Welcome to the new Learning Disability Nursing forum

zenzo · Mar 14, 2004

iam a registered nurse in learning disabilites based in the u.k. i want to work in the states is it possible with my qualification.

Per the request of one of the allnurses.com visitors, we created the Learning Disability forum. Enjoy!
Please feel free to start posting your Learning Disability issues and questions. Thanks
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Brian Short
https://allnurses.com
It's how nurses surf the web!

ewol · Aug 13, 2004

Can anyone tell me what the job situation is for nurses in this part of Australia. I am Dual qualified in paediatrics and Learning disabilites ( or intellectual disability i think our fellow professionals use this term in Australia ). Currently work in a respite care service for children with medical issues and some form of physical and learning disability. Just kicking about the thought at the moment.

What type of employment is there? is it private or Government funded, etc.

Any help or thoughts on the subject would be greatly appreciated.

ewol :) .

akcarmean, LPN · Oct 20, 2004

:confused: I have worked with some disabled children and special needs children. I love that area. How hard is it to find a decent paying job in that area? Any ideas on where to look. I live in central Illinois and have 3 children I am not ready to move or drive to far. But would love to get into this area.

Angelia

TanyaS · Oct 21, 2004

Hi- I am a nursing student and will be graduating in December. Whrn I was 18 yrs old, I got my first job as a caregiver in a group home for adults with developmental disabilities. I love this population and it made me want to be a nurse so that I could understand these issues more fully and, hopefully, eventually open a group home/school of my own. Before seing this forum, I had no idea that this was an are that you could be certified in. How do you get certified? What agency is in charge of that? And, what exactly do you do as this type of nurse? Insight from someone working in this area would be very appreciated! Tanya :rolleyes:

I am a Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurse, RN, looking for CEU's in Devleopmental Disabilities topics. Anyone have any resources?

akcarmean, LPN · Oct 21, 2004

Thanks for this forum. I am a learning disability nurse working with 30 clients. I am so happy to find this forum to get advice from other nurses in my field. I am an LPN and have only been doing this type of nursing for a few months but I am loving it. It is challenging but very rewarding. Althoug some of our clients can be very difficult they are also very loving individuals. Thanks again for the forum.

How did you become certified in the Learning Diablitity area ? Thanks, Angelia

akcarmean, LPN · Oct 21, 2004

I am a Certified Developmental Disabilities Nurse, RN, looking for CEU's in Devleopmental Disabilities topics. Anyone have any resources?

How did you become certified in the Developmental Disabilities area ? Thanks Angelia

Carlos Casteneda · May 6, 2005

Hi night owl
just wanted to respond to your question.
There is probably a difference of opinion between the UK and USA here. As I understand Learning disability nurses do not exist in the USA. In the UK we use this term to refer to people who the USA refer to as mental retardation (if this term is still used)
As a learning disability nurse I'm currently working with offenders who have a learning disability and a mental health problem as well. I guess my speciality would be challenging behaviour in that the behaviour a client displays challenges the staff around them (this usually is along the lines of aggression and violence but can also include verbal abuse; PICA; their offence etc.)
Learning disability is usually diagnosed based on the IQ but also physical and mental development. This also includes lots of syndromes such as downs syndrome; autism asphergers syndrome; cerebral palsy - the list is endless.
Most LD nurses work in community homes enabling the individual to live a 'normal' life. however, others like myself work in specialist environments which are usually based on hospital sites but attempt to get away from institutlisation. Prior to 1990 many still lived in asylums and way back anyone that was 'abnormal' was put away. This also included children born to unmarried mothers or child born with two big toes or only one thumb! The royalty still have siblings being cared for by a hospital in a community setting now but used to be in an asylum (in fact the one where I trained).
I hope this gives you a taster of what we do - also check out www.rnld.co.uk where you'll find lots of examples of our work.
Anna

i have heard ld described as developmental delay. i work with ld clients we are currently implementing integrated care pathway for the terminal phase of illnesses experienced by people with ld we are trying to find a distress assessment tool for people with ld could you help

Alley Cat · Sep 9, 2005

i have heard ld described as developmental delay. i work with ld clients we are currently implementing integrated care pathway for the terminal phase of illnesses experienced by people with ld we are trying to find a distress assessment tool for people with ld could you help

By "distress assessment" do you mean pain? If so, we use the FLACC scale in assessing pain in our nonverbal patients.

LydiaNN · Sep 9, 2005

A learning disability and a developmental delay really aren't the same thing. A learning disability involves difficulty learning for a particular reason. Many people with LD have normal to very high IQs. A developmental delay is much more global in nature. That term is also misused a lot, as it implies that children will catch up at some point. Some of them will, but if a developmental delay is still present by around age 8, it is in fact a developmental disorder, and in more severe instances, a developmental disability.

mm4785 · Dec 18, 2005

I have a question. I am a DD nurse in New York. Do any other DD nurses have a problem with the use of AMAP's in group homes? It disturbs me that we still allow unlicensed personnel (and I know many of them are very conscientious) to do meds and treatments. Does anyone have any thoughts about this practice? :cool:

sjmac · Feb 11, 2006

Hi

Is there any jobs for LD nurses in the US? We are in England, thinking about relocating to the US but can't find any jobs so far!

Thanks,

Sjmac

mm4785 · Feb 14, 2006

Hi
Is there any jobs for LD nurses in the US? We are in England, thinking about relocating to the US but can't find any jobs so far!
Thanks,
Sjmac

You have to look for advertisements under MR/DD in America. There are always postings in the New York area - and there are many organizations that you could apply to directly. If you go to the website of the New York State Office of MR/DD - do a google search - you can get the names of the different organizations, all non-profit I think, that you could contact about nursing positions. Hope this helps a little,

mm4785