Uni place denied cause of disability!

Richie-from-the-Boro

Back injuries in 2011 among nurses was costing taxpayers £120m year in staff sickness absences and wasted training costs of those forced to leave their jobs as a result.

Investing in training someone who is unlikely to be offered an employment position is a non-productive-outcome and a waste of everyone's time and effort, including the trainees. The outcome if a position of employment was offered is very likely to mean that in this case the O/P's daughter in law will join the 80,000 nurses a year who require time off work as a direct result of back injury or worse still will join the 3,600 nurses who leave the profession because of the permanent damage caused.

The much more productive question to be asked is, given the limitations of the applicant and that at this point its only a foundation course, what area of work / role could the O/P's daughter in law undertake in the health service leading to the degree course ?

Put simply she is on the wrong course, which is the best one for her !

soolin

There are plenty of jobs within an NHS environment that don't require lifting or heavy work, I agree with the above posters that maybe DIL needs to re asses where her talents can be best used.

Anything face to face like the pyschology, brereavement work etc, counselling maybe even podiatry or opthalmology/dental etc (although best to check out what sort of positions practitioners tend to be in for long periods in case even kneeling or bending might become an issue)

I would certainly not be doing anything in a career that endangered my own health. I can think of nothing sadder than spending many years training for a job only to find out within months of starting that it is impossible without endangering my own health more.

Dunroamin

For those unfamiliar with the role of an ODP.

http://www.nhscareers.nhs.uk/details/Default.aspx?Id=255

HB58

Yes, there are plenty of jobs in the NHS that do not require lifting and handling - but I don't believe that ODP is one of them.

onthecase

Thanks for your replies and some very useful information.

The main thing that has upset her is the fact that when she applied for the foundation course she declared the fact that she had osteoporosis and was under specialist care. At no point was this raised as an issue or that the role of ODP would be unsuitable for her either now or in the future.

She has embraced this course, getting distinctions in every exam she has taken. She does not ask for sympathy, and has only missed a couple of days college due to consultant appointments. She does not want to be treated any differently to anyone else, but wants to work and better herself and her family.

She was offered the position at University on the ODP course having already declared her illness. It was only 4 weeks ago that she was called in and asked to see a specialist who said she could probably do the job with certain restrictions to which my DIL said she did not want to be treated any differently to anyone else. The subsequent phone call yesterday was a definate no, the offer has been withdrawn, with no alternative solutions/offers given, hence her utter devastation.

I understand that her illness is severe and in all probability will get worse, but I think she has been treated very badly in the way that they have let her believe that her dream to be an ODP was achievable when it obviously was not. She is a young girl who wants to make something of her life, surely if the ODP course is not suitable they could have offered her a different course and this should have been pointed out and made clear at the time of her interview/acceptance months and months ago.

As for saying the NHS cannot waste money by people taking time off through illness, are you saying that anyone who has an illness should not work for the NHS? Many of my friends work for the NHS in high positions yet have had time off for depression, back problems, diabetes and some just pure sickies. There are always people in any workplace who take time off at the drop of a hat, diabled or not. Unfortunately some disabled people need some time off at some point, it's just the way it is, that's why our caring country makes allowances and adjustments for them.

Clearly the role of ODP is not suitable for her, but there must be roles that she could do successfully. I am hoping that we can find a course to suit and it's not too late.

I have looked on her chosen University web site and seen that they have a disability advisor - my DIL is to phone them today to see if they can offer her another course which is achievable to someone with her condition.

Thanks again for the help, I'll let you know how we get on.

MrsManda

onthecase wrote: »

Thanks for your replies and some very useful information.
It was only 4 weeks ago that she was called in and asked to see a specialist who said she could probably do the job with certain restrictions to which my DIL said she did not want to be treated any differently to anyone else. The subsequent phone call yesterday was a definate no, the offer has been withdrawn, with no alternative solutions/offers given, hence her utter devastation.

She is a young girl who wants to make something of her life, surely if the ODP course is not suitable they could have offered her a different course and this should have been pointed out and made clear at the time of her interview/acceptance months and months ago.

[/QUOTE]

Are you saying that the specialist said your DIL would be able to carry out the job and thus do the course if she accepted restrictions and your DIL turned this down because she doesn't want to be treated any differently? If so, then the university was right to withdraw the offer.

The time frame may seem a little harsh but the university will have offered the place purely on the basis of her FD grades/personal statement if she wrote one so not to discriminate against her for her disability. It was only after she'd been offered a place they could do an occupational health assessment and decide that in fact her condition would stop her from doing the course.

onthecase wrote: »

As for saying the NHS cannot waste money by people taking time off through illness, are you saying that anyone who has an illness should not work for the NHS?

