Learning Disability nursing is a very rewarding career with excellent employment prospects. The role of a Learning Disability Nurse is to support individuals and their families to ensure health needs are met and individuals are able to reach their potential and live independent lives. Student Nicholas Harfield talks us through the role, career paths, opportunities and characteristics of a Learning Disability Nurse.
Nicholas Harfield
BSc (Hons) Learning Disability Nursing student
What do learning disability nurses do?
We do a lot! We perform cathetirisations, we take bloods, we help feed the patients who need support, we change PEGs (percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy), we work closely with forensic services, we work throughout the entire age range, we work closely with family members, we work within respite services to support family, we give intramuscular injections, we review and write care plans, we take care of new admissions, we safely discharge people, we work with other services to ensure adequate care outside of our own place of work, and it doesn’t stop there.
Learning Disability Nurses do a lot, and there’s no reason to believe we do any less than other kinds of nurses.
Responsibilities
We are responsible for our patients and for the staff we work with. Even as a newly qualified nurse, you will become a patient's named nurse and be responsible for their care planning and management. In the third year of the course, students learn more about management and even attend a final “management” placement, which is designed to prepare student nurses for qualification. This is when we learn managerial skills that prepare us for work, such as management of staff, unit/ward management, and care planning.
Career opportunities and paths with a Learning Disability Nursing degree
There are many career opportunities and paths for a qualified LD Nurse to pursue. As you will be told when you join this course, LD Nurses can work in any field (Adult, Child, Mental Health). I discovered for myself when I began looking for jobs near the end of my final year that many mental health trusts, hospitals, and units will look for either Registered Mental Health Nurses or LD Nurses, so there are many opportunities within that field. One of the placements BCU offers its LD Nursing students is at HMP Birmingham, Winson Green - there are many opportunities to work within forensic settings as an LD Nurse.
Learning Disability Nursing
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Characteristics and interests
In my opinion, the key characteristic any LD Nurse needs is compassion. In our field, we care for the most vulnerable in society and we face barriers every single day with regards to communication and care. Compassion, coupled with patience and understanding, is invaluable.
As for interests, I think you need to be keenly interested in problem solving. Nursing is not always straightforward, and at times you will be faced with a scenario with no clear or direct solution, but as nurses we're taught to think outside of the box and find creative and evidence-based solutions.
How do I become a Learning Disability Nurse?
To become a Learning Disability Nurse, you can apply for a variety of pathways: BSc, MSci and Apprenticeship. The BSc is a standard three year degree, the MSci is a four year degree but allows you to specialise in two fields, the Apprenticeship is a four year course that blends university learning with work.