work accommodations for nurse?

hi there

been a nurse for 17 years and have struggled tremendously. Lately work has gotten much more stressful and I find being in charge and dealing with staffing torture. I cannot understand it and always mess it up.

Any nurses successfully receiving any work accommodations?

[BlessedLady]

I'm not sure from your post if you have been officially diagnosed. You have to have been officially diagnosed in order to receive Reasonable Accommodations. Things are probably getting harder because of your age. Peri-menopause and menopause make ADHD symptoms worse. Women ages 40-50 has been the fastest growing newly diagnosed group for quite a while. Women already diagnosed and receiving treatment. Usually find their symptoms get worse around 40-50. Good Luck with your Reasonable Accommodations Request🍀

[Hidden in reply to BlessedLady]

Yes I have been diagnosed and have been taking Vyvance for 4 months. I feel like I need work accommodations to be a better nurse but at the same time I don’t want my coworkers to resent me for accommodations.

[BlessedLady in reply to Hidden]

I understand. Hopefully they will understand. Are your coworkers aware of your ADHD ?

[GardenGirl2]

I'm not a nurse, I'm a teacher. Diagnosed at 60. You have the right to request accommodations under ADA, however it is a bit of a difficult process and responsiveness varies dramatically from organization to organization. I made 2 official requests through HR for accommodations under the ADA and my Principal shot it down both times. I did it once on my own, and the second time I consulted with an employment law attorney. ( for $2,000.00) This was very helpful, but my principal shot it down again. I think the ADA accommodations depend largely upon who your immediate supervisor is. Documentation that is very clear about what you need is important. There are ideas about accommodations at askjan.org There is supposed to be a negotiation process-an "interactive interview" as HR described. The interaction occurred only between HR and my Principal, I was never directly involved. If I had more $ resources, I would have sued for discrimination. Instead, I retired. Timing not my choice, but it's the victim who pays the price. The myths, misconceptions and minimizations about ADHD are an enormous hurdle to overcome. Be prepared to do some educating in the process of advocating for yourself. Best of Luck to you. I hope your outcome is positive and supportive of you.

[Eska]

I am so sorry you're going through this as well! I'm a fellow nurse and got diagnosed with ADHD this week.... It all made sens why it was so hard for me to survive on a ward with all the distractions, the noises, the fast paced environnement and the mounds of information we need to manage at all time. I can't imagine with Covid-19 now on it.

For the past 3 years I've been working in telemedecine at home and I'm finally flourishing. No distractions and complete silence + one patient at a time was the key for me. I'm also free from having to lead a team and it's so liberating.

It might be worth looking into, if you're tech savy and able to work from home without getting distracted by the house chores.

Edit: I understand that basically saying bailing from your current job was not the answer you were looking for. I have no experience in accommodations on the workplace but if yours is the same as the one I had before it'll be tough.