Legal and ethical dilemma

[sunshine080]

My job requires a professional registration in order to perform. My current registration expires shortly and I have been contacted to renew it. In order to renew I have to confirm that I am still fit to practice, and declare that there have been no changes to my health that would impact this. So I have two choices; lie and keep my job (because without a registration, I have no job), or declare my health issues, be unable to renew and lose my job - which subsequently means losing my house, being unable to support my family and child, etc. I am already in a high state of anxiety about this predicament and the closer it gets to the expiration date, the worse it's getting.

WWYD?

I guess there are two different questions here:

Are you fit to practice?

How do your health changes impact your ability to practice?

Without more information OP, there's no way anyone here can give meaningful advice. As PP have said, without knowing whether you'd be putting people at risk we can't give any kind of answer.

So I don't want people to think I'm being ridiculous by the answer not seeming blatantly obvious. Deep down I know what the answer is but it's come so unexpectedly that I have no plan B.

It is a job whereby I could potentially kill someone, either by making a mistake or not being attentive enough.

I'm an old, now single parent. I don't have help from the father. I am experiencing what I think are perimenopausal symptoms (insomnia, brain fog, memory issues, night sweats, dizzy spells, uncontrollable mood swings) but I'm not getting taken seriously. All compounded by having a young child who I believe to have SEN based on family history and presentation.

My job is the only job I've ever done, so whilst I have some transferable skills, I have no direct experience doing anything else. I also am at the top of my pay due to 20 years experience and my circumstances are based on this salary, so even if I were to obtain a very basic office job that didn't require previous experience, it would be financially unsustainable.

The only other sideways moves within the organisation are into other clinical roles in a different area, which would still require a registration. I am also relatively close to a member of management (not senior enough to have any control over things however) who has off the record advised me that they will look to dismiss me if I don't re-register.

Just to add to this so that it's not assumed I've been waiting for an opportunity to present itself, I have been sending my CV to all sorts of vacancies online for the last 2-3 months and am yet to be considered for an interview.

If you're a surgeon who has unfortunately been diagnosed with epilepsy, definitely not.

But even a surgeon could move into another area of work, a non patient role.. Research, teaching at med school etc. Wouldn't need to result in losing their home

Please @sunshine080 - go to occupational health, go to the freedom to speak up guardian, go to your union/professional body. Get help anywhere you can please.

Peri-menopausal symptoms are treatable and you will be well enough to work again soon. Don’t lie of course to the registration body, but don’t lose hope.

Have you had help from your gp regarding your symptoms? What about asking the organisation you register with for advice?

WHAT !!!

It's menopause ! You take the drugs ! You spend £300 at the Newson clinic if you have to and get HRT

In a few weeks with a few patches YOU WILL BE FINE

YOU ARE FIT TO PRACTICE - you just feel shit, I know and I've been there

Get someone to check your work, you have well being policies - the NMC are not going to accept that as a health condition

Is there a third option whereby you can suspend your registration until you are in a position to resume your duties?

Ok that's not an issue. Get an appointment, get some treatment, make a few lifestyle amendments if you can. This is the condition telling you you're not up to it. It lies. You will be fine.

All is not lost.

Take a breath

I would make contact with your professional body to seek their support.

In an organisation such as the NHS you may very well be eligible for early retirement on the grounds of ill health. That could mean you would receive the pension you would have got if you worked up to normal retirement age.

What are the terms for sick pay ? Again public bodies are generous and this would give you time to figure out alternative careers

Do you have income insurance ?

I don't think you'll lose your registration over peri menopausal symptoms OP. These are actually quite common symptoms. I think you'll be told to go and get tests and address your issues. These shouldn't be permanent problems the way developing eg Parkinson's disease or sight loss would be.
But if it comes to it I'm sure you'll have loads of transferable skills into another area of work. I think the way you're feeling at the moment is causing you to catastrophise

I am going to make an assumption here. You talk about options being another clinical role so I assume you are in a health care field.
What makes you think being perimenopausal would make you unfit to practice. 70% of the NHS workforce are female and a good proportion of these are menopausal.
Have you spoken to your occupational health department. Not sure is you are UK based but many trusts are putting things in place for staff with menopausal symptoms as they have realised they will lose even more staff of they don't.
You say no-one is listening to you so I am assuming you have no diagnosis? If this is the case what exactly are you planning to declare on your registration document?
What exactly is it that makes up think you may not be fit to practice? Could some of this be anxiety based?

