget that in a hospital setting especially, Employee Health is NOT there for the employees. They usually fall under Human Resources. I know this from having been a CRNP in Employee Health in one job I had for 6 years.

If they are managed by HR, they end up having to do as HR says - and don't think for a minute that any information, no matter how confidentially given to the providers in Employee & Occupational Health, won't be given to HR if it's what HR wants.

If you had told your instructor that you have controlled diabetes, would that have happened? Also, PTSD as far as I know, is a ADA protected diagnosis (in the US), but I'm going to get back here about it either way.

 

[cherryblossom]

Hi pumpkinpie.

Please be aware of [DLMURL]https://www.ptsdforum.org/c/threads/use-of-text-speak-and-abbreviations-when-posting.30234/#post-484955[/DLMURL].

Please write your abbreviations out in full, so everyone can understand your post. Staff can edit your posts, to assist, but I can't because I don't know what your abbreviations mean.

CRNP?
ADA?

 

[pumpkinpie]

I don't know what your abbreviations mean.

CRNP?
ADA?

Hello cherryblossom, I'm only replying to answer your question marks. I think this is a pretty old post. Maybe you aren't in the US (United States). CRNP is an abbreviation anyone in the US would recognize: Certified Regisered Nurse Practitioner. Just like MD = Medical Doctor and RN= Registered Nurse. ADA is Americans with Disabilities Act. In the US, anyone working with disabilities such as PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder) would recognize it. But I will keep in mind that there are many of you from Australia or other countries. I know it's frustrating for me to see things from the United Kingdom or Australia in abbreviations, when I am not familiar with the words! For example, in one of the posts above - NHS. I looked it up and understood that it is National Health Service. There is nothing by that name in the US.