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Prince · 05-02-2004, 11:07 PM

I've been living in the States for a little over a year now, have been married for about as long, and have been looking for work here in a small Texan town. I've been interested in nursing for about a year now, and have thought a lot about trying to become a CNA first...to get a better understanding of the field, and have some hands on experience.

There's now, finally, a CNA training program or whatever it is called that's going to be taking place this month. I'd like to apply, but I have some concerns...

For one thing, I am male. I would imagine that there is at least discriminative prejudice against males who try to get into this sort of training...and I don't mean from the outsiders, but from nurses and staff already working there. Why? Because as a male, you're not assumed to be interested in nursing, I guess... So I would think you would get judged based on a different standard than female applicants.

Furthermore, I'm overweight (6'2"/260 lbs), and having pretty much sat on my ass for months, I am not in a very good physical shape. I am wondering whether this would disqualify me from CNA training, or at least make the powers that be hesitant to select me for the training.

Lastly, I have been on fluvoxamine (sold in America as Luvox, I believe), which is an SSRI that I brought with me from Europe when I moved to the States. It was prescribed to me in Europe, and I was on it when I moved over, but quit using it during the summer. I began taking it again a couple of months ago when I started feeling really depressed and lethargic, much due to my inability to find work. In addition to this, I was, years ago, diagnosed with a mild case of bipolar disorder, although there was debate among physicians at the time over whether I actually was bipolar or not. I'd rather say I have bipolar tendencies, but they do not interfere with my ability to function, especially since they're pretty much non-existant these days, and I've never been a danger to others nor myself because of them.

Hence I'm concerned about two issues. Firstly, I am certain that I would have to take a drug test if hired/accepted into training. I wonder if the fluvoxamine would show up on the drug test. But more than that, I do not know how to deal with potential mental health related questions. I've heard a rumour that you cannot become a nurse, if you've ever been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, and hence I would think this would also apply to CNAs. Besides, I don't know if I would want to become a CNA, knowing that all the roads to advancing eventually to possibly become an RN were closed. The thing is, if asked about depression or BD or of the sort, I would not be able to lie, I'm just too...stuck up, I guess, for that. But at the same time, if the question never came about, would I ethically be incorrect not to disclose such information voluntarily?

I will say this though: if I for a split second felt that any mental health related issues or medication I took could interfere with my ability to do my job, I would not even consider working in this field.

This is something I really want to try and do, but I am terrified of being passed over because of the aforementioned reasons.

I'd appreciate any advice.

05-02-2004, 11:07 PM	#1 (permalink)
Prince /nɑndəsˈkrɪpt/ Location: LV-426	Interested in CNA training, but... I've been living in the States for a little over a year now, have been married for about as long, and have been looking for work here in a small Texan town. I've been interested in nursing for about a year now, and have thought a lot about trying to become a CNA first...to get a better understanding of the field, and have some hands on experience. There's now, finally, a CNA training program or whatever it is called that's going to be taking place this month. I'd like to apply, but I have some concerns... For one thing, I am male. I would imagine that there is at least discriminative prejudice against males who try to get into this sort of training...and I don't mean from the outsiders, but from nurses and staff already working there. Why? Because as a male, you're not assumed to be interested in nursing, I guess... So I would think you would get judged based on a different standard than female applicants. Furthermore, I'm overweight (6'2"/260 lbs), and having pretty much sat on my ass for months, I am not in a very good physical shape. I am wondering whether this would disqualify me from CNA training, or at least make the powers that be hesitant to select me for the training. Lastly, I have been on fluvoxamine (sold in America as Luvox, I believe), which is an SSRI that I brought with me from Europe when I moved to the States. It was prescribed to me in Europe, and I was on it when I moved over, but quit using it during the summer. I began taking it again a couple of months ago when I started feeling really depressed and lethargic, much due to my inability to find work. In addition to this, I was, years ago, diagnosed with a mild case of bipolar disorder, although there was debate among physicians at the time over whether I actually was bipolar or not. I'd rather say I have bipolar tendencies, but they do not interfere with my ability to function, especially since they're pretty much non-existant these days, and I've never been a danger to others nor myself because of them. Hence I'm concerned about two issues. Firstly, I am certain that I would have to take a drug test if hired/accepted into training. I wonder if the fluvoxamine would show up on the drug test. But more than that, I do not know how to deal with potential mental health related questions. I've heard a rumour that you cannot become a nurse, if you've ever been diagnosed with a bipolar disorder, and hence I would think this would also apply to CNAs. Besides, I don't know if I would want to become a CNA, knowing that all the roads to advancing eventually to possibly become an RN were closed. The thing is, if asked about depression or BD or of the sort, I would not be able to lie, I'm just too...stuck up, I guess, for that. But at the same time, if the question never came about, would I ethically be incorrect not to disclose such information voluntarily? I will say this though: if I for a split second felt that any mental health related issues or medication I took could interfere with my ability to do my job, I would not even consider working in this field. This is something I really want to try and do, but I am terrified of being passed over because of the aforementioned reasons. I'd appreciate any advice. __________________ Who is John Galt?