Oh - so these major health changes you referred to is just the peri-menopause? If that's the case then no, I don't think you need to disclose them - you've not been diagnosed with some terrible, life-changing condition.

To put it in perspective, we all get a bit more forgetful as we get older. Things that we were quicker at, or sharper at, when we were younger sometimes don't come quite as easily from the peri-menopause onwards. Unless there's some kind of restriction in the registration that says only young people can register (obviously I'm joking), you're being way over-dramatic.

Yes, the peri-menopause is shit. But you don't need to throw your hands up in the air and declare yourself as permanently unfit for work, and unable to keep a roof over your head. That's a huge overreaction. And I say this as a fellow, late 40-something perimenopausal woman.

If your GP is being a twat, see another GP in the practice. As PP have said, get advice from Occ Health, or even just change GP surgeries. If you've got the £££ you can go private. There are lots of options to get the perimenopause treated, and you'll feel a lot better once it is.

Deep breath OP, this sounds like peri-anxiety rather than any inability to do your job.

Menopause is not a health issue that disqualifies you from any job.

OP you are catastrophising. I have never heard of anyone losing their professional registration for menopause symptoms. Go see your GP again. Or another GP or a private one online. Get some treatment and get signed off for a while if you need to. Speak to your Occ Health dept if you aren't getting signed off sick to get some advice and support.

Of course your friend/manager said you'd be sacked if you didn't re register as it's a requirement of your job!!

Can you take HRT? I was on it within seconds of getting my first symptoms! It was a true lifesaver.

Seconding this advice.

I truly thought I had early onset dementia when peri menopausal symptoms hit. Completely managed with HRT and memory magically returned etc. Was shocking to learn how much memory is linked to hormones eg after a hysterectomy.

https://www.hysterectomy.org/2019/01/18/hysterectomy-may-affect-memory-and-cognition/

https://www.endocrine.org/news-and-advocacy/news-room/2018/hysterectomy-may-be-linked-to-brain-function

Presumably you're over 40 with 20 years' experience.

Slap a patch on your arse and the symptoms will begin to lessen after about three days.

I've been back and forth to the GP and keep getting handed amitriptyline or antidepressants. I've tried to request they consider the symptoms as a collection rather than individually but I'm just not being listed to. They've got me waiting for counselling while switching the antidepressants round, blaming some of my symptoms on side effects of the medication.

I appreciate the encouragement from you all, and whilst if my symptoms were to go away then I would be fine again, but until then I am not functioning adequately enough to be responsible for people's health. I have found myself driving on the wrong side of the road on a couple of occasions, having no recollection of things I've done immediately prior, etc. It's draining, frightening and depressing.

@sunshine080 I would lie if you think you can perform your job safely. It's kind of discrimination on grounds of disability/illness.

I have a disability and wouldn't disclose it at an interview or when applying to rent or even applying to go on a course.

The world is full of discrimination and this is the reality of living as a disabled person if one wants to get anywhere.

It's different if you're operating heavy machinery and on meds that cause drowsiness or something- then you shouldn't lie.

Go private, then.

Would hrt not help you keep your job?

@NeverDropYourMooncup Are you offering to fund that for OP?

Sorry just read the update I've been to my gp several times and I keep being persuaded not to have it for whatever reason! Which is a nightmare! I would go private and get hrt.

I prioritized and went private for a bit for some issues, but I get PIP and that paid for it. I didn't have much money for other stuff for that couple of years, though.

What's the dilemma?

Of course the rules apply to you, just as they do for everyone. When you need to see a licensed professional, are you OK with the idea that they might have obtained their registration by deceit? Do you think you are the only one with living costs or a family?

Just talk to your professional body. They are the only ones who can advise and help you. Can you imagine if we (on MN) were like, sure go ahead and lie, and you took that as serious guidance to follow?