Learning disability nurse jobs

Learning disability nurse is a demanding but rewarding profession in which you will assist individuals in becoming self-sufficient and living independent lives.

People of all ages who have learning impairments will benefit from your assistance as a learning disability nurse, as they will be able to preserve their health and welfare and enjoy their lives to the fullest possible extent.

Helping people with day-to-day activities like going to college, going on vacation, or going out with friends is part of what it means to be a nurse who specializes in caring for people who have learning disabilities. This can include teaching them the skills necessary to look after themselves, to keep themselves healthy (both physically and mentally), or to find work.

In addition to working in teams with other nurses and specialists in the fields of health and social welfare, you will be responsible for drafting care plans and monitoring the execution of suggestions.

In addition to assisting patients in maintaining their health and ensuring that they get any necessary medical treatment, you will also provide assistance to the patients' relatives, those who care for them, and friends. The workplaces include of the community as well as assisted living environments most of the time.

Responsibilities

As a nurse specializing in learning disabilities, you will be expected to:

Engage with those who are vulnerable so that you may create relationships based on trust with them.

analyze and comprehend behavior as well as the results of evidence-based research in order to create individualized treatment plans.

coordinate healthcare evaluations and care plans with many other specialists in the fields of health and social welfare, and complete the necessary documentation.

home visits and appointments at the GP office need to be scheduled so that patients, their caregivers, and the patient's GP may be updated on their progress and discussed.

Assist patients in completing activities of daily living such as clothing themselves and maintaining personal hygiene, going shopping and preparing meals, utilizing public transportation, attending appointments, looking for jobs, and managing their money.

service users should participate in the planning of activities, social gatherings, and holidays (in supported living settings)

maintain communication with the personnel in charge of patient admissions in order to arrange for patients' care requirements upon admission and departure from the hospital (e.g. housing and medication)

group work on topics such as problem resolution, anxiety control, healthy living, and behavior management should be carried out.

personnel of assistance and caregivers working in the community

aid with various examinations, assessments, and observations.

maintain a level of awareness about the possibilities and activities in the local community.

Help advance the cause for equality and ensure that everyone has equal access to all community and public services.

Salary

The pay system for nurses in the NHS, known as Agenda for Change, has clearly defined pay ranges. Learning disability nurses who have recently graduated may expect salaries ranging from £25,655 to £31,534. (Band 5).

As you acquire more experience and take on greater responsibility, you'll move up through the bands as you progress through the ranks. The majority of experienced nurses are employed at Band 6 or Band 7, which pay anything from £32,306 to £45,89 per year.

One of the nursing specialties that offers some of the highest pay is that of the nurse consultant, with salary beginning on Band 8a and increasing from £47,126 to £53,219.

It is possible to get extra compensation in addition to these rates for working unsocial hours or for being on call. Depending on how close you are to the city center, you may be eligible for an additional five to twenty percent in allowances if you live in the London region.

Health Careers provides information on income. The numbers are simply meant to serve as a guide.

Time spent working

The standard workweek for a nurse who specializes in learning disabilities is 37.5 hours. If you work in assisted living facilities, this may entail working hours that are not considered social. If you have a base in the neighborhood, your working hours should be more consistent; but, after-hours and weekend house calls may be necessary on occasion. In some jobs, you could have to work rotating shifts or offer care around the clock.

There is a possibility of taking a vacation from one's profession, as well as the opportunity to work part-time or with flexible hours. There are other opportunities for temporary work that may be found via nurse banks and specialized employment agencies.

What may be anticipated

The location of your job can change. If you work in the community, you could see patients in clinic-like settings or go to their homes to check on them. Either way, you'll spend a lot of time talking to people. You might also work with persons who are living in assisted housing or with children who are attending independent or state-funded specialized schools. You might also be stationed in correctional facilities, mental health facilities, or hospitals.

You will be working as a member of a multidisciplinary team with other medical professionals such as general practitioners, psychologists, teachers, social workers, occupational therapists, and speech and language therapists.

Opportunities can be found throughout the majority of the country's main towns and cities, although they could be harder to find in rural regions.

