Learning/Intellectual Disabilities Nursing

[chillieisme]

Hello!!

I'm Chillie, A 1st year student nurse studying in Nottingham in the UK. I've lived in England my whole life, but my father's Canadian, and so due to some legality or the other, I think I'm eligible for citizenship, and so I was thinking about coming to Canada for a year or two to work, but it wouldn't be for a good 5 years or so.

But anyways, I'm doing a BsC in Learning Disability Nursing, and I sorta know a bit about the career oppurtunities I have here, but to be honest I've no idea of how it stands in Canada. Is there much demand for this branch of nursing? I've asked a few lecturers at Uni, but no-one knows much about it...

But if anyone works in this branch and wouldn't mind answering some questions, or if anyone has any links to anything I could read up on or something, I'd be really grateful!!

Thank you very much!

[Fiona59]

We are all generalists in Canada. We don't specialize until after graduation.

Your specialty really doesn't exist here. I've never seen it advertised in my province. We have nurses that work in group home and some special ed programmes for children. These jobs are usually through charities or other types of funding usually by a specific disease founation. They are usually filled by LPNs.

It can take a good year to get your papers in order to work over here.

[NotReady4PrimeTime, RN]

I would also suggest you check into your potential citizenship, because there have been changes to the automatic conferral to children of citizens born abroad. http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/information/faq/citizenship/index.asp#rules

[Silverdragon102, BSN]

You will more than likely have issues with your transcript and find you are short in some areas. As Fiona states the Canadian training is general unlike the UK which is specialist. If you can change over to general adult you may find it a more opportune thing to do if you plan on coming to Canada in the future

[chillieisme]

Hmmm I think the best option is probably going to be in the social services side then, Thank you very much for helping anyways!!

Also I forgot to ask in my first message, what are the common views on tattoos in the health care and social care sectors in Canada? I've got both my arms sleeved, with a small part on one of my palms, and i've got my fingers tattooed, and I've also got a tattoo on the side of my head, you can't see it when my hairs longer than about 4mm, but you could probably make it out slightly if you noticed it. I'm not sure if it's the same in Canada, but even though tattoos are becoming the 'norm', having my hands and head tattooed still carries that stigma almost everywhere, I'm lucky being in the field I am, as it doesn't seem to matter at all.

[kaiasunshine]

I've never heard of problems with tattoos in hospitals. I work with a care aid who has full sleeves and a neck tattoo and she's never had any problems, and I've been told by nurses at several Vancouver hospitals (because I'm curious about it too) that is doesn't matter. The most you would get at perhaps more conservative hospitals might be a recommendation to wear longer-sleeved shirts, but even then who knows. Every hospital is different but I have yet to talk to one that has anti-tattoo policies!