The Nurse With a Profound Disability: A Case Study

Nurses are at significant risk for work-related injury, and ultimately disability. The purpose of this intrinsic single-case study guided by Yin's and Stake's iterative analytic processes was to examine one case of a registered nurse with a profound disability to determine whether this experience aligned with previous research and to examine whether a nurse with a profound physical disability could remain working in a clinical setting. The case study subject (a nurse with a profound physical disability) and the participants (people who knew, worked, and cared for the subject) were interviewed using a semi-structured interview guide. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using Yin's mental framework and iterative analytic process. Participant verification, whereby the researcher confirms the data with each participant, was obtained. The results were aligned with previous studies and support the need to provide environments that utilize and retain nurses with physical disabilities. Nurses with physical disabilities can practice safely in patient care settings, provided there is a supportive culture and willingness to make accommodations. Occupational health nurses have the expertise to take the lead in educating nurses and managers to provide this supportive culture.