Deaf nurses?

LuciaDisturbed said:
Yeah, I either want to work in the ICU or with kids with cancer, or kids with various serious health issues, or on the general medical floor in a hospital. Not nursing homes. And the ER would be too hectic for me, I think, communication-wise. I don't want to cost a life due to my inability to understand speech, so the ER may out of the question. I most definitely don't want to work in a nursing home.
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If I were to consider nursing, I'd love to work in the ICU or with terminally ill adults or kids with serious health problems. Did I ever mention that I used to go to a camp that had both deaf kids and kids with serious health problems and LDs or ADD every summer? I would consider ER or being EMT but due to communication issues, I don't dare consider it.
 
One good way to think of it, being deaf or hard of hearing makes your other senses stronger and you are more aware of things. Great quality to have in a nurse. :) I say go for your dreams.
 
All the best to you as you follow your dreams, ignore anyone who says you can't or shouldn't do it.
 
It can be done. My wife worked in the ER at Cedars-Sinai for fifteen years. Prepare to put up with a lot of bullshit, though.
 
She speechreads phenomenally well, for one. That’s pretty much the only way she was able to pull it off for so long. Since she couldn’t hear the intercom, they gave her a pager. It was still difficult. Advances in technology have made things a little easier. You can buy a stethoscope that plugs into your external processor, for example. Not sure who makes it—I could find out if you want.
 
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