Meaghan

I want to share my experience navigating workplace accommodations and maintaining a successful career as a healthcare professional as I became a person with a disability.

In 2004, I began working as a registered nurse for Melrose Wakefield Hospital (MWH), part of Tufts Medicine. In 2017, I was diagnosed with primary progressive multiple sclerosis. By 2020, I began to have difficulty walking, which marked a turning point in my professional life.

Challenges

As my physical abilities changed, I became concerned about how to continue my employment. Nursing is a physically demanding profession, and many aspects of the role, such as walking long distances through the hospital or assisting with patient transfers, were no longer possible for me. Despite these challenges, I wanted to remain productive and continue contributing to the organization. I wanted to use my years of clinical knowledge and leadership as a nursing supervisor in a new capacity.

Accommodation

MWH assisted me by offering me positions that maximized my contributions to the organization while accommodating my evolving mobility needs.

MWH recognized my strong leadership skills and my recent completion of a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) with a focus on leadership. I was offered a Clinical Manager role that did not involve physical demands. The organization valued my contributions as a leader and supported my continued success.

As a Clinical Manager, I worked closely with the Risk Management team. I later became a Senior Risk Manager, a role that valued my clinical expertise while allowing additional accommodations. My direct supervisor maintained an open and ongoing dialogue regarding any accommodation I needed. In 2022, when I began using a wheelchair, MWH installed a remote-control door opener to ensure I could access the work suite independently. I was also given the opportunity to work from home, which I now do full time.