Nursing and Autism

I looked in to this and did do a little volunteer work and intended to further go in to training but never went through with it in the end.

I would recommend getting yourself some ear plugs for when it's really busy and noisy. Hospitals are loud environments and if you're sensitive to noise like me then ear plugs are a must have essential.

My experience was a mixture of good and bad. Sometimes I wonder if I should've stuck with it but I wasn't diagnosed at the time, not sure that would have made a difference though.

I wish you luck with your career. It's a rewarding career to do.

An excellent vocation.  Thank you for electing to be a nurse.  We need you.  I salute you.  Thank you.

Number.

I am a second year learning disability nurse. I absolutely love it . I however I find I am more suited to community placements , where I manage my own case loads and diary . I did not like working on a ward . I  currently on placement working for a company who specialise in ASD and ADHD assessment’s it’s my favourite so far . 

Hi,

I am also considering to be a nurse as well!  

How have you been as an autistic nurse?  

Thank you

It's hard to know if you've been diagnosed with a syndrome or a chronic condition because it can affect your lifestyle. I hope you are doing well! It's great to hear that you are enthusiastic about helping people. I admire doctors and people who help, and I studied nursing. I mostly provide senior care options in a private clinic, which is also a nursing home. True, there are days when I don't feel like helping and meeting someone's needs because I'm in a bad mood, but I can't bring my stuff to work. I try to overcome that and be a smiling, sweet nurse to people who have less joy because of age and illness.

Hello there, @NAS73516. With your diagnosis, I believe you could work as a nurse in a hospital. Because your diagnosis does not interfere with your employment, I believe it is acceptable to work with it. However, you will be subjected to stares and contemptuous attitude from both employees and patients. However, I can guarantee you that if you perform a good job, people will treat you kindly. I also recommend that you read [removed by Mod] for additional information on patient care. I believe you should broaden your knowledge in order to do a better job.

Hi Carlie,

I was a student nurse before I had my diagnosis. It was a help and a hindrance, as I didn't know at the time why I was finding some aspects tricky. I would suggest that you take some time focusing on what creates stress for you and how you can mitigate these within your working environment. Some of your strengths will be a massive asset to nursing, so harness those. If you plan to reveal to others, do it with caution, as I suffered from this later on due to negative stereotypes and sheer meanness from peers. Good luck :)

I wish I had a GP on the spectrum themselves. Mine really aren't getting it at all. They don't seem to care whether I can access any health care or not.

Hello there, @NAS73516. With your diagnosis, I believe you could work as a nurse in a hospital. Because your diagnosis does not interfere with your employment, I believe it is acceptable to work with it.

Hi,

I'm Chris and I am a registered learning disability nurse, having first registered in March 1990. I was diagnosed with Asperger's in November 2008 at the age of 49. I have just come across this network and wondered how active is this forum and what I can do to help people on the spectrum who are also health and social care professionals.

welcome to this forum Carlie

I'm actually only enthusiastic about being at work in my working hours. I am currently very disrupted by the fact that my lunch isn't falling at 12pm every day like I could ensure in my old job. There are always meetings running into lunch time. Really bugs me. I never let work spill into my fun time because that spoils my knitting time, and I get very anxious if I can't have time for my interests. 

There are loads of healthcare workers who are ASC. Join the club. I was an autistic GP for 40 years. Your enthusiasm may be  taken  advantage of by others. Only work your paid hours! 

I'm not a nurse but I was a social worker for adult social care until recently, and now I work for the NHS in a social work related but different role. 

I'm actually talking to someone in the trust I've joined about us establishing a neurodivergent staff group. She suggested it when I told her I'm autistic and she happened to be autistic too! 

Welcome to the forum Carlie, I don't work in healthcare myself but I am sure there are others here who will make themselves known.