> Organization: Adult Education
> Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 14:15:26 GMT0BST
> Priority: normal
> Subject: Re: Dyslexia and Nursing
> From: "Margaret Herrington" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Reply-to: [log in to unmask]
> > Organization: University of Portsmouth
> > Date: Mon, 22 Dec 1997 11:17:32 GMT
> > Priority: normal
> > Subject: Dyslexia and Nursing
> > From: "Gail Hine" <[log in to unmask]>
> > To: [log in to unmask]
> > Reply-to: [log in to unmask]
>
> > Dear All,
> >
> > Could anyone give me any information on how dyslexia is viewed in the
> > Nursing world. I have tried to contact the many nursing bodies for
> > information, but not one person will respond to my request. I do not
> > want to go on an attack, but I have a nursing student who was
> > recently diagnosed as dyslexic and is now concerned that this may
> > affect her future career and would like reassurance that it would
> > not. If any of you have any information I would be grateful.
> >
> > Thank you
> >
> > Gail Hine
> > Disability Co-ordinator
> > University of Portsmouth
> > Tel No. 01705 843159
> > E-mail [log in to unmask]
>
>
> Dear Gail
> The issues around dyslexia and nursing emerged at the recent SKILL
> conference..it was clear that a number of us were very concerned
> about them.
> Here at Nottingham we are supporting lots of dyslexic nursing students>
> ..particularly those on the Nursing 2000 programme and we are doing
> some staff devt with nursing staff about dyslexia. The key concern
> for staff is the fact that they have to sign that someone is safe to
> practice..they are worried that dyslexic nurses may make critical
> mistakes with drug names etc.. At the moment I am arguing that given
> the variations within the dyslexia clusters it is inaccurate to say
> that everyone will experience reading difficulties of the kind
> implied. The only way forward is to look at each dyslexic person
> individually.... and as a whole person...not as a collection of
> deficits.
> I believe that the concern expressed above, among academic staff and the view that
> dyslexia is the individual's problem/disorder, will largely be reflected in
> the workplace and in general I suspect that it would never be seen as
> a plus. Hence I always ask students to think very carefully about
> disclosure...the pluses and the minuses...as well as how to be
> proactive with regard to any literacy practices they are required to
> take on board.
> I recently spoke to three of my dyslexic students who are here on other
> courses but are [or had been] practising nurses... and their accounts of how they
> coped made me want to do some more research on this. Needless to say
> they were very,very vigilant checkers because they were totally committed
> to patients. Until we have much more research which shows how
> dyslexic nurses manage to do so well, we will always be at a
> disadvantage in the argument about the' safety to practise' issues
> around dyslexia.
> Margaret Herrington
> Director of Learning Support Unit
> University of Nottingham
>
> [log in to unmask]
>
Not being a very vigilant checker on December 22!!!!....please add after
'do so well...' given the 'literacy and time' pressures in the nursing
context. As for the rogue comma in par 3!!!!!!!
Margaret
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