How does the ADA affect nurse’s as employees?

Americans with Disabilities Act

            The ADA protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination in all public places. These areas include the workplace, public transport, schools and other areas that are open to the public. The Act describes a disability as an impairment that substantially limits the individual in performing one or more life activities (Yoder-Wise, 2013). The disability can be physical or mental. The Act creates the obligation for both employers and employees to treat disabled persons fairly. The Act affects nurses as employees in several ways.

            First, it safeguards the needs and interests of nurses with disabilities by requiring the employer to make reasonable accommodations to enable the nurse to perform her job effectively. Caring for patients is physically demanding.  It involved a lot of standing, bending, walking, lifting, speaking and reading among other activities. A disabled nurse would find the working conditions unbearable if the employer failed to make the relevant accommodations.  The ADA requirements ensure that the disabled nurse can perform her job with minimal limitations (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2016). For example, a nurse who is recovering from cancer should be given lighter duties and allowed a flexible work schedule to enable her to continue with follow up care. Secondly, the Act requires nurses to implement care delivery strategies that accommodate disabled patients. Often, the maneuvers performed during a standard physical examination are burdensome for disabled patients. Therefore, the nurse must modify the patient assessment procedures to ensure a dignified experience for the patient. Furthermore, the ADA creates the obligation by the healthcare providers to offer patients the relevant assistive devices during their hospitalization. For example, a patient who has difficulty walking should be provided with a walker or wheelchair depending on the assessed needs.