When you observe the positive changes that your efforts have brought about in a patient, the job you do may at times be emotionally and physically taxing, but it also may provide you with a sense of accomplishment.

It is possible that you may spend a significant amount of time traveling throughout the course of a workday, especially if your company provides service across a big geographic region.

Qualifications

If you want to work as a nurse for people who have learning disabilities in the UK, you have to be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). In order to become eligible for registration, you are required to earn either a pre-registration nursing degree or a registered nurse degree apprenticeship (RNDA) from an education institution that has been recognised by the NMC (AEI).

A degree in nursing may be earned in one of these four subfields:

adult

children

learning disability

wellness of the mind

You may get a degree in two of the aforementioned fields by attending one of the very few schools that offer dual field degrees.

Courses leading to degrees normally take three years to complete when done full time, and four for dual fields (or degree courses in Scotland). You will get firsthand experience of dealing with patients and their families via the clinical practice component of the program, which is included as part of the curriculum. Your workplace may be a hospital, the community, the homes of patients, or an independent organization. These are all possible locations for your base of operations.

Accreditation of past experience learning, often known as APEL, is something that could be available to you if you have practice-based learning or a degree in another health-related, biology-based, or social sciences field. It is possible that having APEL may cut the length of your program to two years; however, this is up to the discretion of specific schools, so it is wise to verify before making any assumptions.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) stipulates that a person must be in good health in order to practise as a nurse; however, just because this is stated does not imply that you will be excluded if you have a handicap or a health condition. A check of your criminal history is another need that must be met before you can begin the pre-registration process.

Check out the NMC Approved Programmes page for a list of the programs that have been acknowledged.

During their time at the institution, nursing students have access to a grant for non-repayable training that has a minimum value of $5,000 per year. Visit the Health Careers website for more details.

Some businesses provide what are known as registered nursing degree apprenticeships (RNDAs), and it is anticipated that the number of these programs will increase. Because you are not attending classes on a full-time basis, studying in this manner allows you greater flexibility. Instead, you will need to get a job as a registered nurse assistant assistant (RNDA), and your employer will have to agree to let you attend school part-time while you work. Training will take place in a variety of locations, including hospitals, mental health institutions, patients' homes, and other community settings.

The completion of an RNDA will normally take four years, and the associated costs will be reimbursed by your company. If you have access to APEL, you may be able to complete the task in a shorter amount of time.

If you are currently employed in a position that provides healthcare support, you may be eligible to apply for a nursing associate apprenticeship. This type of apprenticeship is often viewed as a gateway into the nursing profession because it enables individuals to move on to a shortened nursing degree or an RNDA.

Skills

You will need to demonstrate that:

When dealing with patients and their families, it is important to have understanding, sensitivity, and compassion.

Since you will be working with patients that have a wide variety of requirements, flexibility is essential.

Because of the challenging conditions and the possibility that favorable outcomes would take a significant amount of time to materialize, patience and inventiveness are required.

the capacity to advocate for those who have learning difficulties while while maintaining one's own self-confidence

emotional toughness and an acute awareness of oneself

the ability to communicate and listen effectively, as well as the capacity to earn the trust of individuals whose experiences span a variety of domains

organization skills as well as the capacity to rank different demands in order of importance

problem-solving abilities as well as the capacity to use good judgment while determining how to respond to patients' requirements in the most effective manner

the capacity to contribute effectively while serving on a group.

Practice in the workplace

When applying for employment or courses, relevant experience gained prior to entrance might be beneficial. This may entail working with people in some capacity, especially in social care or hospital settings, or with those who have impairments. It will convey to your potential employer that you are interested in the profession and dedicated to it.

Charity Choice allows you to do a search for organizations that assist individuals who have learning difficulties and which may be able to provide possibilities for volunteer work.

You might also attempt to see a nurse in action or speak with current nurses about their experiences on the job in order to get an accurate picture of what is required of you.

Find out more information on the many types of work experience and internships that are currently offered.

