Learning Disabilities Nursing - BSc (Hons) *

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When I first started my degree, I wasn't
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100% sure where I wanted to go in terms
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of what area because learn disability
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nursing is really vast. You can kind of
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work with children and adults. So, I
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didn't really have a preference. Um, but
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the role itself, a learn disability
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liaison nurse was something I was really
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interested in cuz I did a like a shadow
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day and it kind of gave me the
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opportunity to work kind of across the
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field, children, young people,
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adolescence. So, yeah, I kind of had
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that interest but that was from a
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placement that I did whilst at
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university. My typical work day, I work
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9 to5 Monday to Friday. So, it's not
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kind of normal nursing shift patterns
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that you'd think of. Um, but that's kind
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of when our service is available to
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support young people. We come in in the
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morning, we check for what referrals
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we've had from the previous day or
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overnight. So, we discuss within the
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team who it's going to be allocated to
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um and kind of make a plan from there.
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We then often have kind of telephone
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calls with families. That's how we do
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our first contact to kind of get the
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background. We get calls from the wards
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that we have to go and see patients
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maybe if they're in crisis or maybe just
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for a little bit of support and advice.
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I know the learning disability team at
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Bium because I'm an impatient work
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regularly and I have I have learning
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disabilities. to the team helped me with
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making sure my needs are and and any
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accommodations I may need.
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Working with children like Bella, um
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it's really rewarding. You get to see
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the positive experiences that they have
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in the hospital when we've been
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involved. Her voice is heard even though
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there's assumptions there sometimes that
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that's not necessarily the case. Um so,
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you know, she's grown in confidence. Oh,
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the team have made a brilliant impact on
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us. Like they've made talking to the
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doctors so much easier. The learning dis
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and now that relationship
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got a lot better. a memorable moment um
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that kind of obviously is really I'm
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quite proud of is that when I um had
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been in the role for my first year, I
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was nominated um for the Birmingham
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Women and Children's Spirit Awards. I
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was nominated and a finalist for the um
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most inspiring colleague. It was really
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really proud moment and it kind of
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highlighted that to everyone else in the
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trust. My time at university at BCU, I I
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really enjoyed every moment of it. I
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think the value of the way that they um
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run the course is that you have
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experience in lots of different
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settings. So I worked in adult settings,
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children settings, mental health and
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learning disability. You get connections
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with people that you will work with down
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the line. Um you see different areas in
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which LD nurses can make a difference.
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Um and the lecturers themselves were
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fantastic. A lot of them have worked in
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different settings that then you can
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pull on their knowledge. The piece of
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advice I'd give for anyone studying
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learn disability nursing is don't think
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you're not going to get a job because
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that's kind of something that's out
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there that there's not jobs for learning
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disability nurses, you're trained in a
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really specific realm, but actually you
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can work in practically any setting. Um,
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forensics, children's hospitals like I'm
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in community settings, there's just so
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much and you work across the age range.
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Um, and you aren't just kind of stuck in
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one area. Um, and I think your expertise
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is completely different to that of other
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nurses.