Published on 12, July, 2020
Hello, I have just been diagnosed with Aspergers (I do personally prefer this term).. long story about how I finally arrived here, but for now I need to ask; I am a registered nurse..should I tell the NMC? Would this help me or would they call my practice into question/would there be negative consequences for me? Any advice would be much appreciated.
If you are doing ok at work with no problems and nobody treating you unfairly then don't tell them because then the problems will start.
If you feel that you are receiving unfair treatment at work or you think that people see you as different, then it's good to make sure that you protect yourself by disclosing so that you can have some recourse if you are discriminated against.
It's your choice, of course, but always consider that you need to protect yourself because people on the spectrum tend to get picked on.
I am not doing ok at work, I have struggled but somehow managed to wing it for years, but the workload, demands, pressures and micromanagement have all gone through the roof in the last year or so; I am.going to have to bite the bullet and tell them, because I am not coping and I am exhausted.
That is probably for the best. Before you tell them, think about what reasonable adjustments you could ask for which would relieve some of your pressure. Be as constructive, respectful, and calm as possible, and make sure everything is in writing. If you have a meeting with someone, follow it up with an email confirming what was said. Maybe everything will be fine and you won't need those emails, but it's a good thing to have if you end up falling into worse circumstances because of your Aspergers. Remember that you only need to tell your line manager, and they should keep it confidential unless you give permission for it to be disclosed to others. The fewer people who know, the better, and your direct manager, if they are competent at all, should be able to arrange for reasonable adjustments for you without spreading your personal business around the workplace.
I give this advice out of personal experience. I wish you the best of luck.