ER Tech with Epilepsy

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I am an ER Tech, I have a dual role so I am also a secretary, I do everything but give shots. I am usually the only tech/secretary working on my shift, which means I get my butt kicked, I hear my name ALOT. I asked my boss if I could have some help tonight, he said there wasn’t anyone that could come help, I wanted to just do secretarial work but he said no, he couldn’t make accommodations for anyone because we have multiple tasks we have to do. I don’t know if it is legal to refuse to accommodate to a employee with epilepsy, which is considered a disability. I can do the Job on my own most nights but sometimes I need help, I would like to have help so that I don’t get exposed to COVID-19.. we never know what could come into the ER, it is a busy ER. I am just trying to stay healthy, I don’t want to have anymore seizures, I’m doing so good now. All of you with epilepsy know how much it means to feel normal again. I am just trying to live. I have had jobs, relationships, friendships, get ruined because of it. So, am I allowed help? Or allowed to keep myself home? I told them I didn’t want to come in if I didn’t have help, I was belittled and my job was threatened. I am so tired of it all... have any of you had something like this happen?

Comments

Hello. I’m a licensed

Submitted by Patriotrehab on Thu, 2020-03-19 - 02:06

Hello. I’m a licensed clinical social worker and certified rehabilitation counselor as well as a person with epilepsy. It sounds like you are very concerned about the coronavirus and are feeling overwhelmed by your responsibilities at work. That’s great news that you have been doing so well with your seizures and I certainly understand wanting to maintain that sense of normalcy. Unfortunately, your job is one that requires you to be on-site and does not allow for telecommuting. ADA only requires the employer to provide “reasonable accommodations necessary for you to perform the essential functions of your job”. If help is not available one night, then you may just need to do what you can do to get done whatever you can during your shift. They are not required to provide help though because you are concerned about catching COVID-19 even though you are a person with epilepsy. It’s a risk that they are all taking along with you as part of the job as healthcare workers. The Epilepsy Foundation has put out a very informative article that may help relieve some of your concerns about epilepsy and COVID-19. I’ve included the link here https://www.epilepsy.com/article/2020/3/concerns-about-covid-19-coronavirus-and-epilepsy Stress and over exertion are potential triggers for some people who have epilepsy though and while you have been able to manage your seizures well, if for some reason you believe that the COVID-19 and other stressors are too much for you, perhaps you may want to seek a transfer within the hospital or consider a career change. I’ve been discriminated against and had reasonable accommodations denied to me at my places of employment before, but I’ve also learned that employers often get to deem what is a reasonable accommodation. Your case is unique because of where you work (ER) and most of the time you can do the job, so it’s going to be hard to prove that your epilepsy is disabling and that it’s why you need help. Epilepsy is a medical condition, but it’s not always disabling. The other factor is the employer could say that it’s not a reasonable accommodation for you to have help because someone without a disability can do it and it would cost them too much money to hire two people so that you can work and another person can be your helper. That’s the dilemma. You do have some great transferable skills though it sounds like, possibly as a medical technician and as a secretary, so transferring either within the hospital or within those general career fields may be an option for you. The difficulty with finding a job elsewhere right now is many places are closing at least temporarily and not doing any new hires so a transfer within the hospital that has less exposure and less stress may be the better option for you.

