Learning disability nurse

Learning disability nurse job description: Typical employers | Qualifications and training | Key skills | Useful links | Find jobs and courses

Typical duties of the job include:

• assessing and planning care requirements
• advising about and organising appropriate care, resources or benefits
• writing care plans that outline timescales
• liaising with relatives, colleagues and other social welfare or healthcare professionals
• monitoring and administering medication and injections
• providing support to relatives
• organising workloads
• supervising junior staff
• tutoring student nurses
• writing records and reports
• meeting clients at home or at clinics to discuss progress
• organising social activities and holidays for clients in residential care
• helping to enable clients to have full and independent lives
• assisting with basic living skills.

Typical employers of learning disability nurses

• NHS Primary Care Trusts
• residential homes
• agencies
• charities
• specialist schools
• day centres.

Vacancies are advertised via the internet, in newspapers, NHS trusts' jobs lists and publications such as Nursing Times, Nursing Standard, Scottish Nurse, and Paediatric Nurse.

Degree course applications should be made through UCAS, or directly to institutions for shortened postgraduate courses and for diploma places in Wales and Northern Ireland. UCAS (or CATCH in Scotland) handle diploma places, for which applications should be made at least one year in advance of the course commencing.

Qualifications and training required

Graduates with a degree in a relevant subject such as medical, biological or social sciences can qualify via a shortened two-year postgraduate diploma course. Less relevant candidates will need a three-year nursing diploma course or a three to four-year nursing degree.

Previous relevant experience is not essential, but any gained caring for/working with people can be helpful. All nursing students on diploma, degree and shortened postgraduate courses are eligible for NHS funding, some of which may be means-tested.

Key skills for learning disability nurses

• excellent interpersonal skills
• team working skills
• verbal and written communication skills
• resilience
• stamina.