Disabilities:1
10/15/08
11:00 PM
Page 10
Natural
Adaptation
RNs with disabilities are remarkably flexible, often
excelling at nursing with just a few tweaks of their work
environment. So why are nursing schools and hospitals
so reluctant to give them a chance? By Erin FitzGerald
B
y the time she decided to become a psychiatric nurse, manic episodes, depression,
runaway anxiety, and mood swings were commonplace to Cara Hoepner. Not exhibited by
her patients. These behaviors were Hoepner's
own. Hoepner suffers from bipolar disorder.
She is currently a licensed nurse practitioner in
San Francisco, Calif.
The numbers of nurses with disabilities both hidden and evident
are growing, largely due to a general increase in social acceptance of
people with disabilities and a nursing workforce that frequently sus10
REGISTERED NURSE
tains injuries on the job. But despite the ongoing nursing shortage,
the advent of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990, and the
many examples of nurses whose disabilities make them particularly
well suited to certain types of nursing or help them connect with
patients, these nurses still face huge challenges. While some healthcare facilities accept and accommodate nurses with both physical
and mental disabilities, and nurses have become more organized to
support one another to find jobs in their chosen field, barriers to
access remain high.
"Do we have a long way to go to ensure that all Americans have
equal access? I would have to say or scream, 'Yes!'" says Donna
W W W. C A L N U R S E S . O R G
OCTOBER 2008