Hello. I’m a licensed clinical social worker and certified rehabilitation counselor as well as a person with epilepsy. It sounds like you are very concerned about the coronavirus and are feeling overwhelmed by your responsibilities at work. That’s great news that you have been doing so well with your seizures and I certainly understand wanting to maintain that sense of normalcy. Unfortunately, your job is one that requires you to be on-site and does not allow for telecommuting. ADA only requires the employer to provide “reasonable accommodations necessary for you to perform the essential functions of your job”. If help is not available one night, then you may just need to do what you can do to get done whatever you can during your shift. They are not required to provide help though because you are concerned about catching COVID-19 even though you are a person with epilepsy. It’s a risk that they are all taking along with you as part of the job as healthcare workers. The Epilepsy Foundation has put out a very informative article that may help relieve some of your concerns about epilepsy and COVID-19. I’ve included the link here https://www.epilepsy.com/article/2020/3/concerns-about-covid-19-coronavirus-and-epilepsy Stress and over exertion are potential triggers for some people who have epilepsy though and while you have been able to manage your seizures well, if for some reason you believe that the COVID-19 and other stressors are too much for you, perhaps you may want to seek a transfer within the hospital or consider a career change. I’ve been discriminated against and had reasonable accommodations denied to me at my places of employment before, but I’ve also learned that employers often get to deem what is a reasonable accommodation. Your case is unique because of where you work (ER) and most of the time you can do the job, so it’s going to be hard to prove that your epilepsy is disabling and that it’s why you need help. Epilepsy is a medical condition, but it’s not always disabling. The other factor is the employer could say that it’s not a reasonable accommodation for you to have help because someone without a disability can do it and it would cost them too much money to hire two people so that you can work and another person can be your helper. That’s the dilemma. You do have some great transferable skills though it sounds like, possibly as a medical technician and as a secretary, so transferring either within the hospital or within those general career fields may be an option for you. The difficulty with finding a job elsewhere right now is many places are closing at least temporarily and not doing any new hires so a transfer within the hospital that has less exposure and less stress may be the better option for you. 

Hello. I’m a licensed clinical social worker and certified rehabilitation counselor as well as a person with epilepsy. It sounds like you are very concerned about the coronavirus and are feeling overwhelmed by your responsibilities at work. That’s great news that you have been doing so well with your seizures and I certainly understand wanting to maintain that sense of normalcy. Unfortunately, your job is one that requires you to be on-site and does not allow for telecommuting. ADA only requires the employer to provide “reasonable accommodations necessary for you to perform the essential functions of your job”. If help is not available one night, then you may just need to do what you can do to get done whatever you can during your shift. They are not required to provide help though because you are concerned about catching COVID-19 even though you are a person with epilepsy. It’s a risk that they are all taking along with you as part of the job as healthcare workers. The Epilepsy Foundation has put out a very informative article that may help relieve some of your concerns about epilepsy and COVID-19. I’ve included the link here https://www.epilepsy.com/article/2020/3/concerns-about-covid-19-coronavirus-and-epilepsy Stress and over exertion are potential triggers for some people who have epilepsy though and while you have been able to manage your seizures well, if for some reason you believe that the COVID-19 and other stressors are too much for you, perhaps you may want to seek a transfer within the hospital or consider a career change. I’ve been discriminated against and had reasonable accommodations denied to me at my places of employment before, but I’ve also learned that employers often get to deem what is a reasonable accommodation. Your case is unique because of where you work (ER) and most of the time you can do the job, so it’s going to be hard to prove that your epilepsy is disabling and that it’s why you need help. Epilepsy is a medical condition, but it’s not always disabling. The other factor is the employer could say that it’s not a reasonable accommodation for you to have help because someone without a disability can do it and it would cost them too much money to hire two people so that you can work and another person can be your helper. That’s the dilemma. You do have some great transferable skills though it sounds like, possibly as a medical technician and as a secretary, so transferring either within the hospital or within those general career fields may be an option for you. The difficulty with finding a job elsewhere right now is many places are closing at least temporarily and not doing any new hires so a transfer within the hospital that has less exposure and less stress may be the better option for you.

Hi,Thank you for posting. We

Submitted by Anonymous on Thu, 2020-03-19 - 09:17

Hi,Thank you for posting. We understand your concerns and frustrations and are disappointed to hear that your employer belittled you and threatened your employment. It’s important to remember that you are not alone, and we are here to help support you. Gianna has offered some fantastic advice and suggestions in her comment. If you feel you've been discriminated against because of your epilepsy, you may always connect with our Epilepsy Foundation Legal team. Please complete the form found here: https://www.epilepsy.com/node/2013161 , and review the legal help section of our website: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/legal-help . Additionally,ask to speak to our legal team by contacting our Epilepsy and Seizures 24/7 Helpline: contactus@efa.org, 1-800-332-1000, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. You may want to consider seeing a vocational rehabilitation counselor to help you navigate you career: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/diagnosis/you-and-your-healthcare-team/vocational-rehabilitation-counselors . In many communities the local Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsy.com/affiliates offers programs and resources to help connect you with vocational counselors, and explore the employment section of our website, for additional resources and tips on how to help manage the impact of epilepsy on work: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/independent-living/employment-help-what-you-need-know. As Gianna mentioned stress is a common trigger for some people living with epilepsy. Managing stress is very personal and specific to your situation,however there are some coping strategies that have been proven to be effective for most people: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-living/stress-and-wellness/managing-stress If stress is a trigger for you, document this by using a journal or a diary. This can help you and your healthcare team detect potential patterns, allowing you to modify your behaviors and lifestyle as appropriate. In addition to identifying your triggers, tracking your seizures and documenting how you’ve your feeling in detail, (like you done in your post) will be very helpful to review with your doctors. My Seizure Diary can be used to organize your health issues, manage medications, record side effects, other therapies or personal experiences and more which can be shared with members of your healthcare team. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary .

