Developmental Disability Nurse

         In high school I was in a program called LINKS, we worked one on one with a special needs students or students with disabilities. While in this program I realized I wanted to spend the rest of my life working with special needs people. But I have always wanted to be a nurse so I did some research and found the perfect job for me! A developmental disability nurse is a nurse who specializes in caring for patients with special needs. As a developmental disability nurse you need to have patience, be structured, independent, and multifaceted. Tasks that this type of nurse does:

•  Explaining the type of disability a new born or young child has to the family
•  Teaching patients to walk and speak fluently
•  Helping with basic everyday functions such as eating

        There are many places a developmental disability nurse can work, ranging from hospitals to schools. I hope to be working in a hospital and also with labor and delivery! (Check our other post for more information). There is an organization called DDNA which stands for Developmental Disabilities Nurse Association. If you want to learn more about it check out http://ddna.org/certification/. 

Sources: "Developmental Disability Nurse." Campaign for Nursing. Johnson & Johnson Services, Inc., 1 Oct. 2014. Web. 20 Sept. 2015.

Kyra T.