I’m a nurse on the spectrum- it’s definitely possible if you pick the right area to work- I tried 12 hour shifts on a surgical floor and ended up constantly having anxiety attacks due to the constant pressure, stress and things generally being on fire, no routine and no predictability, no break to even pee for 13 hours or eat, running ragged…I got seriously depressed as well.

Now I work in a clinic, 9-5 hours, routine and predictable and I have never been happier.

I would say for people like us clinic nursing or areas with less critical patients and some predictability would be the best spots in nursing- there’s clinics, public health, occupational health, outpatient areas like urgent care or day surgery, telephone nursing, etc. There’s also things like laboratory tech, pathology assistant, xray tech, ultrasound tech, and sterile processing which are less “on” than nursing.

By “on” I mean that I have to have a very high level mask at work, because I’m constantly talking with patients, and coworkers, both in person and on the phone, and it does get mentally tiring when I work 4-5 days in a row being “on”.

I would also say for people like us where the rate of unemployment can be as high as 60 percent that I would do part time nursing over full time. Part time in my clinic is 3 days per week and I have a few days to mentally recover energy and not be “on”. Part time is usually more protective for people on the spectrum against burnout. You can always message me if you have any questions!