A learning disability nurse works with people who suffer from a variety of learning problems. The actual job varies a bit depending on the circumstances the nurse is employed in. Someone with this job might be employed by a family to help out with a single person in a household, or he could be employed as a manager in a community center. Each job would have totally different responsibilities, but there are a few similarities. Generally speaking, the ability to communicate on a personal level with individuals who have different learning disabilities is important for any of the available jobs in this field.
On the most basic level, a learning disability nurse needs to be able to communicate effectively with the learning disabled and help them in their daily activities. The tactics required for this task are very different depending on the learning disability involved. It's generally important that the nurse be able to both understand and explain things in ways that make sense to the people under his care.
Usually, a learning disability nurse is simply a cog in a larger wheel of other health care professionals. He may be in charge, or he might be a lower-level worker. Having an ability to work with other professionals is generally considered a vital skill in this job, and sometimes that can be the most central aspect, especially for a learning disability nurse in a management position.
A learning disability nurse may be able to get work in a wide variety of different locations. For example, these nurses may work in hospitals and focus specifically on helping learning disabled patients, or they may get jobs as personal nurses for people with severe learning disabilities. Many also gain employment at community centers and other facilities devoted to helping or educating disabled individuals.
According to many experts, the most difficult part of being a learning disability nurse is learning to manage expectations. In many cases, these nurses may be tasked with teaching disabled individuals important life skills, and this can sometimes be a challenging task. In many cases, nurses may suffer from frustration because the communication barriers can be very difficult. Usually, a learning disability nurse will only be used for people with relatively severe learning disabilities. For example, these nurses may not be involved with helping someone who suffers from mild dyslexia or dyscalculia, but they may be vital to someone suffering from autism.