Hi,Thank you for posting. We understand your concerns and frustrations and are disappointed to hear that your employer belittled you and threatened your employment. It’s important to remember that you are not alone, and we are here to help support you. Gianna has offered some fantastic advice and suggestions in her comment. If you feel you've been discriminated against because of your epilepsy, you may always connect with our Epilepsy Foundation Legal team. Please complete the form found here: https://www.epilepsy.com/node/2013161 , and review the legal help section of our website: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/legal-help . Additionally,ask to speak to our legal team by contacting our Epilepsy and Seizures 24/7 Helpline: contactus@efa.org, 1-800-332-1000, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. You may want to consider seeing a vocational rehabilitation counselor to help you navigate you career: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/diagnosis/you-and-your-healthcare-team/vocational-rehabilitation-counselors . In many communities the local Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsy.com/affiliates offers programs and resources to help connect you with vocational counselors, and explore the employment section of our website, for additional resources and tips on how to help manage the impact of epilepsy on work: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/independent-living/employment-help-what-you-need-know. As Gianna mentioned stress is a common trigger for some people living with epilepsy. Managing stress is very personal and specific to your situation,however there are some coping strategies that have been proven to be effective for most people: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-living/stress-and-wellness/managing-stress If stress is a trigger for you, document this by using a journal or a diary. This can help you and your healthcare team detect potential patterns, allowing you to modify your behaviors and lifestyle as appropriate. In addition to identifying your triggers, tracking your seizures and documenting how you’ve your feeling in detail, (like you done in your post) will be very helpful to review with your doctors. My Seizure Diary can be used to organize your health issues, manage medications, record side effects, other therapies or personal experiences and more which can be shared with members of your healthcare team. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary .

Hi,Thank you for posting. We understand your concerns and frustrations and are disappointed to hear that your employer belittled you and threatened your employment. It’s important to remember that you are not alone, and we are here to help support you. Gianna has offered some fantastic advice and suggestions in her comment. If you feel you've been discriminated against because of your epilepsy, you may always connect with our Epilepsy Foundation Legal team. Please complete the form found here: https://www.epilepsy.com/node/2013161 , and review the legal help section of our website: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/legal-help . Additionally,ask to speak to our legal team by contacting our Epilepsy and Seizures 24/7 Helpline: contactus@efa.org, 1-800-332-1000, where trained information specialists are available to answer your questions, offer help, hope, support, guidance, and access to national and local resources. You may want to consider seeing a vocational rehabilitation counselor to help you navigate you career: https://www.epilepsy.com/learn/diagnosis/you-and-your-healthcare-team/vocational-rehabilitation-counselors . In many communities the local Epilepsy Foundation: https://www.epilepsy.com/affiliates offers programs and resources to help connect you with vocational counselors, and explore the employment section of our website, for additional resources and tips on how to help manage the impact of epilepsy on work: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/independent-living/employment-help-what-you-need-know. As Gianna mentioned stress is a common trigger for some people living with epilepsy. Managing stress is very personal and specific to your situation,however there are some coping strategies that have been proven to be effective for most people: https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/healthy-living/stress-and-wellness/managing-stress If stress is a trigger for you, document this by using a journal or a diary. This can help you and your healthcare team detect potential patterns, allowing you to modify your behaviors and lifestyle as appropriate. In addition to identifying your triggers, tracking your seizures and documenting how you’ve your feeling in detail, (like you done in your post) will be very helpful to review with your doctors. My Seizure Diary can be used to organize your health issues, manage medications, record side effects, other therapies or personal experiences and more which can be shared with members of your healthcare team. https://www.epilepsy.com/living-epilepsy/epilepsy-foundation-my-seizure-diary .