Narcolepsy and nursing...is this possible?

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evescadeceus

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Hello everyone, this is my first time psoting in the nursing forum. I'm in the process of applying to med school. I'm posting on behalf of a younger friend who wants to do nursing and is narcoleptic. This person will seek advice from his local nursing school soon, but I just thought I'd post here to get some idea from the feedback.

Is it possible to do nursing with this condition? Would he possibly be in the position of pursuing the degree only to find that hospitals won't hire him due to liability issues? Would he be limited to practicing in particular settings, or only with supervision?
(I would think that most nurses are so busy that supervising another nurse wouldn't be feasible, but prehaps the only requirement would be another staffperson be present in the room with him at all times.) Are there nurses out there who have actually worked with another nurse who has this condition?

Knowledgeable feedback would be greatly appreciated.
 
I don't know how serious the condition is, but unless it is very mild and under control, I would be worried about getting a job. However, nursing is a very large field and accomodates to many people with different backgrounds. Public health, or possibly nursing instructor seems more plausible than regular staff RN at a hospital. Your friend might want to talk to a nursing counselor or instructor about that.
 
Thanks, this is pretty much what I suspected. My understanding of the disease (and I could be wrong about this) is that narcolepsy is by definition pretty serious.

Narcoleptics have to be very careful about the amount of unsupervised consecutive minutes spent operating a motor vehicle. As soldiers, they are not allowed to fight, although they can have desk jobs in the military. Its a very sad condition, because most are diagnosed in their late teens through mid-20's, and all of a sudden, so many career doors slam shut.

If anyone else on this forum has something more to add, I would really appreciate it. I thought I would copy this thread and email it to him.
 
I wouldn't say just give up on everything. Nursing is a field with a very large spectrum -- there's many different ways to be a nurse, as long as you have compassion as a prerequisite. 😉

Remember, where there's a will, there is a way. I say pursue the education. If it's truly something your friend wants, then it will be worth every day of the schooling.
 
Originally posted by Califlower
I wouldn't say just give up on everything. Nursing is a field with a very large spectrum -- there's many different ways to be a nurse, as long as you have compassion as a prerequisite. 😉

Remember, where there's a will, there is a way. I say pursue the education. If it's truly something your friend wants, then it will be worth every day of the schooling.

It could be done if the patient is responding positively to medication treatment (amphetamines).
 
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