Effects of dyslexia on registered nurses in practice

While there is a growing body of research on the effects of dyslexia on student nurses, this is not the case for registered nurses. The purpose of this paper is to report key findings of a study that investigated the experiences of registered nurses who have dyslexia. The main aim of the study was to identify how dyslexia might affect registered nurses, with a particular focus on practice. A narrative lifecourse approach was taken to explore the experiences of 14 registered nurses who have dyslexia from across Great Britain. In depth interviews were conducted between October 2014 and November 2015. Template analysis of the interview data resulted in five main themes: career choices, decision to disclose, effect on practice, compensatory strategies, and support from others. The study demonstrated that there is still a perceived stigma attached to having dyslexia and that there continues to be a lack of understanding amongst colleagues, which affects disclosure and access to support. However, the registered nurses had developed many different compensatory strategies to enable them to practise effectively and that patient safety was paramount to them.