Employers

You have several options to choose from if you want to pursue a career as a learning disability nurse, such as working for the National Health Service (NHS), social services, or a private company. These are the following:

adult care homes

adult education centres

the day's services

in-home care and treatment

hospitals

schools that focus on a certain subject

supported accommodation (where five or six tenants live together in a house)

workplaces

HM Prison and Probation Service.

In addition, there are a variety of charitable organizations, private organizations, and organizations that rely solely on volunteers that provide assistance and housing for persons who have learning difficulties. Those with prior experience may find possibilities in other countries.

Try looking for employment opportunities at:

Health Careers in the UK

Health and social care employment opportunities in Northern Ireland, referred to as HSC Jobs.

Jobs in the National Health Service (NHS) are available in both England and Wales. Also contains advertisements for apprenticeships leading to registered nurse degrees (RNDA).

Recruitment for the NHS in Scotland

NursingNetUK

Jobs in the Nursing Times

In the educational institutions that are used for the training and education of nurses, job openings are often communicated directly to the course leaders.

Many times, the filling of positions is handled by specialized recruiting companies like Pulse. Try looking through the Nursing Agencies List to get contact information for the different consultancies.

Improvement of one's profession

You will typically have the chance to take part in a term of preceptorship after you become a newly registered nurse who specializes in learning disabilities. The purpose of this transition phase is to assist you in further developing your practice and gaining confidence so that you may go on to the next step. It encompasses broad abilities in leadership, administration, education, and communication in addition to essential competence in patient care.

In Scotland, the Flying Start NHS program is open to any nurse who has just received their nursing license. This is a program for personal development with the goals of boosting your self-assurance and assisting you with your learning throughout your first year of clinical practice.

Your membership with the NMC has to be renewed every three years in order to be active. In order to do this, you will need to demonstrate that you have complied with the revalidation criteria within the allotted time frame. These are the following:

450 hours of practice, which may be fulfilled by giving direct care to patients, leading teams, instructing people, or establishing a care service.

35 hours of ongoing professional development (CPD), including 20 hours of participatory learning in which you've engaged with at least one other professional, such as at conferences, training courses, and events. CPD stands for continuous professional development.

five different forms of feedback connected to practicing

five written reports of thoughtful thought

Discussion based on reflection

a statement on both my health and my character

having an agreement for professional indemnity coverage.

Visit the NMC Revalidation website for more information.

Training courses are offered in a variety of fields, including the following:

movement and handling

safeguarding of children

control of aggressive behavior and violent behavior

Control of the infection

You will have the option to expand your knowledge and acquire specializations in a variety of fields, such as forensic nursing, education, sensory impairment management, and epilepsy treatment, among others.

It is possible for you to get a Master's of Science or Doctor of Philosophy degree by enrolling in a part-time study program. If you work in the private sector or in a residential setting, you are often expected to choose and organize your own professional development opportunities.

After you have received your nursing certification and have gained some experience, you have the opportunity to pursue promotions and/or more specialized education, with the goal of eventually becoming a team leader or the head of learning disability nursing.

It is possible to advance one's career by acquiring more training in specialty skills, management, or the development of teaching abilities, and then moving into one of the following positions:

health management

profession that requires specialization, for instance in the field of sensory impairments like autism

administration of assisted living facilities

research

nursing education or nurse consultant roles.

There is also the possibility of taking on responsibilities as a nurse leader, such as managing a ward or supervising a group of other nurses. The NHS Leadership Academy offers a variety of training programs that may assist nurses in transitioning into leadership positions at any stage of their careers.

There is also the possibility of doing consulting work for the Department of Health and Social Care or the National Health Service. When pursuing some chances, such as managerial jobs, teaching, or research, you could find that you have to shift away from doing hands-on work.

Outside of the NHS, opportunities can be found in social services, voluntary organizations, private healthcare organizations that provide community care, and health services overseas, in both paid and voluntary capacities, once you have substantial experience in the field. These opportunities can be found in social services.

Work at correctional facilities, namely in specialized secure units designed for offenders with disabilities, is another option for registered nurses looking for employment.