Disclosure of hearing loss

[ombrerose4]

To all you wonderful nurses out there i want to ask a question. I am graduating from nursing school in December, hope to take my boards by February and then find a job. I am SSD and want to know if I need to disclose this information on job interviews or tell a supervisor once I am hired or not say anything at all? I do wear a BAHA, but it's still not like the real thing. I've had no problems in my clinicals dealing with patients, so I know I can do this. What do you guys say?

[Cheryl R]

I wouldn't say a thing.     Get the job and if it seems a problem then mention it.     I knew more than one nurse besides me who had some hearing difficulties and one was esp bad and worked in OB.        My biggest problem when was just was the one sided SSD was locating where IVs were beeping when standing in a hall.            If a pts visitor talked behind my back I would apologize for not hearing them and say I have some hearing problems and not the full extent of it.                 
     I hope the rest of school goes well for you and you get a job you like!   It's not an easy job but can be very worthwhile.
                                                 Cheryl R

[moe]

I agee,
Don't say a thing during the interview. Hopefully they won't ask you what that thing is on your head! They shouldn't.

Once you are hired you will probably have to fill out a health evaluation and then at that time you can state that you have a hearing device for SSD.

Good luck with the rest of your schooling! (and good luck finding a job )
Maureen

[opp2]

Truthfully, it is none of their business. If you are functioning appropriately and not having any difficulty, what difference does it make?

[leapyrtwins]

I'm not a nurse, I'm an accountant, but this is a question I've been struggling with lately.

Now that I'm faced with finding a new job, I haven't really decided if I should mention my hearing loss or not to a potential employer.

As opp said, it's really none of their business, but one of my biggest strengths (and truthfully biggest weaknesses  ) is that I'm honest to a fault.

On one hand, I believe in full disclosure - but on the other hand it's probably not relevant. 

I've had two interviews already - one with a recruiter - and didn't mention my hearing loss because there was no need to.  I could hear everything that was said to me during the interviews and the jobs I'm interviewing for don't require having 100% perfect hearing.

I've pretty much decided that I'll talk about my hearing loss, if it somehow becomes evident during the interview.  I'll also talk about it if someone asks me what I like to do on my personal time - since I'm a big advocate for AN patients and BAHA candidates and recipients.

Jan

[ombrerose4]

Thanks to everyone! I appreciate the feedback! Jan- I am real honest too, but I hear fine when I do my clinicals at the hospital. I just feel maybe they should know in case there's a beeping like Cheryl said, and I can't tell where its coming from. But I don't want to not get the job because of it, so maybe I won't say anything until after I am hired.

[Cheryl R]

You don't have to tell the higher ups but once get to working than just casually mention to the co workers that you have some trouble in one ear in case you miss a noise.   Most places are just happy to have as much help as possible and most nurses understand a health issue better than the general public.     My co workers were very curious about my whole experience since not something common.     I do miss working at times and other times don't.                      Cheryl R

[leapyrtwins]

Here's another dilemma in the job search situation.

Today I sent in an application and a resume to a local hospital - they are looking for a business manager/accountant.  The end of the application asked the usual stuff - can you legally work in the U.S., are you male or female, black, white, etc., but it also asked if I was disabled.  It was a yes or no question - no opportunity to elaborate or explain.

Well, technically I am disabled since I'm SSD.  However, that disability does not prevent me from doing the job that I applied for - and as a BAHA wearer, my disability isn't as bad as it would be if I didn't wear one.

So, should I have said I was disabled? or not?

Also, if I were to claim that I am disabled, would it give me an advantage or a disadvantage when it comes to being asked to interview?  Is there a "quota" that most companies have to meet when it comes to "disabled" employees?

I'll tell you what I chose to do, but I'd like to hear some other people's thoughts first.

Thanks,

Jan

[iluuvpups]

Hi, Jan.  I've not considered myself disabled just because I'm SSD.  So I would have answered the question "no".  Good luck on your job search!  --Carol Ann

[Cheryl R]

Jan, in your case I would say no.    If you were completely deaf than I would say yes.          I think you still have to be considered if disabled and they can arrange for ways to aid you to do the job as described.     What part a HR person relates to all this could also be part of how one who is disabled does do well and get a job or not.                       I am sure this ia an up and down time for you right now and hope you get a job you like soon!                     Cheryl R

[Jim Scott]

Jan ~

Good question.  I would have answered 'no' because you are not really 'disabled', in the way most people think of when they hear that term.  In addition, some businesses avoid hiring the disabled because the ADA requires the business to make accommodations that they may be reluctant (or financially hard-pressed) to make and if they fail to do so, they can be liable to incur fines, and lawsuits.  Sad, but true.  That being the case, I hope you answered in the negative.

Jim

[Tod]

Actually, the question itself is illegal. See: http://www.eeoc.gov/facts/ada17.html


It is unlawful to:

ask an applicant whether she is disabled or about the nature or severity of a disability, or
to require the applicant to take a medical examination before making a job offer.
You can ask an applicant questions about ability to perform job-related functions, as long as the questions are not phrased in terms of a disability. You can also ask an applicant to describe or to demonstrate how, with or without reasonable accommodation, the applicant will perform job-related functions.


Once asked and responded to in the affirmative, the potential employer is at risk for having to demonstrate that was not a factor in the hiring decision. Of course, the employer may wish to use a negative response to terminate a disabled employee for lying on the application, despite the fact the question itself is unlawful.


As to whether or not SSD is a a qualifying disability:

To be protected under the ADA, an individual must have, have a record of, or be regarded as having a substantial, as opposed to a minor, impairment. A substantial impairment is one that significantly limits or restricts a major life activity such as hearing, seeing, speaking, breathing, performing manual tasks, walking, caring for oneself, learning or working.

I am currently working with a number of senior people (gubernatorial appointees, agency heads) who are SSD (for non-AN reasons) and they do not consider themselves disabled.

Full disclosure: I am not a lawyer. I merely read law and occasionally write law.

-Tod

[Nickittynic]

I wouldn't mention it in your interview just because it has nothing to do with the way you provide patient care.
But, I am one that tells every single person in the world about it, including coworkers (and, if need be, patients). But that's just because it becomes annoying in conversations (when I'm saying "huh?" for the 50th time), not because it has anything to do with how well I perform my job.

[ombrerose4]

Tod,

Thanks for the legal info. I definitely don't consider myself disabled as far as mySSD. I feel disabled from my daily chronic headaches. Hopefully by the time I am out of school and get a job, my headaches will be history. I think I will do what Cheryl suggested and just let some of my co-workers know about my SSD in case for some reason I miss hearing a patient's alarm ringing.

[tgillesp]

What is SSD?  I have been on this forum for a couple of weeks since my diagnosis and have pretty much figured out most of the lingo, except this one.  If I don't know, then I just Google it, but when I Googled SSD, I just got results on Social Security Disability.  Thanks.  I too always mention my hearing loss because I always have to ask people to repeat themselves many times.  I feel that if I tell them, then they will be more understanding of why I say huh so many times, and hopefully they will be more mindful of speaking more clearly.  I think I would not mention it on a job application or interview though.  Of course, if in an interview, and I had to ask that things be repeated, then I probably would mention it.  I would rather they know I didn't hear the question being asked rather than I didn't understand the question being asked.  Good luck on your job search.