Can you be a nurse if....

First off, i wasn't really sure where to put this question so sorry if this is the wrong place.
Anyways i am extremely worried. I REALLY want to be a nurse but there is 1 thing getting in the way. I have a speech issue. I have had it since i was born. I have trouble pronouncing some sound and i just don't know if i will ever have ANY job. I just feel pathetic. My older brother is going to pharmacy next year and my older sister is going to Med school in 2 years and i don not know where i will be. Any advice would be nice...
I don't know how pronounced your speech impediment is, but if you are able to communicate with people you don't know successfully now, even if it a little bit of a struggles, I don't see why that should stop you from becoming a nurse. It might not make it easy, but I don't think it's impossible!!!

llaura,While I am not a RN at the moment, I am in my second semester of nursing school as we speak. I would not take my advice as professional advice, but here is my input and thoughts on this subject. I would say it depends on what kind of speech issue we are talking about. If you simply have a little trouble pronouncing certain letters or letter combinations I can't see why that would make or break you. However, if you have an issue where it is very hard for you to communicate effectively I think it could be a battle trying to be a nurse, because much of what nurses do is communicate to patients, other nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals, it just comes with the territory I suppose. So, if your issue if just a mild one, pronouncing certain sounds, and nursing is what you want to do, I would say go for it and give it your all, I am sure you will be a fine nurse.

Well, I can communicate but sometimes my sounds are just wrong. For example i can't really pronounce the letter "Z" and the sound "Ch". I just feel ashamed sometimes because of it. I just want to be normal..

I have problems with the letter "s" and I manage fine. I also sometimes can't pronouce some meds correctly - if I'm talking to a doctor and I stumble, I just spell it if necessary. As others have said, it depends on exactly what your problem is and how you can work with it and around it.

In my opinion, it depends. Can others understand what you say without difficulty? Nursing requires the ability to communicate with other health care professionals as well as communicate with the patient and family. Plus you need to be able to effectively educate the patient about conditions and treatments.

Quote from llauraWell, I can communicate but sometimes my sounds are just wrong. For example i can't really pronounce the letter "Z" and the sound "Ch". I just feel ashamed sometimes because of it. I just want to be normal..

Llaura, please do not let this stop you. If it is your wish to be a nurse, and if you are aware of the time commitment and the strength it takes to get through nursing school, DO NOT LET THIS GET IN YOUR WAY. Have you seen a speech pathologist about it? I work with a nurse who has a speech impediment. She is one of the strongest nurses I work with and I love having her there. She is simply brilliant. Her personality and her assertiveness make her speech impediment non-existent. Go for your dream, honey. Don't let this stop you. I will tell you why:My baby brother had a speech issue as well, and could not pronounce some words. Since my mother passed away when he was 10, I raised him. I took him to a speech pathologist at a great university in my area when he was 12. He learned to pronounce words correctly, although it took about a year and a lot of coaching and lots of frustration on his part. After he gained some confidence, I took him out to mingle with people his own age so that he could "try out" his teachings. He was completely terrified that the other kids would make fun of him. He is now graduating from Yale this December and is going on to Stanford to get his Med/Law School degree. Yes, the brilliant baby brother is getting his med school and his law school degree at the same time. (Can we say HELLO TUITION???) And an added surprise: he is the speaker for the Yale Political Union. The point of my musings is that you CAN rise above it. I am not saying that it will be an easy venture for you. But I understand that along with the speech issue that you have comes with it the "shyness" of being around people who don't know you and the utter fear of conversation that you must experience. I know that. But if you can get some coaching from a speech pathologist, you will overcome that and you will gain some confidence. Where are you in your studies now?I urge you to get some feedback from a speech pathologist. This is something that you CAN overcome.

Quote from llauraWell, I can communicate but sometimes my sounds are just wrong. For example i can't really pronounce the letter "Z" and the sound "Ch". I just feel ashamed sometimes because of it. I just want to be normal..

In all reality, where I work there are both foreign nurses and doctors. Some of the doctors are just impossible to understand because of their accents. They get along just fine. Go for it! Good luck!

The challenge you have to rise up to is nothing more than making yourself clearly understood, which is no different from that of a person with a particularly thick foreign accent. Do you work with or have access to a speech therapist who can help you rehearse the situations you fear most and coach you on how to improve? There may be tools of some sort to assist you.Employers are required to make reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disabilities act. The ability to make yourself clearly understood may be a job requirement. "Perfect" vocals to the ear of the beholder cannot be...and it sounds as if THAT is what makes you feel 'pathetic' and fear rejection.Pursue your dreams. It is the ONLY way to live. Nobody has a crystal ball to predict the outcome, but don't spend your golden years regretting that you never had the courage to TRY.Good luck to you!

In another post you stated that you are 14 and just starting your freshman year in high school.Talk with your parent(s) and ask if you can be evaluated for speech therapy services at school. If you attend public school, this may be an option for you. Then when you graduate you'll have the confidence to pursue a nursing career.Of course in high school and college I worked under the motto of "why be normal?"

I have a good friend that has some speach issues, as well as some mild learning disabilities, that has always done well in school and otherwise. However, she is not going into the medical field, per say, as she is currently working on her Masters in psychology. She plans to specialize in children with learning disabilites, because she fully understands their strugles. What I'm saying is, if you want to become a nurse, then do everything in your power to do so. Something like this shouldn't stop you, so please don't let it. Personally, I think you should use this to your advantage and work with people who may be experiencing the same issues.