Welcome to the new Learning Disability Nursing forum

-* CNA's are part of nursing too
-* I always get yelled at for venting
-* Your right on that one!

I'm sorry I'm just being a smarty pants!!!

was hoping you would reply to that post lol... good for you girl.

This forum is wonderful!I am a new grad working on a renal unit,where I am very unhappy. My passion has always been to work with adults and children of special needs.I dread going to work everyday and I am considering a change! I've been trying to find a way to integrate learning disabilities with nursing but have been unsucessful. Everyone keeps telling me that I can: either be school nurse or end up going back to school for more training and more certification in child developement.There has got to be more out there!!!I am new to Northern California and really don't know where to start looking!help!

WaaaaHoooo, this is just the ticket!! I work with an agency that supports the developmentally disabled adult population in their communities. I am also a certified developmental disabilities RN.
My clients have many different syndromes, mental issues and problems and I'm very excited to see this as a forum.

Ooops, thought this would be for nurses with learning disability.

Anyway, after reading the posts, I can see that this forum will be very beneficial!

Good idea Brian!

Brian, thank you for changing the name to DD to encompass
all developmental disabilities! Much obliged!!

I work at a residental facility for DD in pediatrics. We also provide services for members of our community with DD. We even have
our own school for the disabled!

This is a very special and rewarding area of nursing and I look
forward to discussing it with all of you!

Glad I found this spot---I am new in this field--as well as to the greater DFW area so am doubly challenged.
I have pretty much always been a hospital nurse, and this is so different. Our program deals with the disabled from birth mostly
CP, and through it they are allowed to stay in their own homes!!
Wonderful thing, most of them seem to thrive.
I will be looking in often,
Thanks

I am so happy I found this forum!! I work in Vocational Services. We have about 19 different programs here. 4 RCF's and 2 ICF's, plus a sheltered work facility. I am the Vocational Services / Worker's Comp LPN. I mainly work with the clients that come here to do paid work and vocational programing. I also oversee all the staff work comp injuries. I have been here 3 years and it is the most rewarding postion I have ever had. It is too bad that more people didn't know about this field of work!!

Thank You Again!!!!

Hi everyone! I am a newly graduated RN and have yet to take boards, soon though! I have just accepted a position on a Neurosciences unit at a large teaching hospital. Right now I just want to get my feet wet as a new nurse and work on my nursing skills. I would someday like to work with either children or adults with Autism or other developmental disabilities. I guess my question is similar to nrs-jlm's....How exactly do you get involved with this kind of nursing? Are there certifications here in the US that you can get? ( I live in Ohio) Any help or info from currrent RN's working in this field would be appreciated.

SunnyChickRN,

I work in outpatient pediatric neurology clinic at a Children's hospital as well as NICU. The majority of the kids I work with have developmental disabilities.

There are a variety of ways that you could work with developmentally disabled children. You could work Pedi. home health, neurology clinic at a childrens hospital, grouphomes for kids. Also there are larger homes for kids sort of like "pediatric nursing homes" . Early Childhood Intervention (ECI) is another option. You could also work a summer camp (epilepsy, etc...).

I really don't know of any certifications for developmental disability nursing.

The Neurosciences unit will be a good place to start and I do know that there is national organization for Neuroscience nurses and I think that there is a certification exam.

Hope this helps! If you have any additional questions let me know!