I don't think any one said someone with an illness shouldn't work for the NHS. Rather, people need to be aware of their limitations and strengths as if they cannot physically or mentally do the job then they're not suitable for that particular role. For example, I'll never be a radiologist because my condition precludes me from being in contact with strong magnets such as in MRI scanners. This doesn't stop me becoming a nurse if I want to.

onthecase wrote: »

I have looked on her chosen University web site and seen that they have a disability advisor - my DIL is to phone them today to see if they can offer her another course which is achievable to someone with her condition.

Thanks again for the help, I'll let you know how we get on.

I hope the disability advisor can help, there is hope out there and careers your DIL can do It may be worth talking to her to make sure she knows that accepting restrictions, alterations and help due to her condition shouldn't be considered as getting special treatment but as a way our society tries to circumvent problems caused by ill health so that she is on as even a footing as everyone else.

onthecase

MrsManda wrote: »

Are you saying that the specialist said your DIL would be able to carry out the job and thus do the course if she accepted restrictions and your DIL turned this down because she doesn't want to be treated any differently? If so, then the university was right to withdraw the offer.

The time frame may seem a little harsh but the university will have offered the place purely on the basis of her FD grades/personal statement if she wrote one so not to discriminate against her for her disability. It was only after she'd been offered a place they could do an occupational health assessment and decide that in fact her condition would stop her from doing the course.

No, I'm not saying that. The specialist said they would recommend she could do the course with restrictions and my DIL said she would do the course without restrictions, she didn't want anyone to think she was getting favours or being treated differently to anyone else, but stressed that she wanted to be an ODP under any conditions. I understand why the specialist said with restrictions, she obviously felt that as an ODP a person with osteoporosis may not be able to physically do the job.

When she applied to Uni and the subsequent interview she declared her illness, that is why it seems so unfair. If they had said at the beginning that an ODP job was too physically demanding then my DIL could have looked at alternative courses (although an ODP has all she has ever wanted to do). Even for the foundation course at no point did anyone say that there may be a problem and again, she declared her disability on the application form and at interview.

I just hope she can get on another course.

Thanks for the replies and help.



I don't think any one said someone with an illness shouldn't work for the NHS. Rather, people need to be aware of their limitations and strengths as if they cannot physically or mentally do the job then they're not suitable for that particular role. For example, I'll never be a radiologist because my condition precludes me from being in contact with strong magnets such as in MRI scanners. This doesn't stop me becoming a nurse if I want to.



I hope the disability advisor can help, there is hope out there and careers your DIL can do It may be worth talking to her to make sure she knows that accepting restrictions, alterations and help due to her condition shouldn't be considered as getting special treatment but as a way our society tries to circumvent problems caused by ill health so that she is on as even a footing as everyone else.[/QUOTE]

mynameistallulah

Has she looked at what other courses are available, that she thinks she may be able to do?

Take_it_like_a_man,_sonny

Dunroamin wrote: »

I think an ODP who couldn't lift might put a lot of pressure on the rest of the team.

What an absolute crass comment. I am currently off sick, and am going through OH on a return to work. I know myself that certain things pertaining to my Job I cannot do from now on, but it does not stop me from taking a full part of the team. there are things I can do, in my restricted capacity, that are more suited to my skills. My team have be terrific,a nd leave documents and reviews for when I come in at the moment.

As for the future, there will be adjustmentsa that have to be made, and they are in progress, just that my relocation and that m,ay not occur now, though a redeployment across the company will be forthcoming.

Oh, and I have only been with them for 4 months when the incident occured.

The problem today, is that some people are know alls. me too, and I may look at you stuipid at work, because I cannot change the paper in the printer. Just becasue I do not look disabled, does not mean to say I am not. The diference with me and all the others who have linits, is we know our limits. Some people do not!

custardy

Take_it_like_a_man,_sonny wrote: »

What an absolute crass comment. I am currently off sick, and am going through OH on a return to work. I know myself that certain things pertaining to my Job I cannot do from now on, but it does not stop me from taking a full part of the team. there are things I can do, in my restricted capacity, that are more suited to my skills. My team have be terrific,a nd leave documents and reviews for when I come in at the moment.

As for the future, there will be adjustmentsa that have to be made, and they are in progress, just that my relocation and that m,ay not occur now, though a redeployment across the company will be forthcoming.

Oh, and I have only been with them for 4 months when the incident occured.

The problem today, is that some people are know alls. me too, and I may look at you stuipid at work, because I cannot change the paper in the printer. Just becasue I do not look disabled, does not mean to say I am not. The diference with me and all the others who have linits, is we know our limits. Some people do not!

so you think it wouldnt make more sense for someone at the start of their career, to train for one they perhaps could do 100%?