Willing and Able
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By Kim Miller
http://www.mcg.edu/news/MCGToday/Spr06/story11.htm
www.exceptionalnurse.com
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Medical College of Georgia nursing student Kelsey Sullivent Trapp nearly left school her first semester. It would take the encouragement of a stranger more than 2,000 miles away to change her mind.
Due to a congenital birth defect, Ms. Trapp, an Augusta native, was born without her left hand and forearm. Her challenges multiplied at age 3, when her mother died in a car accident. Despite the tragedies, her father and relatives closed ranks to ensure as happy and normal childhood as possible.
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Though she tried body and electric-powered prostheses, Ms. Trapp has used a cosmetic arm since middle school. “Until second grade, I used an arm with a metal hook; all the kids thought that was pretty cool,” she said. “I tried other things, but realized the cosmetic arm works just as well for me. I can use it to hold things down or wedge things in the fingers.”
Though she admits some tasks are difficult, she doesn’t consider herself disabled. “I could never jump rope very well,” Ms. Trapp said with a smile. “But I can’t think of much else I can’t do. I just figure out my own way of doing things—either one-handed or with help from my prosthetic arm.”
Ms. Trapp received free prosthetics and care at the Shriners Hospital for Children in Greenville, S.C., throughout her childhood. Her experience showed her that despite her obstacles, she was not so different from her peers.
“Everyone there has something wrong,” she said. “I saw people who were wheelchair-bound with no arms or legs. I realized that missing part of an arm really wasn’t a big deal.”
Just three years ago, Ms. Trapp’s last trip to the Shriners Hospital inspired her to pursue a nursing career. “I had thought about being a veterinarian but thought the surgical skills would require two hands,” she said. “Then I noticed a nurse at the hospital who had the same thing as I did. I thought if she was capable, then so was I.”
After completing her prerequisites, Kelsey applied to the MCG School of Nursing. When she was accepted, she was eager to take on the new challenge.
“I put [my physical condition] in my admissions essay so they would know,” Ms. Trapp said. “They let me in, so I was confident in my ability to succeed.”
She performed very well until it was time for her first skills test, taking a blood pressure measurement. Ms. Trapp realized she could not perform the skill as it had been taught. When the faculty learned of her setback, they were forced to re-evaluate her ability to perform certain skills.
“Initially, we were concerned with the safety of the patient,” said Corliss Derrick, instructor of undergraduate studies. “We worried about her ability to maintain sterility while performing certain skills one-handed. You don’t want to give someone false hope if you’re not sure they can do it.”
Ms. Trapp researched nurses with disabilities through the Internet. She discovered the story of Susan Fleming, a nurse in Spokane, Wash., who was born without a left hand. Ms. Fleming was rejected by the first nursing school she applied to, but was later accepted at a different school. She now has 20 years’ experience of as a registered nurse and received the 2004 Cherokee Inspired Comfort Award for registered nurses. She can draw blood, start IVs, work in labor and delivery and work in the operating room during Caesarean sections.
“I got this huge feeling of relief,” Ms. Trapp said. “I think I cried when I read her story.”
She e-mailed Ms. Fleming that night and got a call from her the next day. She was very supportive, offering encouragement and advice on how to perform nursing skills with one hand.
“I went back to school the next day with her articles in my book bag,” Ms. Trapp said. “It gave me the power to say [to myself], ‘You can do this. Obviously, if she did it, then you can, too.”
She shared Ms. Fleming’s story with Steve Whitney, the coordinator of her summer class. Mr. Whitney called Ms. Fleming and they spoke for nearly two hours.
“Talking to Susan opened my eyes,” Mr. Whitney said. “I realized that Kelsey could do very well in our program. She just needed extra time to learn her own way to perform the skills.”
The School of Nursing faculty was encouraged by Ms. Trapp’s continued progress, and realized that with support from teaching assistants, she could succeed on her own merit.
“Kelsey is a very determined, positive young lady,” Ms. Derrick said. “She worked very hard, and by the end of the first session, she could perform all the same skills as her peers.”
Carla Allen, the teaching assistant assigned to Ms. Trapp’s group, spent many hours one on one helping her learn the required skills, including starting intravenous catheters and inserting urinary catheters.
“The first real thing we had a problem with was suctioning,” Ms. Allen said. “Kelsey just looked at me and told me she couldn’t do it. I told her if we had to stay all night, we were going to work through this.” Normally, the procedure requires using one sterile hand to insert a tube down the nose and into the throat. The other hand must be available to vacuum out secretions, using the thumb to suction.
“Kelsey didn’t have the use of her other thumb, so we devised a way where she could use her prosthetic arm to suction instead, being very careful not to contaminate,” Ms. Allen said.
Throughout the semester, the teaching assistants brainstormed about how to perform different tasks. They practiced on dummies and themselves, discovering what limitations Kelsey faced and how they could overcome them.
“We were determined to find strategies that would work for Kelsey,” Ms. Allen said. “We showed her our ideas and she adapted her own way. It helped that she had Susan Fleming to guide her.” Ms. Allen credits Kelsey with inspiring her to teach nursing someday.
“She has honestly taught me more than anyone else ever has,” Ms. Allen said. “Working with her showed me that I could do this teaching thing. She gave me that little boost of confidence.”
Ms. Trapp is now eager to gain more experience and take on new challenges. She is currently gaining clinical experience at MCG Medical Center.
“When I started nursing school, I thought starting an IV would be the hardest thing,” Ms. Trapp said. “I did it yesterday for the first time; it came naturally to me.”
Ms. Fleming continues to be an inspiration to Ms. Trapp, who was especially heartened by these words of encouragement:
“Kelsey, the biggest disabilities I have seen in nursing aren’t physical. They are character flaws that we all can possess, such as laziness, arrogance, failure to react and sloppiness. Don’t give up.”
Kim Miller