Abstract
Although a nurse with a disability is likely to experience discrimination in the workplace, they may be a better nurse because of their disability.
Nurses, administrators, and colleagues may view nurses with disabilities as unsafe in the workplace. Not only is there no evidence to support that perception but nurses with disabilities may be better nurses because they know what it is like to be a patient, and they live every day with the struggles and compensations inherent in having a disability (Neal-Boylan, 2019). Nurses with disabilities experience discrimination in the workplace (Matt, 2008; Neal-Boylan, 2012). Yet, these nurses are in the best position to empathize with patients. Having a disability or a disabling chronic illness frequently requires that person to plan their day carefully, predetermine what they will need to do differently to ensure they provide safe care, and figure out how best to utilize and conserve their energies and prioritize physically or mentally taxing tasks (Neal-Boylan, 2019). Nurses with disabilities compensate by sometimes doing things in nontraditional ways. Instead of being lauded for their creativity, other health care professionals often look askance at these attempts. This paradox prompts the question of how the nursing profession can continue to emphasize the importance of critical thinking and implement various strategies to enhance the image of nurses as executive board members, policy makers, and health care leaders while also putting outdated emphasis on the physical capabilities of the nurse. There is no question that nursing can be a physically demanding job, but most health care these days is not happening in the hospital where the physical requirements are greatest. The public may be unaware of all the settings in which nurses practice and how we use our brains more than our brawn in those settings. We may be our own worst enemy when we continue to require that nurses have to lift and move patients when health care organizations have the resources to employ assistants and technology to help with those tasks. To limit nursing to those without any physical limitations is potentially excluding many intelligent people from our ranks who could be excellent nurses.
Nurses with disabilities tend to find the most support from nursing supervisors who are not nurses or who have disabilities themselves (Neal-Boylan, 2014). That is probably because non-nurse supervisors do not have preconceived ideas about how a nurse should do something. Nursing supervisors who have experienced disability are keenly aware of what does and does not limit them. They understand the patient and nurse experience because they live with disability.
Nurses with disabilities tend to try to hide their disabilities because they know they might otherwise not get hired or retained. They frequently go back to school to prepare for less physical jobs, but unfortunately, many leave nursing altogether (Neal-Boylan & Guillett, 2008; Neal-Boylan, 2012). They are often unaware of their rights so they leave quietly without pursuing legal recourse or exploring other positions within their organization (Neal-Boylan & Miller, 2015, 2016). Consider the significance of these losses of experienced, knowledgeable nurses. It seems reasonable that we show these colleagues at least the same level of support and empathy we provide to patients with disabilities. Nurses with disabilities can supplement our knowledge by opening another window into the experiences of our patients, helping us to understand their lived experience so our care is realistic and appropriate.
Occupational health nurses understand workplace injury with or without subsequent disability. It is a natural extension of their work to cultivate workplace environments that support health care professionals with disabilities and to educate others to appreciate the unique perspectives and empathy they bring to nursing work.
